Who is to blame for the Chicago Bears Hail Mary loss?

Offensive Line

Next up on the blame train is the offensive line. Had Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins played the entire game rather than missing time due to injury, I would have put more blame on the offensive line. However, when you have to play your backup left tackle and your third-string guard, it's hard to not give them a little benefit of the doubt.

The problem is that the offensive line did not look great to start the game even when all five starters were still healthy. You first lose Braxton Jones to a knee injury. Then you lose Teven Jenkins and just two plays later, you lose backup guard Bill Murray. The injury bug was definitely hitting this unit fast and hard. Jenkins attempts to come back, but he gets dinged up again, and the "fullback" that fumbled away a potential touchdown (not really his fault) has to finish out the game at left guard. Yikes.

This unit needs to find a way to come together and block better. Watching teams that bring five or more rushers each down give the Bears a headache is getting old. This unit needs to figure out how to pick up these blitzes and they need to figure it out yesterday. For now, I'm leaving them lower on the list.

Ryan Poles

The man who deserves just as much, if not a little more, blame as the offensive line is Ryan Poles. Poles has yet to build the offensive line up to the point it needs to be. Drafting Darnell Wright still looks solid, but signing Nate Davis looks like a joke. Counting on Braxton Jones as your starting left tackle also adds a negative blip on the ol' resume. Poles has been great in many ways, but he continues to ignore and also swing and miss when it comes to the offensive line.

Since Poles is the general manager and in charge when it comes to offseason personnel decisions, he comes in one spot higher than the offensive line. Personally, Poles has done an excellent job turning the franchise around from a talent perspective. Unfortunately, these hiccups cannot be ignored and we must call him out for not fully addressing the trenches.