Chicago Bears Week 10: Takeaways
8.) Willie Young and the Bears OLBs stepped up without McPhee
The Rams don’t have a great O-line, but the Bears OLBs haven’t done much this season besides Pernell McPhee, who was out with an injury on Sunday. McPhee was replaced by a combination of Willie Young, Lamarr Houston, and Sam Acho and they all stepped up to make plays against the Rams. Young made a TD saving tackle on Todd Gurley, had a QB hit, forced three holding calls on Rams LT Greg Robinson, had a late game INT, and had a few QB pressures.
Houston had a big 3rd down sack and a tackle for loss. After struggling the last two weeks, Acho had two tackles, two QB hits, kept contain on a Tavon Austin reverse, and made a nice play in coverage. None of them matched the production the Bears are used to from McPhee, but they all contributed to the victory, didn’t make many mistakes, and kept heat on Rams QB Nick Foles all day.
9.) The Bears D-line controlled the line of scrimmage
Over the last five games before Sunday’s match-up with Bears, Rams rookie RB Todd Gurley was averaging 131 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry. On Sunday the Bears D held Gurley to just 45 rushing yards on 3.8 ypc. It was a stellar performance by the D-line as a whole, not just being the first team to stop Gurley since he took over the RB1 job, but also putting pressure on QB Nick Foles. Will Sutton, Eddie Goldman, Jarvis Jenkins, and Bruce Gaston were the unsung heroes for the Bears D. They didn’t get any sacks or put up big tackle numbers, but they controlled the line of scrimmage after the Rams first possession, made things difficult for Foles, and kept the Rams from putting together extended drives.
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
10.) Shea McClellin actually played pretty well
I’m still in shock that McClellin made a big defensive play! As anyone who has read this column knows, I not a big fan of McClellin’s play earlier this season and am disappointed that Jonathan Anderson was sent back to the bench in favor of McClellin, but he might have had his best game of the season this Sunday. His forced fumble and recovery was a turning point in the game, he led the team in tackles with eight and McClellin was a key factor in holding Gurley to just 45 rushing yards. Welcome back Shea (I guess).
11.) Adam Gase had a masterful day as a play-caller
When was the last time the Bears had two plays over 80 yards in the same game? I have no idea either, but there is a good chance it’s never happened. Bears OC Adam Gase called two perfectly timed short passes that took advantage of an over-aggressive Rams D and led to long TDs for the Bears. The Bears were also able to move the ball consistently with quick passes and misdirection runs for a total of 397 yards for the offense. For the 2nd week in a row, the Bears put up around 400 yards of total offense and Gase’s play calling deserves a lot of credit for their success.
Next: More Takeawys