CHICAGO – In the early stages of the offseason, when rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was still simply learning how to call an NFL play in an NFL huddle, the talk was that the talented Bears defense might have to carry the revamped Bears offense for a few weeks.
Turns out that was an understatement.
From start to finish in the team’s Week 1 win over the Titans, the offense was out of sync and the problems ran the gamut. There were drives doomed by penalties, miscues between Williams and his receivers, plays that were DOA thanks to ineffective blocking up front and dropped touchdowns. Execution was poor across the field.
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Here are some numbers to illustrate the ineptitude:
Longest drive: 46 yards (still ended in a punt)
Number of drives with 10 or fewer yards: 4
Number of drives with negative yardage: 2
3rd down conversions: 2-13
Net yards: 148
Yards/play: 2.8
And yet, the Bears pulled a Week 1 win like a rabbit out of a hat thanks to timely plays in the other two phases.
After falling behind 17-0 in the first half, the defense clamped down, created three turnovers and a touchdown. The punt block team created a touchdown of their own with a blocked kick, scoop and score.
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Players on offense were universally thankful that the D picked them up, but they’re not about to kick their feet up knowing they’ll have their back each week.
“That's definitely not our mindset,” said Rome Odunze. “We want to be the ones going out there making plays and having this team lean on us.”
The way Odunze sees it, if the offense executes properly the Bears will start blowing teams out with runaway wins.
“If we get a performance like the defense had today and the offense is doing our thing, we’re sitting in here and it looks a lot prettier,” Odunze said.
There’s also an understanding that at some point the offense will have to return the favor. The Bears face several high-octane offenses this year, starting with the Texans next week. They know they can’t count on game-changing interceptions or strip sacks on a weekly basis. They’ll need to pick up the slack and lead the team to victory at some point.
“All we want to do is perform for them, show them that we’re here too,” said center Coleman Shelton.
“The potential is there, the talent is there, but you’ve gotta have the result,” said tight end Gerald Everett. “If you don’t have the result, you should be on edge.”
The feeling among offensive players is that while it may seem like the playmaking defense affords them the luxury of some extra runway to develop chemistry, in reality they don’t have a lot of time to get it together. No excuses for having a rookie QB under center, or a new OC installing his offense. The regular season has started and they feel they need to perform at a high level now.
That said, they feel good knowing they have the safety net from the other two phases. Today’s win gives them confidence that they can still win even when they struggle for nearly 60 minutes.
"When we all play together– offense, defense, special teams– it's going to be a scary thing when it's all together,” said DJ Moore.
Another key: several players on the offense felt like the adversity pulled them together on the sidelines. In years past this would’ve been a game where the Bears fell short. Now, it feels like another example of a galvanized group ready to turn the page from rebuilders to contenders.
“I thought it was uplifting,” said Odunze. “Wanted to go out there the next play and make something happen. That’s what you need. You need this team coming together regardless of what happened on the downs before and understand that the next play is going to be our best play, the next play is going to be explosive, the next play is going to be a touchdown.”
The offense’s best wasn’t that great, but they did save it for last. After gaining 54 yards and converting six first downs over the first three quarters, the offense managed 96 yards (not including yardage lost to kneel downs) and five first downs in the final frame.
Something to build off of?
“In the NFL, every week is different,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “There will be times when the games ebb and flow. They really do, and you just have to be good as a team. It’s never about just one side or one person. It’s about us being able to figure it out during the game and figure out our winning formula for that particular day.”