Keys To Victory: Chicago Bears Enter A Pivotal Three Game Stretch
By Usayd Koshul
4. Win In The Red Zone
With Adam Shaheen returning, the Bears red zone offense just got another big body that can be used in addition to Trey Burton and Allen Robinson. While Shaheen could make his season debut on Sunday but be on a snap count, winning in the red zone is a major key for the Bears.
Currently, opponents score on the Detroit Lions 53.8 percent of the time when in the red zone. Likewise, when reaching the red zone, the Bears offense has scored 19 times in the red zone on 29 red zone trips this season.
On Sunday, a big key to beating the Lions will be winning in the red zone. The Lions secondary features Glover Quin Jr, Teez Tabor, and Darius Slay. While Slay is likely be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, he’s still proven to be an effective cornerback who will willingly shutdown a teams best wide receiver.
The numbers clearly show that a big part of winning against the Lions is by beating them in the red zone. Usually, when teams reach the red zone, the advantage usually goes to the offense as they can dial-up a variety of plays. In Matt Nagy’s red zone offense, we’ve seen a multitude of different looks in the red zone, including two quarterbacks on the field at the same time shuffle passes to tight ends, and even simple looks like handing off the ball to Jordan Howard.
In other words, winning in the red zone isn’t an option for the Bears, it’s a must if they want to win.