NEWSLETTER
No kneecaps were bitten during the writing of today’s Bears Bullets.
• Who knew Mother Nature would spark the Bears to victory on Sunday? Sideline reporter Mark Grote tweets: “Matt Nagy mentioned the potential incoming weather as to why the Bears took the ball first to start the game.” A forecast that was calling for rain all weekend was hinting at afternoon rain throughout the area. So while the rain was holding up, perhaps Nagy saw an opportunity to get the ball to his QB early in favorable conditions. The result was an opening-drive touchdown featuring everything we’ve been begging to see. Play-call balance, superb execution, aggressiveness to go for it on fourth down, and David Montgomery providing the exclamation point. We didn’t know it then, but Mother Nature’s looming threat led to a drive that set the tone for the day.
• Let me put aside the numbers for a moment, and let tell me what you what I saw from Bill Lazor’s offense. It was a scheme playing to his players’ strengths. The offensive line was able to build up a lather early by clearing holes for Montgomery, Damien Williams, Khalil Herbert, and other ball-carriers. From there, the Bears were able to create a play-action game by building on successful run plays. We saw heavy tight end usage early and throughout, with Cole Kmet in on 98 percent of snaps and Jimmy Graham being on 38 percent of plays. And there were even three offensive snaps in which the Bears went super heavy with Alex Bars being an eligible tackle. In the end, it led to a comfortable Justin Fields under center.
• And this is what a comfortable Justin Fields can do to opposing defenses:
And this one. pic.twitter.com/fd9KJVO3LM
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 4, 2021
Yeah, this one’s pretty dope too. pic.twitter.com/4OuGTHKE0p
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 4, 2021
• Let’s put that into numbers:
In 2019 and 2020 combined, the #Bears explosive pass play rate was 6%.
Today with Justin Fields it was 22%.
— Bill Zimmerman (@ZimmermanSXM) October 3, 2021
Lazor's explosive play rate with Mitch was 7.7% against Detroit.. So did Lazor help? Absolutely. But it's about having a QB that knows how to push the ball down the field.
— Bill Zimmerman (@ZimmermanSXM) October 4, 2021
• This dot chart is dreamy:
Better @NextGenStats passing chart this week for Bears QB Justin Fields pic.twitter.com/iw3Q7Plss9
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 3, 2021
• By my count, we’ve got five Fields completions of 15+ yards. The rookie was averaging 12.29 yards per attempt. Push aside that 82.7 passer rating that was sunk by a fluky interception. Big picture: This is what this offense should look like with a quarterback who is willing and able to sling it downfield.
• Fields made good plays throughout, but there were moments in which you could tell the chemistry between he and his pass-catchers was just a smidge off. It’s almost as if sprinkling first-team reps throughout the summer would have been good for his development toward building connections with teammates.
• This side-by-side blew my mind:
Well, now I can’t un-see it https://t.co/3qLbLqsl2Z
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) October 4, 2021
• Any time the Bears offense scores 20+ points, the default is to start planning parade routes because it’s simply not something that happens often enough. But the constant has always been the defense. And through four weeks, Sean Desai’s group is literally stuntin’ on ’em and deserve their moment in the sun:
More on the #Bears defense…
Schemed pass rush stunt — out of Dime personnel.
Run the twist/pick with the Dime back (Houston-Carson) & Khalil Mack. @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/1FozrfGamA
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) October 4, 2021
• Over the last three weeks, the Bears defense has come up with 14 sacks and 23 quarterback hits. That Week 1 clunker with just one sack feels like eons ago. This group relentlessly attacks the QB, which gives a secondary that isn’t at full strength a fighting chance on the back end.
• I hope it’s not too early to start pumping up Robert Quinn as a Comeback Player of the Year candidate:
Robert Quinn is having himself a YEAR so far. Being able to bend like Gumby still while having the quickness and hands to cross a tackles face is a lethal combo. Maybe the best cross-chop of all-time too. Certainly on the Mt. Rushmore.
