We all saw the rough day that Kyler Gordon had with the Chicago Bears. Gordon allowed 10 catches and two touchdowns and was seemingly the only person that Aaron Rodgers was looking at.
Still, what is so disheartening about the performance is that it was an all-around dud. He struggled in coverage for sure, but what is being talked about even less is how inefficient he was as a run defender.
Chicago Bears rookie struggles in run defense
Below you see Kyler Gordon motion across the line of scrimmage with the tight end. The snap is to Aaron Jones who is moving from left to right. Gordon beats Sammy Watkins, and the pulling lineman into the backfield, but he misses the tackle.
Fortunately, on this play, he was able to contain the run from getting outside. He missed the tackle but pushed the run inside and it resulted in a tackle a few yards later.
The play below does not have the same result. Again, Gordon shifts a bit because of the motion, and again he does a good job reading the run.
However, when he breaks down to make the tackle he whiffs completely. This time, Aaron Jones did not have to juke to avoid him and had a head of steam as he took off into the secondary.
In the last play, he almost gets caught peeking in the backfield. As the outside cornerback below he has the responsibility to contain all runs. He sees the run, steps up, and then the worst thing he can do happens. He stands flat-footed.
This run may not have broken outside in the Pac-12, but in the NFL, he needs to be on his feet and ready to contain the run to the inside. This run getting outside falls on him getting sucked into the backfield and losing his responsibility.
This is going to be an issue that may continue to get picked on. The Chicago Bears edge rushers are not good at defending the run, and it puts a greater emphasis on the slot corner and the linebackers to contain runs.
The Colts had this with Darius Leonard and Kenny Moore, but so far Roquan Smith and Kyler Gordon are not quite filling the role in the same way. Gordon has a long way to go in coverage, but it also has to be discussed that his run game issues stood out as well.