Bears' offense is the problem
Chicago
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Game center
Vikings at Bears Sunday, Nov. 25, 12 p.m.
Overview The Bears, who have lost two in a row after starting the season 7-1, return home licking their wounds after being handled with ease by the 49ers on Monday night. They have dominated the series with the division-rival Vikings of late, winning their last five games against Minnesota, but the Vikings are in the wildcard hunt and are well rested coming off a Week 11 bye. After not traveling with the Bears to San Francisco after suffering a concussion in Week 10, QB Jay Cutler is expected to return to the starting lineup this week.
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A cut below
Bears’ offense is the problem
Matchup to watch Chicago’s vulnerability off the edges reemerged in Week 11 and offensive coordinator Mike Tice has to do a better job of getting his offensive tackles help than he did vs. the 49ers with Vikings DE Jared Allen, who is on pace for his sixth consecutive double-digit sack season, set to tee off on a Bears O-line that gave up six sacks and a safety.
By the numbers
13 13
Allen has 13 sacks in eight career games against the Bears. The Bears have a 13-3 record in the last 16 starts by Cutler.
Schedule and results Pointspread shown refers to Chicago Date Opponent spread score Sept. 9 Indianapolis (-10) 41-21 Sept. 13 At Green Bay (+6) 10-23 Sept. 23 St. Louis (-7) 23-6 Oct. 1 At Dallas (+3) 34-18 Oct. 7 At Jacksonville (-6.5) 41-3 Oct. 14 BYE Oct. 22 Detroit (-6.5) 13-7 Oct. 28 Carolina (-7) 23-22 Nov. 4 At Tennessee (-5) 51-20 Nov. 11 Houston (-1) 6-13 Nov. 19 At San Francisco (+3.5) 7-32 Nov. 25 Minnesota Dec. 2 Seattle Dec. 9 At Minnesota Dec. 16 Green Bay Dec. 23 At Arizona Dec. 30 At Detroit
quote of note
“It was a tough game against a good football team. We practice a lot better than that. We are a better football team than that. We just have to show it.” — Bears C Roberto Garza on his team’s loss to the 49ers.
Pick the winners
QB Jason Campbell did not get much help from his offensive line in the Bears’ Week 11 loss to the 49ers.
Keeps team out of elite category By Dan Parr Pro Football Weekly
The Bears once again showed that they have a lot of work to do offensively as the 49ers dismantled them in Week 11. With six games left on the schedule, time is running out for them to start clicking on that side of the ball, and the Packers, who have rallied to pull even with the Bears at 7-3, are not waiting for them to figure it out. Yes, the Bears’ defense also had an awful night Monday against a quarterback making his first career start, but we all know the defense is not the Bears’ biggest problem. Their offense has not proved it can do much of anything against the league’s better defenses, whether Jay Cutler is playing or not. In fact, they have looked like a team without a plan — at least a winning one — on offense way too often this season. In the Bears’ three losses (at Green Bay, vs. Houston and at San Francisco), they have scored only 23 points
(7.7 average). That is not enough help for even the stingiest defenses. The bad news for the Bears is their next five games are against teams ranked among the top 13 in points allowed. They will face three teams in the top 10 in a four-week span in December when the Seahawks and Packers visit Soldier Field and the Bears travel to play the Cardinals. The Bears have beaten only one team that currently has a winning record (the Colts) and they played them in Week One. They have a chance to double that number vs. the 6-4 Vikings, who have allowed an average of 30 points per game in their last three outings, but the Bears set out to do more than beat the teams on the fringe of the playoff picture. QB Jason Campbell said after the loss to the 49ers that the Bears’ goals this season are still attainable. That’s true. The Bears are just not giving us reasons to believe they are in the same category as other teams that appear to be headed for the playoffs.
Secondary concerns n The Bears’ defense has been among the league’s best this season, but it took a big step back in San Francisco. Breakdowns in the secondary were among the most glaring errors. Kelvin Hayden has supplanted D.J. Moore as the team’s top nickel back, andHayden was burned by Hayden WR Kyle Williams on a 57-yard reception that set up the 49ers’ first touchdown — a three-yard pass to TE Vernon Davis, who was left uncovered. FS Chris Conte and SS Major Wright have done a decent job of avoiding glaring errors. However, Conte Wright was out of position in coverage Monday and missed tackles. He and Conte each were penalized. The con- Wright cerns about the safeties that lingered below the surface during the team’s 7-1 start have returned as legitimate questions for the Bears.
