Which Chicago Bears players laid duds in Week 11 vs. Falcons

Chicago Bears Week 11 Dud No. Three: Offensive line (again)

Once again, the Chicago Bears’ offensive line let the team down. With a combination of poor pass protection, lack of discipline, and regression in the run game, the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line was able to dominate the line of scrimmage. Grady Jarret specifically wrecked the Bears’ offensive game plan, starting with the run game.

The Chicago Bears came into this game as the number-one rushing team in the league, but a major part of that is because of Justin Fields putting up insane numbers on the ground. If you look into the numbers, the Bears running backs have not done a lot this year. While Khalil Herbert is near the top of the league in yards per carry, the overall rushing numbers in terms of total yards between him and David Montgomery have been nothing to write home about.

A big part of that has been the regression in run blocking lately, and a lot of that can be blamed on the numerous injuries to the offensive line. With guys like Lucas Patrick, Cody Whitehair, Teven Jenkins, and Larry Borom all missing significant time this season, it is understandable why the team has regressed in that area. Still, the Bears’ veteran talent on the line has not helped at all. When out there, Patrick and Whitehair have both disappointed.

The game against the Falcons showed how much this offensive line affects the offensive success. Third downs are almost dead downs when the Bears are in passing downs and it usually results in a miraculous play needing to be made by Fields.

The offensive line should look a lot different next year. With the way Justin Fields looked at the end of this game, it is evident he cannot sustain this level of running from his position. The line will need to keep him on his feet, or he is going to take a lot more hits this season. It feels repetitive to put them on this list again, but they were just dominated by a less-than-average Falcons’ defensive line.