The Chicago Bears (3-2) are coming off a bye after two weeks spent sitting in the 24-21 loss against the Oakland Raiders (3-2), which leaves them sitting in third place in the NFC North.
Despite not playing in Week 6, the Bears rose two spots back into the top 10 of NFL.com’s Week 7 Power Rankings.
The Bears, thanks to a Week 6 bye, have to sit with that Raiders loss for two weeks, which we can imagine is not the most pleasant feeling. When Chicago returns to the field against New Orleans this Sunday, the goal inside the building has to be getting this offense on track before it ruins the season. The Bears entered Week 6 ranked 28th in points per game, 30th in total offense, 26th in rushing yards per game and 30th in big plays (defined as a reception of 20-plus yards or a rush of 10-plus yards).
The Bears do have a player who’s good at all that stuff when given a chance — that would be running back Tarik Cohen, who already had nine such “big plays” through five games a year ago. In 2019? He has just one, despite being healthy and available each week. Bears coach Matt Nagy needs to get Cohen involved.
The focus is certainly on the offense finally establishing an identity, which starts with the offensive line and trickles down to the quarterback, running back, receivers and tight ends.
The Bears offense has been uninspiring if not for an electric second quarter against the Washington Redskins in Week 4. If the Bears are going to make a playoff run — and continue to climb the power rankings — they’re going to need some help from their offense to complement a Super Bowl-caliber defense.