60-second rant PFW editors sound off on the biggest NFL stories of the day. www.ProFootballWeekly.com
Way we hear it n Bears ORT Gabe Carimi fared well in a high-profile assignment against Texans DE J.J. Watt — a serious Defensive Player of the Year candidate — in Week 10, but he — and the rest of the Bears’ offensive line — took a big step back vs. the 49ers in Week 11. “I feel like I had better in me, so when I talk about myself, I know my play wasn’t where I wanted it to be in order for us to win this game,” Carimi said. The player selected 22 picks ahead of Carimi in the first round of the 2011 draft, OLB Aldon Smith ( 5½ sacks), pushed Carimi around with ease at times Monday night. Despite his struggles in his second season (he played in only 1½ games as a rookie because of a knee injury), the coaching staff has not really singled out Carimi. The closest Lovie Smith came to calling out Carimi Monday was when he said“we thought we’d be able to block (Smith) a little bit better.” The Bears have basically attributed Carimi’s rough patches to him being a young player that is still learning. Offensive coordinator Mike Tice said about a month ago that he thought Carimi was being too aggressive and that it would serve him well to settle down a bit. Carimi remains confident in his ability, but he has yet to prove himself as a player the Bears can trust in one-on-one matchups in pass protection. He was asked after the San Francisco game if he believed he and his fellow O-linemen will get their issues ironed out. “Oh yeah, for sure,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of time. Next week, we’re going to come out and be ready for the Vikings.”
whispers n Some Bears players described their loss to the 49ers as a wake-up call, but WR Brandon Marshall bristled at the suggestion the team became too comfortable after its 7-1 start. “I have never been on a team that works harder, coaches and players,” Marshall said. “We really are excited about this opportunity we have, as far as the entirety of the season. There is no complacency. It seems like every time we win a game we work a little bit harder. I love that about this team. We just have to get better, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”
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BearS Get the latest football news updates at ProFootballWeekly.com
ON SALE NOW! Available at:
ProFootballWeekly.com/subscribe/
SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Get 30 issues of Pro Football Weekly, available in a convenient PDF format every Tuesday, for $54.95. Call 1-800-366-8225.
Game center
Vikings at Bears Sunday, Nov. 25, 12 p.m.
Overview The Bears, who have lost two in a row after starting the season 7-1, return home licking their wounds after being handled with ease by the 49ers on Monday night. They have dominated the series with the division-rival Vikings of late, winning their last five games against Minnesota, but the Vikings are in the wildcard hunt and are well rested coming off a Week 11 bye. After not traveling with the Bears to San Francisco after suffering a concussion in Week 10, QB Jay Cutler is expected to return to the starting lineup this week.
ONLINE NOW
A cut below
Bears’ offense is the problem
Matchup to watch Chicago’s vulnerability off the edges reemerged in Week 11 and offensive coordinator Mike Tice has to do a better job of getting his offensive tackles help than he did vs. the 49ers with Vikings DE Jared Allen, who is on pace for his sixth consecutive double-digit sack season, set to tee off on a Bears O-line that gave up six sacks and a safety.
By the numbers
13 13
Allen has 13 sacks in eight career games against the Bears. The Bears have a 13-3 record in the last 16 starts by Cutler.
Schedule and results Pointspread shown refers to Chicago Date Opponent spread score Sept. 9 Indianapolis (-10) 41-21 Sept. 13 At Green Bay (+6) 10-23 Sept. 23 St. Louis (-7) 23-6 Oct. 1 At Dallas (+3) 34-18 Oct. 7 At Jacksonville (-6.5) 41-3 Oct. 14 BYE Oct. 22 Detroit (-6.5) 13-7 Oct. 28 Carolina (-7) 23-22 Nov. 4 At Tennessee (-5) 51-20 Nov. 11 Houston (-1) 6-13 Nov. 19 At San Francisco (+3.5) 7-32 Nov. 25 Minnesota Dec. 2 Seattle Dec. 9 At Minnesota Dec. 16 Green Bay Dec. 23 At Arizona Dec. 30 At Detroit
quote of note
“It was a tough game against a good football team. We practice a lot better than that. We are a better football team than that. We just have to show it.” — Bears C Roberto Garza on his team’s loss to the 49ers.
