What a game! We usually lose those close ones! When Carlson lined up for the 54 yarder I was scared. He is a Pro Bowl level kicker and I knew he wasn’t going to miss. So…I repeated “there’s no way we block this” “no way in hell”…and of course it was blocked by CB Josh Blackwell!!! Interestingly enough, while luck did play a factor…same game tape revealed the center moved the ball a certain way before snapping it. That intel led to a perfect timed jump to get to the kick and block it. What a heart pounding (very frustrating at times) game! Break down time!
Our Offense vs Their Defense
I won’t lie. Our game plan against Max Crosby was awful in the beginning. I was losing my mind at how much he affected the game. He is the ONE guy you have to scheme the most against and he wrecked the entire offensive game plan. Our defense was playing lights out and we should have been up 14-0 in the first quarter. We just couldn’t block Crosby at all…he even batted a pass and intercepted the ball. He also made everybody else better around him. I also think the Raiders had good game film on Caleb with his quick passes getting knocked down at the line consistently. I will say the offensive rebounded nicely later despite having younger 2nd string tackles starting!
DJ Moore needs more involvement. I love the fact Rome Odunze is having a breakout year though(TD in every game for the first 4 weeks…the first person to do that since Walter Payton)! DJ is getting open and is t giving up on plays so he will eventually start producing better. Cole Kmet had a bad game. The sure handed TE kept dropping catchable passes…I think he will get it corrected in 2 weeks though. As for Caleb…it was a rough outing at first, but when the game was on the line he showed the mental toughness to put the Bears in position to win. He is starting to get a reputation as a clutch player!
Yes, another offense paragraph! While the run game gave us the last TD, the run game has to be better. Unfortunately it is a combo of blocking and bad vision so it will take some time to fix. Swift is not a power back and I believe some of our issues could be solved with a more physical north south runner. Perhaps we start looking at potential trade candidates (Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker).
Our Defense vs Their Offense
Our defense looked amazing again in the beginning. Kevin Byard was JUMPING routes and making fantastic interceptions. He dialed it back to his younger days for sure! We got pressure on Geno Smith, we caused Ashton Jeanty to fumble…things were going well. The game started to shift later on once Ashton Jeanty started to get some running lanes. He then was utilized on screens and the Bears were all of a sudden having trouble trying to tackle him. Again, another player the Bears needed to focus on and they could not do it for an entire game. If I am the defensive coordinator, I am reintroducing the fundamentals of tackling.
This defense cannot play an entire game effectively right now, but we do have some key injuries. Like the offense, this team is also lacking a key area. We need a more consistent pass rusher. Montez Sweat has been very ineffective…I’m actually shocked he still cannot beat his man more consistently. We need Dayo to step it up too. I would look to see the Bears give more snaps to Austin Booker in the future.
Conclusion
We have an early bye, but it will help to get some key players back. After the bye this week…we get a chance at revenge against the Commanders. Do you recall the horrible Hail Mary play the Bears lost in the final seconds of the game that really the Bears could never recover from mentally? Let’s just say there a lot of players searching for some redemption after that debacle!
Have a great week everybody!