With the loss to the Packers and the Vikings win over the Chargers on Sunday, the Chicago Bears playoff chances officially fizzled out to zero percent. What should fans be on the lookout for with two games still left to play?
Despite having two games left on the schedule, the Chicago Bears playoff odds came crashing down to zero on Sunday. Alright, crashing might be a little far fetched since their odds of sneaking in were around three percent. As I write this, I must admit that I am still angry about yesterday even if I knew their playoff hopes were slim.
The Chicago Bears had the opportunity to beat the Packers in Lambeau Field and they squandered it away. Inconsistent play by most everyone on the team kept points off the board. Mitchell Trubisky looked phenomenal at times. He was making some special, elite throws — throws back across the field, throws into tight windows.
Watching Trubisky play, majority of the time I was like alright, he looks competent out there and that is all we need. The inconsistency crept back in though and he missed some routine throws and reads. Nevertheless, I never thought, wow the Bears need to revamp this entire offense. I never thought Matt Nagy, Ryan Pace and Mitchell Trubisky need to go after this performance.
What I did walk away thinking was how this one game was the complete epitome of the Chicago Bears’ entire season. How are we supposed to even enjoy watching the last two games of the season? For me, I plan to continue to watch it as a scout/analyst. The Chicago Bears need to figure out who they have and who they decide to keep or move on from in 2020.
Quarterback Position
The first and obvious place to look is the quarterback position. This is not just a Mitchell Trubisky situation. The Bears need to of course decide if they want to pick up his fifth-year option. Watching how he plays in two games that mean little in the grand scheme of things might not be the best way to make that decision, but we need to see if Trubisky can continue to build off his good games and learn from the bad.
Although not “bad” against the Packers, he was not great and therefore we need to see more versus the Chiefs and Vikings these final two weeks. Beyond that (and more difficult to gauge in my opinion) is what to do with Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray.
Personally, I think both need to go this offseason, but without seeing either in action makes things more difficult on Pace and Nagy. Ideally, the team should look to bring in a veteran who can push Trubisky more plus a late-round draft pick.
Head Coach
Speaking of Nagy, he needs to be evaluated the final two games too. I am not saying he should be replaced after this year, but his playcalling needs to be looked at more closely and cannot be forgotten come the 2020 season. Will he adapt or will he continue to push his own plan even when it is not working?
Offensive Line
Here is one area that really needs to be analyzed. The offensive line struggled again on Sunday. Not as much in pass blocking, but once again in run blocking. This partly has to do with scheme, but other times guys were getting beat bad. I am looking at you James Daniels, Rashaad Coward and Cornellius Lucas. Charles Leno and Cody Whitehair did not have clean games either but were not blown up as often as the other three.
Tight Ends
I was surprised the tight end position was not utilized more often on Sunday as the Packers have been bad defending that position all year. We should be looking closely at Jesper Horsted and J.P. Holtz to see who should stick around in 2020. Personally, I want them both plus a new addition in the draft. I just wish Horsted pitched it sooner yesterday. Trey Burton is on my cut list.
Wide Receivers
The team has not seemed to miss Taylor Gabriel that bad when out with his concussions this year. As much as I like him, if Pace finds he needs some cap space, Gabriel is a guy they could let go to free up some room. Allen Robinson needs to be extended. Anthony Miller is a lock to remain. If they let Gabriel go, I am fine with Cordarelle Patterson, Riley Ridley, and Javon Wims. I want to see more of Ridley in the final two games though. Give him some game reps.
Running Backs
David Montgomery needs more carries while the quarterback is under center. The constant shotgun runs are not working. Nothing suggests to me that Montgomery needs to be replaced though. Tarik Cohen is going into the final year of his rookie contract. Watching his play over the final two weeks plus what he’s done this season might not be enough to convince me to extend him this offseason. He might need to be treated like Trubisky and see what he does in 2020.
What are some of your concerns for this team as we head into 2020? Is one area a bigger concern than others? Who do you have on your must keep or must cut lists?