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) October 3, 2021
Robert Quinn knocks it loose
Khalil Mack scoop
Khalil Mack lateral to Eddie Jacksonpic.twitter.com/McLZ0tza3A— Bears Talk (@NBCSBears) October 3, 2021
Pass rush production…
Robert Quinn. Up to 4.5 sacks on the season. Juice off the ball here. Bend/rip to get home. @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/6nxsp43kOh
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) October 4, 2021
• Quinn has 5 sacks, 7 quarterback hits, and 4 tackles-for-loss in four games. At this rate, Quinn is on pace for 22 sacks, 17 tackles-for-loss, and 30 quarterback hits. MERCY! As Patrick wrote last week, this is what the Bears were signing up for when they brought Quinn in as a free agent last spring.
• Khalil Mack, Quinn’s tag team partner in crime, was in on just 48 percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps on Sunday. But he made the most of them with 1 sack, 1 TFL, and 1 QBH. This puts Mack on a 17-game pace of 17 sacks, 17 tackles-for-loss, and 22 quarterback hits. Through four weeks, the Bears are a .500 team. But if they can get around 40 sacks, 50 quarterback hits, and 34 tackles-for-loss from the Mack-Quinn duo, they could surprise folks. There is something about a superlative pass-rush that just wrecks so much that opposing offenses want to do.
• This isn’t the first time the Bears have done this to Jared Goff. And with him being in the division, it certainly won’t be the last time. But it’s clear that they’re in his head. This quote, via MLive’s Benjamin Raven, speaks volumes about where the Lions are at right now and where they’ll be for a minute while undergoing their gazillionth rebuild:
“I think you just get to the point where you’re … there’s no longer like, ‘oh well we did these things good.’ You know? Like, you get to the point where it’s like, ‘well, we still lost.’ And then you’re not happy about it. Yeah, maybe a pissed-off team will execute a little bit better and that’s me included. How can we be better next week? Maybe getting pissed off will be the answer.”
• If you can’t get even, get angry. Just don’t start biting off kneecaps, Jared.
• Throwing opposing players like rag dolls doesn’t get old:
Bears #44 Alec Ogletree with the picture perfect Hip Toss pic.twitter.com/QHvIlw4eFX
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 4, 2021
• Admittedly, they’re not perfect. This can’t happen in a closer game against a better team, and I’ll leave it at that:
https://twitter.com/_MarcusD3_/status/1444746220069691395
• There is no time to wonder how that game would’ve gone had Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell not been foolish and taken points when they were laid at his feet. But I bet he’ll be thinking about it for a while:
Dan Campbell regrets the no-huddle playcall on Detroit's final fourth-and-1, but otherwise stands behind his decision to go for it twice deep in Bears territory. "My gut tells me to go for it," he said.
More insight to his thinking on those fateful plays: https://t.co/UWUdUvoB2M pic.twitter.com/DVoLcXEGmR
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) October 3, 2021
• Headlines you’re convinced you’ve seen before: Questionable offside call leads to 10-point swing before halftime in Green Bay. (PFT)
• It’s nice to see Cordarrelle Patterson get the proper usage he deserves (and the touchdowns that come with):
Cordarrelle Patterson went by EVERYONE 🔥pic.twitter.com/gAWhv9bHLa
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 3, 2021
Cordarrelle Patterson 2nd TD today
— Alex (@dbs408) October 3, 2021
Cordarrelle Patterson’s third TD is a BEAUTY. @ceeflashpee84 #DirtyBirds
📺: #WASvsATL on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/nwZfgIx7zZ— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2021
• That 30+ point fantasy day will do wonders for my bench’s morale.
• The Brady-Belichick Bowl went how I thought it would, with both sides executing a plodding duel of wits in the rain. And in a game that saw Tom Brady beat Drew Brees’ record on a measurement during a timeout, join the handful of quarterbacks in league history to defeat all 32 teams, and Steve Belichick become meme material, it also had this (sound off if you know what’s good for you):
A very loud DOINK. Bucs beat the Pats on SNF. 🏈 pic.twitter.com/fkvtrceC12
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 4, 2021
• Ha!
Brady looking at Belichick like … pic.twitter.com/TouhPCFItf
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 4, 2021
• This was an unexpected development:
Robin Lehner Brought a Flamethrower to the NHL Yesterday https://t.co/q6b0XuTZJU
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 3, 2021
