Someone foolishly dropped Bears tight end Trey Burton before his breakout performance on Sunday, and seeing that I had a major need at the position, I figured a strong waiver bid would tie up loose ends. Unfortunately, I woke up Wednesday morning to find out Burton wasn’t on my roster. How could this be? It turns out that someone else made the same $20 bid I did, but was higher on the priority list. So not only do I go into Week 8 of the fantasy football end without Burton, my two highest scoring players (Julio Jones and Melvin Gordon) are on bye. I hate fantasy football.
(Michael: My fantasy football team has scored the third most points in the league, but has BY FAR the most points against (50+ more against me than even the second team on the list!). And, so, I’m nearly in last place. I also hate fantasy football.)
From a happier fantasy perspective, Scott Barrett of Pro Football Focus highlights Tarik Cohen’s excellence out of the Bears’ backfield. Cohen is making the most out of his opportunities, many of which are coming in a wide receiver type of role. Cohen has run 22 routes lined up as a wide receiver and is averaging 49.3 air yards per game, according to PFF’s metrics. Matt Nagy has sent Cohen onto the field for 43.5 percent of the offensive snaps, which represents a seven percentage-point increase from his rookie season. It’s almost as if good things tend to happen when your most explosive players are on the field.
Seriously, this seems good:
RB @TarikCohen has recorded 414 all-purpose yards over the past three games and ranks fourth among NFL running backs with 328 receiving yards this season. He also leads all NFL running backs with four catches of at least 25 yards.
Because Cohen has done a ton of damage whenever he touches the pigskin, there have been fewer big-play occasions for teammate Jordan Howard. It’s been a disappointing start for Howard, who figured to have a bigger say in the offense since he has shown an improved ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Howard isn’t taking advantage of his overall lead in the snap share, averaging a career-worst 3.5 yards per carry. It’s the second straight year Howard’s yards per attempt has taken a dive, so I suppose it makes sense Cohen is getting more opportunities than he did last year. But still … at some point, No. 24 needs to get it in gear if the Bears are going to wake up from their recent slumber.
The Bears’ run-blocking hasn’t been that big of a problem. Trey Burton has the third best run-block grade among tight ends, Charles Leno Jr. ranks 17th among 74 offensive tackles as a run-blocker, and Cody Whitehair checks in as the 10th highest-graded run-blocker by PFF’s grading scale. There are good things happening here and maybe it’s just a matter of time before Howard gets it going again.
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes that it’s unfair to pin the blame solely on Howard. A successful rushing attack is a team effort that starts with game-planning and play-calling and needs effective blocking up front before the running back even gets the ball in his hands. Hopefully, Mitch Trubisky’s three consecutive 300-yard passing games will loosen up the defense and clear the way for Howard to get some more successful touches.
OK, so Trubisky wouldn’t have crossed the 300-yard passing threshold had it not been for Kevin White’s Hail Mary snag. Which rekindles one final thought regarding that Patriots loss – why didn’t the Bears throw the Hail Mary play before halftime? Patrick Finley of the Sun-Times gets an explanation from the Bears’ head coach, and it’s a logical one. The Bears were really in a no-win situation. My gut was telling me the Bears should have tried a 58-yard field goal, but the numbers suggest that’s not quite in Cody Parkey’s range, and my head knows that he just missed a 53-yard game-winner a week ago. Maybe the hook-and-lateral will be available next time.
Over at 670 The Score, Greg Gabriel wonders if there should be a heightened level of concern regarding the Bears’ defense. Sure, the Patriots scored only 24 points on the Bears last week. That’s a better showing than what went down the prior week against Miami, but it doesn’t take into consideration the possessions New England lost with a special teams fumble, two special teams touchdowns, and two turnovers. Things could’ve been worse than they were.
Despite its recent struggles, the Bears’ defense still has its moments:
This is cool: Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic catches up with Blake Annen, Nathan Vasher, and Johnny Knox, who are coaching high school football for Carmel in suburban Mundelein. Vasher and Knox are higher-profile names who Bears fans have fond memories of from their playing days, but Annen’s story is the most intriguing one because his path isn’t the one you would expect to lead to where he is now. You’ll want to clear some time to read Fishbain’s piece.
