When we look at the Chicago Bears offense, one thing has stood out through four games. The run blocking has been by far better than the pass blocking. I am not about to try and defend Justin Fields entirely for his performance to start this season. He has missed some throws and he has left a pocket that wasn’t as bad as he may have thought, but he has also had too much pressure in his face. One of the biggest reasons for this has been the issues at center.
Sam Mustipher may have had a 100% pass-blocking win rate heading into Week 4, but I hope that people now realize just how misleading that stat can be. For one, I don’t believe that he had been perfect throughout the first three weeks. I’ve seen enough on tape while watching other players to know that wasn’t accurate. The other problem with this stat is that a player only has to hold his block for 2.5 seconds. Anything after that is not considered. Having help is also not considered.
This offensive line cannot pass block with only five to six players. They are constantly having to leave multiple tight ends on the line or keep a back in the backfield to pick up a blitz. This limits what Justin Fields and Luke Getsy can do on offense because it reduces the number of pass catchers running routes, essentially making it easier for the defense to cover.
Things got worse in Week 4 though. Sam Mustipher had as many holes in his pass blocking as a block of swiss cheese. Then Cody Whitehair went out with a knee injury that sounds somewhat serious. He was put on injured reserve but is able to return after four weeks rather than be done for the season. We saw Lucas Patrick struggle mightily in this game as well and not just when he was filling in at left guard for Whitehair. It was happening too often as he started ahead of Teven Jenkins at right guard. Now, this team needs to move forward with a new starting five.