The Chicago Bears do not have a quarterback problem
I'm not about to tell you that the quarterbacks of the Chicago Bears have not attributed to the outcome of many games over the last two years. Justin Fields has only won two games under Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy. The thing is, wins are not a quarterback stat. Wins and losses are team stats -- even though the quarterback can usually have the biggest effect on the outcome of a game.
Watching the Chicago Bears operate on offense over the last four weeks, we have seen the best of Justin Fields, a horrible game plan, followed by a solid game plan against a really bad team and now another relapse back to poor game planning. This game has exposed and proved just how badly the offensive game plan continues to operate.
When I looked at this matchup, I said how the Chicago Bears needed to take advantage of the quick passing game and screen game. This would fit perfectly with Tyson Bagent's skill set. The Chargers have a top-12 run defense that has improved week-over-week. The same game plan that Luke Getsy brought against the Raiders wouldn't work in this game. However, part of it should have worked. Instead of running up the middle, the team should have used the outside zone rushing attack more (it worked at times), coupled with WR, RB, and TE screens.
It's not often I call for that many screens. However, the Chargers have been the worst at stopping it. The Bears didn't attack this area of the defense enough. Some deep shots across the middle should have been incorporated too as the Chargers have struggled in that area of the field, but instead, we saw mostly throws toward the boundaries.
Essentially, the game plan was awful as usual. Now, couple that with all of the penalties (even ones not accepted) and you have to wonder just how prepared is this team. We are constantly talking about how the H.I.T.S. principle isn't working. That continues to negatively impact Matt Eberflus and it has to be said that this staff continues to prove they should be fired. The quarterback has been 'a' problem, but the coaching staff has been mostly 'the' problem.