Oct. 20--The Chicago Bears' 37-34 overtime loss to the previously winless Detroit Lions sapped their momentum and offered a reminder of how much work remains as they push forward in their rebuilding effort.
In a game rife with missed opportunities, here are three things we learned about the Bears in Week 6.
Coach John Fox, who arrived with a reputation for managing end-game situations conservatively, lived up to it at the end of regulation
The Bears' inability to close out the game on their penultimate possession of the fourth quarter had much less to do with Fox's decision to run the ball three straight times than it did players' failure to effectively block for those runs.
For example, on the third-and-4 run that gained only one yard, tight end Martellus Bennett didn't do enough on the left edge to slow Ziggy Ansah. Even more detrimental to the play was how right guard Vladimir Ducasse and center Hroniss Grasu failed to stop defensive tackle Caraun Reid from penetrating the A-gap after Reid stemmed to his left just before the snap.
That said, it's fair to question Fox's decision to run three straight times, given that Matt Forte was averaging only 3.27 yards on 18 carries entering that series. That's a large enough sample size to realize the Lions' front generally was winning the line of scrimmage.
I don't fault the Bears for trying to run the ball in overtime to try to stay in manageable second and third downs. Again, individual blocking breakdowns turned those runs into busts, and that's a big reason the Bears ended up losing.
Fox's run calls near the end of regulation to make the Lions use their three timeouts weren't surprising because that's his history. But it was important to see it materialize here in Chicago because there always was that uncertainty Fox would change his approach based on new personnel. We know now he hasn't.
Sure, it could end up helping the Bears win games down the road. But given how the Lions offense moved the ball throughout the game, and given the Bears' struggles running the ball, it's impossible not to wonder what would have happened if the Bears had thrown at least once on their second-to-last series of regulation.
A separate issue was Fox's clock management when the Lions had the ball at the Bears' 6-yard line trailing by 4 with less than 2 minutes remaining. He wanted to let the clock run and put the game in his defense's hands. He would not explain why he saw a down side to preserving more time for his offense in case the Lions scored -- which they obviously did.
Yes, Patriots coach Bill Belichick employed the same strategy in the most recent Super Bowl. Was Malcolm Butler's game-saving interception the result of Belichick letting the clock run against the Seahawks? Who can say for sure? A player ended up making a huge play to justify the decision. That's similar to how Fox views these types of choices. Players make the coach look smart. I see that perspective, but it's also up to any coach to give his players the best chance to win.
In the Bears' case Sunday, their defense hadn't consistently made plays to that point, so what was the harm in establishing a security blanket for the offense? By using his timeouts and declining the 10-second runoff for the intentional grounding, Fox would have saved his offense about 30 seconds. It didn't require hindsight to know those would benefit the Bears' offense if the Lions took the lead.
Fox frequently reminds people how long he's been coaching in the NFL -- 14 years as a head coach, 26 years overall -- so he surely had his reason for letting the clock run. Game flow, personnel, or substitutions come to mind as possibilities. But there was enough time for the Lions to substitute and huddle up after the 26-yard completion to the 6-yard line, and they did both.
Perhaps an explanation will surface over time. The Bears didn't lose the game because of clock management, but, again, as we get to know Fox here in Chicago, his philosophies and approach to such situations will help define his tenure.
The pass defense needs playmakers
After two wins in which the pass defense made significant contributions and limited big plays, the Lions' receiving corps reminded us that the Bears need a top-flight pass rusher on the opposite side of outside linebacker Pernell McPhee.
As McPhee garnered extra attention from the Lions' blocking scheme -- an inevitable result of his recent emergence -- quarterback Matthew Stafford repeatedly extended plays. That exposed the Bears' secondary on such plays as tight end Tim Wright's 8-yard touchdown pass, on which cornerback Kyle Fuller lost vision, as Fox put it Monday.
Various members of the Bears secondary failed to locate the ball on big passing plays, lost contested catches or missed tackles after the catch. That amounted to five plays of at least 34 yards for the Lions. Their offense got well against the Bears and in the process highlighted the personnel gap the Bears must continue to strive to make up.
Receiver Alshon Jeffery remains a vital contributor to the offense
The context, of course, is Jeffery's expiring contract. Can the Bears afford to let him sign elsewhere this offseason? If he's healthy, the obvious answer is no. The on-field production and upside are clear.
Not only was he physically imposing against Lions defensive backs, but he made contested catches and difficult back-shoulder ones, too. Quarterback Jay Cutler has such trust in him, and that's a good thing despite mistakes like the underthrown fade in the end zone in the third quarter that resulted in an interception.
Now that Jeffery has another two weeks to get healthy, it will be interesting after the week off to see how his presence opens things up for the offense and continues to affect the run-heavy, ball-control identity it established with him out of the lineup.
