When it comes to throwing the ball deep for the Chicago Bears' offense, that has been a work in progress for this unit.
There have been moments when Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has struggled to connect with his receivers downfield, whether it was an overthrown pass or a miscommunication. Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle discussed this matter with the media, crediting everyone on the offense for the issues with that aspect of their game.
"When we have opportunities and shots down the field where we feel like we have a guy with separation, it's on both the wideouts and the quarterback to be able to go handle that. Also, we want (Caleb) to be able to start playing through those progressions when those things don't present themselves, to be able to expedite his process to get the ball underneath."
There's plenty of blame to go around with not being able to connect on the big plays
Bears fans have to start with the obvious: Williams is struggling to hit his receivers on target. He currently ranks 34th in the NFL in on-target percentage on his throws with 68.2%. The NFL average in 2025 is at 74.7.
Another big problem that has occurred over the last few weeks is the drop rate among the Bears' wide receivers. Some might attribute it to Williams not putting the ball in the spot where they need to be, but there have been plenty of moments when the receivers and tight ends were open and did not bring the ball in.
Chicago would love to make the big plays, but that has not been this offense over the course of the season. There may be a handful of pass plays that Williams went deep for scores that worked. From the Luther Burden touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys to the Colston Loveland game-winning score against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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While the big pass plays would be great to have, it's okay that it's more about the running game and controlling the time of possession. It has been the winning formula so far, but some improvement in the deep balls would be great as well.