The Chicago Bears pulled off an impressive upset against the New England Patriots. The game may have come at the perfect time for the team because it was after a Thursday Night game and it was a Monday night game.
So, they had a weekend off and an extra day to look back at themselves and make adjustments to Improve. It was good to see that they did not stay stagnant and try to win the same way that they had been and the results showed. What are some of the changes we saw?
5. Chicago Bears called more designed runs
This was one of the biggest and most obvious flaws that the Chicago Bears had entering the game. They had a quarterback who could run like some of the best in the NFL. At times, he would flash it, but those were only times when the play broke down and he had to scramble.
The Chicago Bears were not calling plays that got their quarterback moving with the football. The team entered the game with 11 designed run calls. On Monday, they called 11 designed runs for the quarterback. That was double the career high of Justin Fields in a single game.
What were the results? Chicago put up 30 against the New England Patriots, and Justin Fields looked better than ever before. Justin Fields is not Tom Brady and never will be. Still, he is much more like Josh Allen, so why not use him like Josh Allen?
The team cannot run Fields into a wall, but Allen has about double the number of designed run calls as Fields. After seeing it work so well this week, you have to assume that they are going right back to this well through the rest of the season, and the rest of the career for Fields.
4. Chicago Bears leaned to split the backfield
The Chicago Bears said that they planned to use a more split backfield after David Montgomery had typically be a 75-25 leader over Khalil Herbert. Herbert was more explosive and looks better on paper, but Montgomery has his areas of strength as well, and the best bet is not to ride one or the other but to play the hot hand.
It appeared the team leaned into that a bit, as the running back split was as tight as it had been all season. Montgomery played 40 snaps and Herbert played 29. It was essentially a 55-40 split with 5% going to Trestan Ebner.
Either way, that is much closer, although Montgomery remained the starter and the lead back. Still, the backfield split was much closer at 15-12 in favor of Montgomery. Also, Montgomery ran 12 routes to the 10 of Herbert.
This is getting closer to what we thought the team should do. It is another sign that they took the mini-bye and self-scouted. They realized that Montgomery is still the man, but they need to find ways to mix Herbert into the game. The screen pass to him that led to a touchdown was a perfect design and a play you run specifically for Herbert and not Montgomery.
Luke Getsy had the best game of his career, and we should expect this split to continue through the season.
3. Chicago Bears mixed up WRs
This change was pretty inevitable. N’Keal Harry was coming back from the IR, so something was set to change. Beyond that, Velus Jones has now be in the offense for three weeks, so you would think that they want him into the mix a bit more.
With that said, changes were coming, we just did not know how. Darnell Mooney remained the top dog, with Eqaunimeous St. Brown behind him. Then, it shuffled a bit.
Usually, we see Dante Pettis as the three. However, Harry out-snapped him 30-22. They did run the same number of routes, and Pettis saw a handoff as well, but Harry is clearly leaning toward being the number three after his debut.
They like Harry because he can lineup outside and block, making them strong on the edges, and giving them the ability to move Darnell Mooney into the slot.
Velus Jones dropped to the number five role, unfortunately. He played 13 snaps and ran four routes. Harry is unlikely to give up that outside role, so the question now becomes whether Pettis will continue to fall down the depth chart, or whether Velus Jones will struggle to climb the depth chart.
2. Chicago Bears have a new punt returner
Dante Pettis saw fewer snaps, but in return saw a jump back to his old role as a punt returner. This was no surprise after Velus Jones fumbled twice in three games, both times costing the team majorly.
Jones is still a rookie and will get another chance, but for now, they need to let him learn from the bench and roll with somebody who can field punts. They had a few options but went back to Dante Pettis, who returned punts when Jones was hurt.
Pettis did not impress earlier in the season, but had his best return of the season on Monday, setting the team up with great field position later in the game.
Jones was likely going to sit a few anyways, but the play of Pettis has the team not worrying about it. This is disappointing for Velus Jones, though. The third-round rookie has been benched from returning punts, and now is the number-five wide receiver on the depth chart.
Perhaps he can pass up Pettis on offense if he cannot catch him in the return game. Still, the move was warranted, and the play of Pettis helped the Chicago Bears seal the win.
1. Chicago Bears shook up the OL
Probably the most needed move turned into the shortest-lasting move. The Chicago Bears needed to move Lucas Patrick to center. It is where they signed him to play and where he should be at his best. However, after his hand injury prevented him from snapping they were easing him in.
On Monday they finally made the switch and pushed him from guard to center. As a result, Sam Mustipher went to the bench and Michael Schofield got to start.
This was short-lived because a toe injury put Patrick on the bench. So, the team called in Mustipher once again. To be fair to Mustipher, he did admirably after getting tossed back into the lineup.
Schofield also played well, showing he may have been shaking off rust in the preseason. The line held up well, but they would love to see it at full strength just for one full game.
If Patrick can return, he will, and Schofield will surely keep his job as well. The question comes down to how serious the injury to Patrick is. Maybe one day we can finally see him at the position the team signed him to play.