NFL Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears’ Lack Of Speed A Serious Issue

Fresh Videos

By @edpvideo

Marquess Wilson Breaks Away for Chicago Bears

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

In last Sunday’s game between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, the Bears suffered their second devastating loss in as many weeks. After collapsing in the second half two weeks ago against the Green Bay Packers, they again folded after halftime against the Panthers and watched a 14-point lead turn into a seven-point loss. The pattern that has emerged is the Bears are in games early, then quickly fade in the second half. The one exception being the epic comeback the team posted against the San Francisco 49ers after falling behind 17-0 early in the game. The real question is why is this happening?

The defense has improved, from pathetic in 2013 to serviceable in 2014. Prior to the season I would have called that improvement enough to vault the team to playoff contention. The surprise is the lack of consistency and production from the offense. The reason?

Speed — or lack thereof.

The Bears boast huge receivers in Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett. They’re all big bodies and all capable of making spectacular catches in a crowd, but big bodies don’t stretch the field. Marshall has never been a breakaway threat. His best asset is his toughness and an ability to put his body in front of a defender to win by positioning. Jeffery is a long strider who can get downfield, never breaking away from defenders, but hauling in passes with his lanky wingspan. Bennett is a tough short yardage tight end who is athletic for his size and can run after the catch like a wide receiver.

Add all of that up and you get a team built to succeed in the red zone where you’re only dealing with 20 to 30 yards of playing field. In fact, the Bears have excelled in the red zone with a 70.59 scoring percentage (touchdowns only). That’s good enough for fifth in the league behind the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bears, however, are not built for speed. That hurts.

Defenses can play behind the receivers and keep all the action in front of them, knowing the Bears will play within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage. The Panthers figured this out and made Matt Forte very happy, as he became Jay Cutler’s favorite player coming out of the backfield. Without the ability to stretch the defense the formula has been cast on how to contain the talented Bears offense.

With the season slipping away at an increased pace, I’m not sure the Bears can hang on long enough to get speedy wide receiver Marquess Wilson back from a preseason shoulder injury after their bye in Week 9. If the last two weeks are any indication, the bye week might just mark the end of the Bears’ postseason dreams.

Paul Kakert is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @edpvideo, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on