The Chicago Bears went full Jekyll and Hyde in London against the Oakland Raiders. All the signs were there for this letdown, but that doesn’t lessen the sting. Now they head into their bye with as many questions as answers.
Bears Jekyll and Hyde Act Fails in London
The Good
Chicago showed a resilience that few probably thought they had, coming back from down 17-0 with their backup quarterback guiding their offense. An offense, and overall team, that has been rife with questions in the infancy of the 2019 campaign. The final stats for Chase Daniel (22/30, 231 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions) give a glimpse into what the game was like.
Allen Robinson had himself a day. Oakland had no answer as the Penn State-product caught seven of eight targets for 97 yards and two scores (his first of 2019) facing an Oakland secondary that came in ranked 27th against the pass. He has been the only consistently effective member of this offense this season. Imagine if he ever had equal quarterback play.
What a throw. What a catch. The @ChicagoBears lead for the first time today! @ChaseDaniel @AllenRobinson #CHIvsOAK #Bears100 @NFLUK
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Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/d6meepU6Nz pic.twitter.com/khPDDEqsSY— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2019
Tarik Cohen and Anthony Miller made their respective presences felt. Cohen had 10 touches (four runs, six catches on seven targets) for 49 yards. It was just his second game this year with more than two catches, the other was the loss to the Green Bay Packers. Miller had four catches for 54 yards, doubling his catch total and nearly doubling-up his yardage for 2019.
The Bad
The Bears got whooped in the trenches, allowing four sacks on Daniel on offense and 123 on the ground to Raiders rookie Josh Jacobs. It was their first time allowing a 100-yard rusher since Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants. The Bears lost that game 30-27 in overtime. Jacobs was selected with the second-round pick the Raiders got from the Bears in the Khalil Mack deal.
More on the problems in the trenches, the offensive line is ranked 24th in run blocking and 16th in pass protection, per Football Outsiders. Last year they were 28th blocking the run but seventh in protection. A stark contrast and part of why they have allowed multiple sacks in three of five games this season. The run numbers suggest perhaps Jordan Howard wasn’t the issue after all.
Congrats to Chase Daniel for being the first blind QB to play in the NFL.pic.twitter.com/ETXHB2prhJ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 6, 2019
The Bears were 14th in rushing attempts but only 25th in rushing yards entering Week 5. They are 30th in total yards. The early deficit quelled the run game and made the offense more predictable, but there is a problem brewing. Last season they were 11th in rushing yards (and sixth in attempts) and 21st in total yards.
Turnovers are always costly, but the timing of Daniel’s two picks was awful. The first came in the second quarter right off the Raiders taking a 7-0 lead. Daniel put up a poor decision intended for Trey Burton (three catches for 16 yards) that Oakland linebacker Nicholas Morrow. The other was a similarly ugly throw intended for Miller after the Raiders scored what was ultimately the game-winning touchdown.
The Ugly
Injuries are just the worst. Akiem Hicks was a game-time decision and got the start but left early on with an elbow injury. Eddy Pineiro continued to battle through his leg injury, hitting his lone field-goal attempt and all three point-after attempts. At one point he took a hit from Oakland defensive end Arden Key and had to go under the tent. The bye is welcome with so many injuries.
Penalties have been a major problem so far. Chicago came in ranked 22nd in penalties and 24th in penalty yards this season. They average 8.3 per contest and had another 10 today for 71 yards. The call on Kevin Pierre-Louis was especially egregious. It turned a fourth-and-six to fourth-and-one which Oakland converted on a fake en route to the game-winning touchdown.
Tempo has been the bane of the Bears existence. The defense can’t get off the field fast enough to not get gashed when offenses run the ball and utilize wide receiver screens. It’s an issue they have had since last season. Offensively they can’t stay on the field long enough to get any consistent momentum going.
The calls for Daniel should over but they won’t be. Many will point to how imbalanced the game plan became after the Raiders 17-point outburst in the second quarter. Chicago answered with a 21-point explosion of their own in the third but was held scoreless in the other three. Daniel is 1-2 in his last three starts with five touchdowns to four interceptions.
Bear Bye Week Blues
Chicago gets Week 6 to lick its wounds after having their three-game win streak snapped. The better use it to find themselves too as they just finished the “easy” part of their schedule. They come out of the bye to face New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, at the Philadelphia Eagles, back home to face the Detroit Lions, at the Los Angeles Rams, those Giants, and at Detroit.
It doesn’t even end there as they close out the regular season with the Dallas Cowboys, at Green Bay, host the Kansas City Chiefs, and at the Minnesota Vikings in week 17. That is a gauntlet if there ever was one. 3-2 is nothing to sneeze at and, again, the time to heal is needed. But Chicago had a very realistic shot at 4-1, and even 5-0. Instead, they watched Green Bay and Minnesota win in Week 5.
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