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
The latest from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero is QB-heavy. And if you're a fan of the Chicago Bears, you will want the section dedicated to Caleb Williams. There is all sorts of good stuff about his play style, background,...
I'll say this about Taylor Swift: Surprise dropping a double album (with the second installment dropping at 1 a.m. CT) prepared me for how to best piece together Bears content at an unholy hour next week while simultaneously trying to...
I'm starting to wonder if maybe University of Texas star Byron Murphy II fits the bill as a Chicago Bears draft target.. In his latest at NBC Sports Chicago, Bears insider Josh Schrock wonders if Chicago's football team could be...
The idea of the Chicago Bears drafting a butt-kicking offensive tackle is something that continues to pop up. Perhaps Notre Dame's Joe Alt is something on the team's radar. NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah opines Alt could be someone...
The winds of change are howling through Halas Hall. After years (decades) of searching, the Chicago Bears appear set to finally land their franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, with the top overall pick. This signals a new era for the Bears, but the...
The Chicago Cubs finished a winning road trip with a series win against the defending NL champs. Taylor Swift has a new album that drops at 11 p.m. CT. And the Chicago Bears will usher in a new quarterback era...
Only one week remains until the biggest event of the NFL offseason — the 2024 NFL Draft. Caleb Williams is going first overall unless something totally unexpected happens. But outside of that, there are still so many questions left to...
I had a great visit with my therapist today. Between that and an afternoon cold brew, I've got enough in me to power through an evening Bears post. Let's dig into some recent mock drafts that are giving off a...
For all the discussion about the big three wide receivers who could be on the Chicago Bears radar on NFL Draft weekend, a different high-profile pass-catcher is apparently garnering some interest from the team. All-American tight end Brock Bowers had...
The Chicago Bears continue building out their organizational staff around President Kevin Warren. And their latest addition arrives to Halas Hall with three Super Bowl rings in tow. The team announced the hiring of Ted Crews, who has spent the...
With a lefty Marlins starter on the mound this afternoon, Nico Hoerner lead off today's game for the Chicago Cubs. And he did it in style, ripping a leadoff double to the left-center field wall, before coming into score a...
And just like that the Chicago Cubs are the first team in the NL Central to reach 12 wins! They're not technically in first place yet because the Brewers (11-6) have played fewer games, but we're talking about a matter...
The Toronto Blue Jays (10-9) will look to Daulton Varsho, who is coming off a two-homer game, to lead them in a matchup with the San Diego Padres (11-10) Friday at 9:40 PM ET on SDPA. The Blue Jays are...
Jung Hoo Lee (10 games) will look to add to his hitting streak when the San Francisco Giants (9-11) and Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11) meet Friday at 10:15 PM ET, live on Apple TV+ from Oracle Park. Jung Hoo Lee and...
The New York Mets (10-8) will put their four-game win streak to the test when they visit the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9) Friday at 10:10 PM ET on MLB Network. Bookmakers consider the Dodgers to be -203 favorites, while the...
At 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the New Orleans Pelicans against the Sacramento Kings -- with Jonas Valančiūnas needing to score just once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer over/under.Jonas Valančiūnas'...
Brandon Ingram's New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and to beat his 3-point prop, he must make two from beyond the arc.Brandon Ingram's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the...
CJ McCollum needs to make four 3-pointers to beat his prop when the New Orleans Pelicans face the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, in the NBA Play-In Tournament.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the KingsCJ McCollum's over/under...
The Sacramento Kings meet the New Orleans Pelicans at 9:30 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and one of the 3-pointer props available for this matchup requires only one make from Domantas Sabonis.Domantas Sabonis' Three-Pointer Prop Odds...
De'Aaron Fox must make three 3-pointers to beat his prop when the Sacramento Kings face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, in the NBA Play-In Tournament.De'Aaron Fox's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansDe'Aaron Fox's over/under for...
NEWSLETTER