Pick the winners
QB Jason Campbell did not get much help from his offensive line in the Bears’ Week 11 loss to the 49ers.
Keeps team out of elite category By Dan Parr Pro Football Weekly
The Bears once again showed that they have a lot of work to do offensively as the 49ers dismantled them in Week 11. With six games left on the schedule, time is running out for them to start clicking on that side of the ball, and the Packers, who have rallied to pull even with the Bears at 7-3, are not waiting for them to figure it out. Yes, the Bears’ defense also had an awful night Monday against a quarterback making his first career start, but we all know the defense is not the Bears’ biggest problem. Their offense has not proved it can do much of anything against the league’s better defenses, whether Jay Cutler is playing or not. In fact, they have looked like a team without a plan — at least a winning one — on offense way too often this season. In the Bears’ three losses (at Green Bay, vs. Houston and at San Francisco), they have scored only 23 points
(7.7 average). That is not enough help for even the stingiest defenses. The bad news for the Bears is their next five games are against teams ranked among the top 13 in points allowed. They will face three teams in the top 10 in a four-week span in December when the Seahawks and Packers visit Soldier Field and the Bears travel to play the Cardinals. The Bears have beaten only one team that currently has a winning record (the Colts) and they played them in Week One. They have a chance to double that number vs. the 6-4 Vikings, who have allowed an average of 30 points per game in their last three outings, but the Bears set out to do more than beat the teams on the fringe of the playoff picture. QB Jason Campbell said after the loss to the 49ers that the Bears’ goals this season are still attainable. That’s true. The Bears are just not giving us reasons to believe they are in the same category as other teams that appear to be headed for the playoffs.
Secondary concerns n The Bears’ defense has been among the league’s best this season, but it took a big step back in San Francisco. Breakdowns in the secondary were among the most glaring errors. Kelvin Hayden has supplanted D.J. Moore as the team’s top nickel back, andHayden was burned by Hayden WR Kyle Williams on a 57-yard reception that set up the 49ers’ first touchdown — a three-yard pass to TE Vernon Davis, who was left uncovered. FS Chris Conte and SS Major Wright have done a decent job of avoiding glaring errors. However, Conte Wright was out of position in coverage Monday and missed tackles. He and Conte each were penalized. The con- Wright cerns about the safeties that lingered below the surface during the team’s 7-1 start have returned as legitimate questions for the Bears.
60-second rant PFW editors sound off on the biggest NFL stories of the day. www.ProFootballWeekly.com
Way we hear it n Bears ORT Gabe Carimi fared well in a high-profile assignment against Texans DE J.J. Watt — a serious Defensive Player of the Year candidate — in Week 10, but he — and the rest of the Bears’ offensive line — took a big step back vs. the 49ers in Week 11. “I feel like I had better in me, so when I talk about myself, I know my play wasn’t where I wanted it to be in order for us to win this game,” Carimi said. The player selected 22 picks ahead of Carimi in the first round of the 2011 draft, OLB Aldon Smith ( 5½ sacks), pushed Carimi around with ease at times Monday night. Despite his struggles in his second season (he played in only 1½ games as a rookie because of a knee injury), the coaching staff has not really singled out Carimi. The closest Lovie Smith came to calling out Carimi Monday was when he said“we thought we’d be able to block (Smith) a little bit better.” The Bears have basically attributed Carimi’s rough patches to him being a young player that is still learning. Offensive coordinator Mike Tice said about a month ago that he thought Carimi was being too aggressive and that it would serve him well to settle down a bit. Carimi remains confident in his ability, but he has yet to prove himself as a player the Bears can trust in one-on-one matchups in pass protection. He was asked after the San Francisco game if he believed he and his fellow O-linemen will get their issues ironed out. “Oh yeah, for sure,” he said. “We’ve got plenty of time. Next week, we’re going to come out and be ready for the Vikings.”
whispers n Some Bears players described their loss to the 49ers as a wake-up call, but WR Brandon Marshall bristled at the suggestion the team became too comfortable after its 7-1 start. “I have never been on a team that works harder, coaches and players,” Marshall said. “We really are excited about this opportunity we have, as far as the entirety of the season. There is no complacency. It seems like every time we win a game we work a little bit harder. I love that about this team. We just have to get better, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”
Join the Handicapping Inner Circle and let our NFL experts help you pick winners. A season-long subscription is just $89.95.
