The Chicago Bears offensive line should only be getting started in 2017
Lost in the discussion of Mike Glennon giving the game away was that this is the first game in which all five of the Bears projected offensive line starters have played together in 2017.
Kyle Long played in his second consecutive game after missing all of training camp. In his return, in Week Three it was Josh Sitton who was injured and missing time. The shuffling at guard, along with an offseason injury to Eric Kush pushed center Cody Whitehair to guard at times.
After all of that shuffling, the team had the exact five that the envisioned when they came into the season for the first time. It was not overpowering, but looked solid at times and brought promising thoughts. The unit gave up one sack, but it was clearly on Mike Glennon, who missed his check down and stood still in the pocket for far too long. That along, with a snap that bounced off of Glennon’s knee were the two non-interception turnovers by Glennon.
Above is the initial pocket from the only sack by the Packers. Glennon had the time and an open receiver to avoid the sack.
Neither non-interception turnover can be blamed on the line. Both interceptions came from clean pockets. In fact, Glennon dealt from clean pockets for most of the night.
Above is his initial pocket during interception number one.
Another clean pocket forms as Glennon throws interception number two.
The running game did not have much success, but given the circumstances of starting the game down 14-0, it is hard to expect any sort of momentum from a rushing attack. In the first three-quarters, the Bears ran 15 times for 36 yards. In the fourth quarter, they ran 14 times for 67 yards. That is a 4.7 to 2.4 difference in yards per carry. In a game that became a lost cause, an offensive line was able to form together as a cohesive unit and walk away feeling confident after their fourth-quarter touchdown drive.
Next: John Fox is going down with the ship
Continuity is one of the most important aspects when it comes to judging the offensive line. This could be just the start of what could be a very strong offensive line in Chicago.