Chicago Bears: Previewing the vital, must-win game vs the Packers
The Chicago Bears must keep running the football
I believe that more than a few folks have mentioned that the Bears need to run the ball a fair amount in this and every other game they play should they make the playoffs — add myself to this list.
The Packers have gotten better at stopping the run using a 6-1 front. It is not certain what the very best answer to this is but I am confident it is not running up the middle. Presumably, a screen pass would work against this front. The Bears must find a way t counter a crowded line of scrimmage in order to make the run game work efficiently. This can also help sell the run on play-action. This strategy is a must if they are going t win this game.
Probably, the best way to counter a loaded front is by using some triple tight end sets it will be fascinating to see whether it is Allen Robinson or Darnell Mooney who will be their lone wideout in these plays. You could justify using either one for this scheme.
Matt Nagy and Bill Lazor have to find where the soft spots are in the Packers’ run defense. They exist and these two must not give up on this until they find the right recipe to succeed at running the ball. They have to do whatever they need to do to set up Trubisky so the play-action plays to keep the Packers defense guessing.
In the past, the Packers defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine, has often stopped Matt Nagy’s short-pass dominated West Coast Offense system in its tracks. He has also often confused Mitch Trubisky with his disguised defenses. There will be a lot of chess game moves by both coordinators to reveal and hide defensive schemes.
What makes the West Coast offense easy to defend is when the offense focuses the vast majority of its plays within ten yards of the line of scrimmage. The Bears really need to be passing the ball a fair amount in the 10-15 yard range because it both makes it tougher to defend and this is the range where Mitch Trubisky’s inconsistent mechanics are much less of a problem.
The Bears need a balanced run-to-pass ratio but throwing a lot of passes within five yards of the line of scrimmage plays very much into the hands of the Packers’ defense. Regardless of Trubisky’s mechanics they still need to take a shot here and there downfield to hopefully spread out the Packers defense to one degree or another.
Recently, the Bears have fallen in love with the Jet sweep. Maybe this is Bill Lazor’s influence. I believe they should continue to use it. However, I hope they lay off of it early in the game and pick their spots to use it to surprise the Packers when they least expect it.
Allen Robinson, Jimmy Graham and Darnell Mooney all had really good games last week against the Jaguars. The Bears will need all three of these players to keep it up along with David Montgomery. Anthony Miller can also play a role, as well. I bring up the passing game because there is the scary possibility that with Jaylon Johnson and Buster Skrine out, the Bears might find themselves needing to win a shootout against Aaron Rodgers to win this game.