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Is Chargers defense just what Chicago Bears offense needs?

By Parker Hurley

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: David Montgomery #32 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after rushing in his team's first touchdown during the match between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: David Montgomery #32 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after rushing in his team's first touchdown during the match between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Bears offense looks broken. Fortunately for them, they face a broken defense in the Los Angeles Chargers

Nobody is trying to say that the Chicago Bears offense is set to break out in the second half of the season. To the contrary, the issues in the Bears offense looks like something that cannot be fixed until the offseason.

However, coming off of an embarrassing performance that saw the team look completely lifeless before garbage time, the Bears may be in perfect position to bounce back. At least for a week.

While the Bears have plenty to figure out offensively, the Chargers defense has been an absolute mess. We know their star safety Derwin James, and he is out for the game. The defense has not been the same since his absence.

However, on top of him Melvin Ingram, Justin Jones and Brandon Mebane have been out as well. That is three starters on the defensive line out. The status of all three will need to be watched, but the Chargers defense has been awful since losing these key pieces.

Their biggest issue has been run support. In a loss to the Broncos, Phil Lindsey touched the ball 19 times and picked up 147 yards. The following week James Conner had 23 touches for 119 yards. Benny Snell, his backup picked up 75 yards on 17 rushes. Last week had 23 touches and put up 118 yards.

This is with Joe Flacco, Devlin Hodges, and Ryan Tannehill at quarterback.

The Chargers can load up the box, it does not  matter. They cannot stop the run right now. For the season, the Chargers rank 24th in run defense. The Raiders rank 11th, and the Saints 9th for comparison.

Going from top ten caliber groups to one that is trending towards worst in the league should be a huge advantage for Chicago.

Matt Nagy has been questioned for his commitment to the run. Trubisky has been questioned as a quarterback who does not gain respect.

Next. Run game issues go beyond play calls. dark

Still, Trubisky will get as much respect as Devlin Hodges, and the Steelers still ran the ball heavy. Nagy needs to call runs, he needs to run into heavy boxes, and he needs to stick with the run as the Bears wear down a weak Chargers front.

If the Bears cannot run the ball against the Chargers, they are unlikely to win another game this year.

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