By Chris Emma—
(CBS) Mitchell Trubisky stated firmly last week that he holds himself to a higher standard than anybody else can.
After the Bears’ 20-12 loss to the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans, Trubisky will surely be hard on himself after his team came up short. Opportunity was there for a comeback victory and Chicago reaching .500 for the first time in John Fox’s tenure, but the Bears faltered with their offense to blame.
Trubisky will look critically through the film of his performance, which finished 14-of-32 for 164 yards and an interception. He’ll be especially hard on himself for the pick, an overthrow with the Bears trailing by eight that sealed victory for the Saints.
But there’s only so much Trubisky can do working with an offense lacking playmakers. John Fox stated weeks ago that the rookie couldn’t wave fairy dust on the beleaguered unit. In the FOX broadcast, color analyst Chris Spielman took it a step further by saying that Trubisky couldn’t work miracles.
Those clamoring for Trubisky to throw the football got their wish on Sunday, as he tried to lead the Bears back from a deficit. His receivers once again failed to separate against tight coverages, finding their lone contributions mostly when the secondary played back.
Veteran Kendall Wright was targeted eight times and caught two passes for 23 yards, while Tre McBride was targeted five times and hauled in three receptions. Tanner Gentry was targeted once and didn’t have a catch. Markus Wheaton was out with a groin injury and Dontrelle Inman, acquired on Wednesday, watched as an inactive.
Trubisky’s best pass came on a strike to Zach Miller, which was initially called a touchdown on the field but later overturned by league replay officials in a stunning turn of events. Miller suffered a dislocated left knee as his leg bent in a gruesome fashion. He was carted off the field and taken to a hospital. The Bears had to settle for a field goal.
Running back Jordan Howard finished with 102 yards on the ground, his 10th occasion breaking the century mark, but 50 of those yards came on one carry. He averaged only 4.4 yards per carry and the Saints mostly contained the running game.
Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains will surely face criticism for his play-calling on Sunday. At times, it seemed the offense was too predictable to the points where the Saints were cheating pre-snap. But the blame to Loggains should be tempered considering what he’s working with.
With the offensive line broken down due to injuries – Kyle Long and Cody Whitehair both left with apparent injuries – the Bears were left hoping Howard could break the big run or a receiver could split a seam in coverage.
Once again, the Bears defense did its part in keeping the game close. Saints quarterback Drew Brees did not throw a touchdown pass, a rarity for the future Hall of Famer, and the defense forced a pair of fumbles. With the Saints nearing a dagger late in the fourth quarter, Adrian Amos ripped the football away from running back Mark Ingram and the Bears recovered. But the offense went four-and-out, failing to make up a yard on third and fourth down with two incomplete passes.
The Bears head into their bye week at 3-5 and with plenty to sort out offensively. They need to establish a greater run-pass balance to extend drives, this after finding the end zone just once on Sunday. Howard will continue to be the workhorse of this offense, and much of its success relies on how he performs. But until the Bears can establish threats in the passing game, the running game will face stacked boxes.
Perhaps general manager Ryan Pace could strike one more deal for a receiver before Tuesday’s trade deadline. He didn’t rule it out during a pregame interview on WBBM Newsradio 780, though it doesn’t seem very likely. The Bears are probably stuck with this at receiver – a group of replacement-level players that can’t help out their quarterback.
Trubisky will be critical of himself after Sunday’s loss to the Saints, but the reality is there’s only so much he can do.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.
from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2yVJVlT
No comments:
Post a Comment