Which Chicago Bears were losers in Week 14 vs. Lions?
The Chicago Bears were able to hold onto a lead against the Detroit Lions this time as they came away with another divisional win. They were the better team for almost the entire game, but there are still areas of inconsistency that need to be cleaned up if the Bears are going to shoot for a miraculous playoff berth.
The Chicago Bears once again outplayed the Detroit Lions for the majority of their matchup. This time, the final score represented the way the game went, and the Bears found themselves with a second straight win and it being another divisional win makes it even more important. This win puts the Bears at 5-8 on the season, and as FOX showed in their graphic, they are officially "in the hunt." While the fans of a tank job might be grumbling under their breath, most fans would agree that this is the type of team we expected to see this season.
While there is a lot to like right now with the way the Chicago Bears are firing on all cylinders, there are things that need to be cleaned up in order to find consistency and not regression. The run game and the offensive line play specifically have to be better in order to establish a more well-balanced offensive attack,
Chicago Bears Week 14 Loser No. 1: Offensive line
The Chicago Bears have yet to find consistent play on the offensive line. Many of the key players have found some flashes of success this season, but they are yet to put it all together as a unit. There have been plenty of positives, especially from the trio of Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, and Darnell Wright. There is just a lot of room for improvement out of those guys since they are the real future of the offensive line.
Against the Lions, the Bears once again could not get much going on the ground besides some explosive Justin Fields scrambles. With both Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson getting most of the hype in the offseason, D'Onta Foreman has been the best of the backs so far this year because he plays well into how this team runs. Their blocking has not been able to consistently open up holes and get to the second level in order to create some big runs, so Herbert has not been as effective when he plays.
They have also not been running the ball nearly as much as last season when they led the league in rushing. The interior of the line specifically struggled against the Lions in both run and pass blocking. Jenkins got moved on a few plays, which was uncommon for him, and then Nate Davis and Lucas Patrick continued to struggle. Davis especially did not look great against a banged up Detroit d-line. Davis shows some good things, but there are too many bad things for what the Bears are paying him.
The offensive line still needs to come together as a unit. Justin Fields is still taking way too many big hits. Granted he still holds the ball a bit long. If they can clean things up and improve in the run scheme, the offense will be able to stay consistent instead of having their eventual stall-out mid-game, like we saw in the second quarter against the Lions.