The Chicago Bears (3-3) return to Soldier Field desperate to get a win over the struggling Los Angeles Chargers (2-5) in Week 8.
The Bears have come under attack this past week, notably for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s poor play and Matt Nagy’s decision to run the ball just seven times against the Saints.
But it’s been more than the Bears offense that has been struggling. The defense hasn’t looked the same since Week 4 and the special teams had two blocked punts a week ago.
The Bears need a win, and they need one badly.
Here are five storylines to watch as the Bears face the Chargers on Sunday:
1. Was the players-only meeting effective?
After Eddie Jackson urged the players to come together following last Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the Saints, the result was a players-only meeting that Danny Trevathan believes was effective.
Well, we won’t know that until Sunday when the Bears take the field against the Chargers. Accountability was likely something discussed during the private meeting, and the offense, defense and special teams all have something to prove Sunday.
Will we see a more focused team that goes out and executes against a struggling Chargers team? Or will it be a repeat performance that will set off the panic alarm?
2. Which struggling team gets the win?
The Bears aren’t the only team struggling over the last few weeks. And luckily for them, they’ll face a team that might be worse off than them in the Chargers, who have lost five of their last six games.
The Bears are reeling after a Week 7 game where they struggled on offense, defense and special teams. Though the offense has been the team’s biggest concern — and if fixed would alleviate some stress from the defense. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s future in Chicago is in question, but there is more to the success of the offense than just Trubisky.
That offense will get a chance to find its identity against an injury-riddled Chargers defense that still has defensive end Joey Bosa bringing the pressure.
Just like the Bears were able to dominate a bad team when they beat the Redskins 31-15, they need to do the same against a 2-5 Chargers team.
3. Will the Bears actually commit to the run game?
The Bears run game has been nonexistent this season, and it’s been a deterrent for Chicago’s struggling offense. If you can’t run the ball — rather, if you refuse to run the ball — your offense is not going to find success.
Coming off a game where the Bears ran the ball just seven times — on Walter Payton bobblehead day, no less — Matt Nagy insists that the Bears will commit to the run. But will they?
History suggests that the Bears should indeed establish the run game. This season when the Bears have ran the ball 20-plus times, they’re 3-0. When they haven’t, they’re 0-3. Coincidence, I think not.
4. Can Mitchell Trubisky improve against a struggling Chargers defense?
Trubisky has come under fire this week for his abysmal performance against the Saints, and his future in Chicago is in jeopardy. What he needs to do is come out against a struggling Chargers defense and light them up.
At this point, Trubisky’s ceiling this season has been a Week 3 game against a bad Redskins defense, where he tossed three second-quarter touchdowns to receiver Taylor Gabriel.
There was an edge to Trubisky during his weekly press conference, which you’d like to believe will allow him to play angry. When he does that, he’s often at his best. You know, when he’s not thinking and just playing.
5. Will the defense return to its early-season form?
While the offense has been the focus of Chicago’s woes in this two-game skid, the defense has lost sight of who they are. After being an absolute dominant force in the first four games, they’ve stumbled against the Raiders and Saints.
Sure, the defense wasn’t helped by the fact that they were on the field most of the game against the Saints. But, when all is said and done, they’ve allowed back-to-back 100-yard rushers after allowing an average of 62 yards per game heading into Week 5.
What can we expect from this Bears defense against the Chargers? One thing’s for certain, if we’re going to keep calling them a Super Bowl-caliber defense, they’re going to need to prove it.
