In the aftermath of Monday Night Football's meltdown had by the Chicago Bears, it's hard not to try and pass blame. And believe me, plenty of individuals deserve a healthy amount of exactly that.
One of the areas that became relatively disheartening, and in a hurry, was up front on offense. That offensive line was supposed to be fixed, yet the unit struggled as a whole. General manager Ryan Poles invested a lot of money into that interior, but against the Minnesota Vikings, it didn't necessarily matter.
First and foremost, you can put some blame on Caleb Williams here. That's fair. In terms of his accuracy, there is plenty of reason to worry. He sailed a lot of his throws and didn't make multiple must-have plays that were there for the taking.
As far as the offensive line, though, Poles' investment didn't pay dividends right away.
The Bears' new-look offensive line will only keep Ryan Poles in question
Let's take a quick look at some numbers courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Player | PFF Grade Week 1 | Penalties Against | Pressures Allowed (Sacks) |
|---|---|---|---|
LT Braxton Jones | 58.7 | 0 | 6 |
LG Joe Thuney | 58.9 | 0 | 4 |
C Drew Dalman | 60.4 | 0 | 4 |
RG Jonah Jackson | 31.0 | 2 | 5 |
RT Darnell Wright | 77.9 | 2 | 0 |
Now, as usual, you can viewPFF with whichever lens you prefer and take their grades with a grain of salt, if you must. Looking at just the raw data, though, it's pretty evident that the Bears' new-look offensive line had a rough first outing.
And, for further proof that this line struggled mightily, Williams was the second-most pressured quarterback in all of Week 1, just below Cam Ward.
If it wasn't foolish penalties, then someone was allowing pressure. If it wasn't allowing pressure, it was setting the offense back with penalties. We really didn't see a whole game played by a single Bears offensive lineman. And, I'd even go so far as to disagree with PFF's grade on Joe Thuney. He looked like the best lineman on the field.
Darnell Wright might have graded out nicely, but he still cost the Bears with a pair of penalties.
And, Braxton Jones? Woof. There are a lot of folks who think he played a solid game, and I'll give him some props. For the majority of the game, he held up fine. However, the few moments where he was absolutely pushed around? Those are what stood out. Jones' anchor still isn't where it needs to be this far into his career, and it might just be Ozzy Trapilo time sooner or later.
Jonah Jackson ... my goodness. There are no words to summarize just how bad he was.
Poles didn't get himself a long-term left tackle. Two of his three prized interior offensive linemen struggled overall. If fans thought this issue was fixed, they were dead wrong.
Read more: Ben Johnson can’t wait long before making a bold Bears benching
Now, this is just one week. But, the vibes are already not good. Poles' inability to put together a consistent offensive line lingers on, and until the group gels, he'll forever be under the microscope.