The Chicago Bears recently fell to the Lions 41-10 in what was nothing short of an absolute beatdown. This loss should be a wake-up call, to ensure the front office that this team is nowhere close to contending for anything right now.
Significant changes need to be made in the offseason on both the offensive and defensive lines because both units are probably bottom three in the entire NFL. The Lions’ smackdown on the Chicago Bears started and ended in the trenches because their offensive line and the defensive line had their way all game with the Bears’ linemen on both sides of the ball.
This Bears team is lacking significant talent in the trenches and they won’t be able to win anything until significant changes are made in the offseason. This Chicago Bears roster has many holes, but these three holes are the ones that need the most help in this next off-season.
Chicago Bears 2023 Biggest Need: Major offensive line help
The Bear’s offensive line for the most part of the year has not been as volatile as their most recent showing where they allowed 7 sacks to the Lion’s defensive line that was once one of the worst defensive lines in the NFL. But make absolutely zero mistakes that this Bears offensive line has been absolutely horrendous all season long but has been flying under the radar and passing off as a solid group due to some clever play calling by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
It is safe to assume that Getsy is aware of the lack of talent on the offensive line which is why through weeks 1-12 he called the third-lowest true pass set percentage of plays in the entire NFL. A true pass set is when there are five blockers on a play with no play action, bootlegs, screens, or any type of moving the pocket. Using techniques like moving the pocket is an easy way to hide a bad offensive line which is what the Bears have had to do for most of the season.
The Bears also have a -8.5% pressure differential on true pass sets vs non-true pass sets which is the second biggest differential in the league. Meaning they allow 8.5% more pressure when in a true pass set and are not able to move the pocket.
Bottom line is that no NFL team can aim to win anything if your offensive line can’t hold their own in a true pass setting where they don’t have the benefit of clever scheming. The Bears need to get better and add real talent to the trenches.
Looking at NFL team differences in pass blocking when in True Pass Sets (TPS). True Pass Sets are pass snaps that do not have the benefit of play action, roll outs, or screens. These are extremely prevalent when trailing late. pic.twitter.com/5P390Bz0jf
— Quinten Krzysko (@ButkusStats) November 28, 2022
* All information about true pass sets was found by Quinten Krzysko or @ButkusStats on Twitter