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Monday Mulling: 2018 Bears knock out Minnesota Vikings

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The 2018 Chicago Bears closed out their season with a 24-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, setting up a playoff matchup with the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. Their Wild Card showdown will take place Sunday at 3:40 CT, but there’s a whole week before then. For now, it’s time to unpack the Bears’ dominance over the Minnesota Vikings.

A thriving run game

Jordan Howard has not thrived this season the way he has in years’ past, but he’s been an available go-to when the Bears have felt the need to establish physicality or drain some clock. Sometimes both. He was that and more Sunday, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

The offensive line, bolstered by the temporary insertion of Kyle Long, controlled a fearsome Vikings’ defensive line at the point of attack. Long’s impact was felt early by his down block that sprang Jordan Howard for a 42-yard run, setting a quick tone that would carry throughout the game.

“We were moving around and creating holes so that the defense could not keep the line open,” Trubisky said on the team’s run game. “We did that which created one-on-one matchups on the outside which allowed us to change up our plays. For us, our goal is to keep the defense off balance.”

“You have to be able to run the ball, especially when you’re in the environment we’re in with the fans being so loud,” coach Matt Nagy said. “They have 33-out-of-50 sacks this year at home, on the turf with the crowd noise. If you can’t run the football you’re in trouble for being one-dimensional. We did not want to be one-dimensional.”

Howard read the holes set up by his line better than he has all year, and that resulted in his 5.2 yards per carry. Tarik Cohen was a similar beneficiary, totaling only 24 yards but averaging 4.8 yards per carry and a touchdown.

Bears Quarterback Mitch Trubisky: SRN Broadcasting

The strong showing from the run game allowed the Bears to bully this game away. The Vikings’ front was unable to contain Howard and his relentless, efficient running allowed the Bears to dominate the possession time battle (37:08 to 22:52). He often set his team up with second and five, or second and four, allowing the playbook to fully open up (Though, it couldn’t be fully opened up, as Nagy didn’t want to give too much away before the playoffs). The old-school style of football, running the ball and playing suffocating defense, has prevailed in even the modern NFL’s playoffs. That formula was executed against the Vikings, and sets up the potential to do it again throughout the playoffs.

The monsters came to play

The Bears had far less to play for than the Vikings, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell from the way the two teams played. Especially as it became apparent the Rams would win their game and get the second seed in the NFC. The Bears’ defense came out with an intensity the Vikings simply could not match. Their defensive line completely overpowered a woeful Vikings’ counterpart for a four-sack performance. Kirk Cousins’s inability to improvise when things broke down along the offensive line was exacerbated by a Bears’ front that simply wanted it more, and it made Cousins look far less than the $84 million man he is. He finished his day 20 for 33 with a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 17.7.

“Collapsing the pocket, getting hands up,” Nagy said on how they pressured Cousins. “That green grass we always talk about. Being able to make sure he can’t see where he is throwing. The guys just kept going all the time. Forced him sometimes out of the pocket, to throw on the run.”

The Vikings’ offense placed more emphasis on the run game, upon the firing of former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. Minnesota’s success in establishing a ground game with Dalvin Cook made opposing teams respect the run, thus opening opportunities for Cousins as a passer.

That strategy is moot when you can’t run the ball, however, and the Bears made sure the Vikings would not get the ground game going, allowing only 63 yards on 15 rushing attempts. The Vikings’ offense was completely anemic, and the Bears’ defense was dominant to the point of causing a screaming match between Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen along the sidelines. While turmoil bubbled over for the Vikings, the Bears rode happily into the playoffs.

Getting up to play

Bears coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

The two seed and a first-round bye were still in play entering Sunday, although the probability of a Rams loss to the lowly 49ers seemed unlikely. Any hopes of that were quickly dashed by the Rams’ outpour that took them into halftime up 28-3. The Vikings, on the other hand, were playing for their playoff lives. A loss meant they were out with a likely Eagles win. They had far more on the line than the Bears, so it speaks to coach Nagy and his staff’s ability to get their players up to play so well against the Vikings.

“What do they know, right?” Akiem Hicks said when asked about the pundits thinking the Bears should take the foot off the gas. “What I will say is this, coach has a great plan in place for us. I believe in him. He has done us right so far, going through OTAs, training camp and now in the regular season. If he feels like it is time for us to play, we are going to go out there and play ball.”

Yes, Club Dub was alive in Minnesota, and Nagy’s trademark “BOOM” was screamed for the last time of the regular season. That’s who this Bears team is. They were simply better than the Vikings and they played like it in what could be seen as the bow on top of Nagy’s Coach of the Year case. They dominated their opponent when they didn’t have to, and as WBBM’s Jeff Joniak would put it, it was a fade to black moment for the Vikings. The Bears now get ready to face the Eagles in a matchup of familiar foes in Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, both of whom were members of Andy Reid’s staff. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and the Bears will have to do so against the defending champs.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

2018 Bears look to dash Vikings’ hopes after defeating 49ers

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The 2018 Chicago Bears came to San Francisco with little on the line and still escaped with a victory over the 49ers. Chicago now comes to Minnesota to face the Vikings, struggling for their playoff lives, with the two seed still in play.

It may not have always been pretty. Poor execution hit the Bears a few times, including an early turnover on Mitch Trubisky’s lateral to Tarik Cohen and Allen Robinson’s late fumble that opened the door for a 49ers comeback.

Their miscues proved to not be costly, however, as the defense continuously prevented any momentum from swinging in the 49ers’ favor. Akiem Hicks was a wrecking ball, batting down three passes while Roquan Smith continued his standout rookie season with nine more tackles and a sack. A late interception from Danny Trevathan essentially sealed it, and the Bears’ defense once again proved it is a unit to be leaned on.

Bears Quarterback Mitch Trubisky: SRN Broadcasting

“Because we’ve been in this situation so many times and have come up big, it’s almost expected of us,” CB Prince Amukamara said. “Like when we had to go back on the field to help win it for our team. Everyone was poised and no one was shaking. We expected great things to come out of it and we’re glad we stood up for our team.”

This is not to say the offense performed poorly, however. Trubisky worked efficiently in the short game and on run-pass-options, but he also delivered some remarkable throws downfield. The one everyone will remember was his deep connection to Robinson in the early goings, but he fired two beautiful balls on extended plays with his feet, one along the sideline to Taquan Mizzell and another on a throw across his body to Ben Braunecker.

The deep plays mostly ceased in the second half, replaced in favor of the short game. Matt Nagy increased the number of screens, hitches and RPOs in the second half in an effort to salt the game away. Trubisky rarely missed, completing 25 of 29 attempts on the afternoon, and finished with 246 yards and a touchdown.

“It was just finding rhythm in the offense, taking what the defense was giving us,” Trubisky said. “It came down to we had to dink and dunk a little bit just to move the ball down the field. They’re bailing out, playing zones. They wanted to take away the deep ball and the explosive plays and they did a good job of that. So, we knew they were a tough defense and we just had to spread them out, dink and dunk. Take what they gave us. Create a rhythm first and second down, stay out of third down and get the run game going a little bit.”

“Any time you throw a lot of completions in this game, you give yourself a chance to win because you stay ahead of the sticks and you don’t get into third-and-long situations,” Nagy added. “He did that. I don’t know his exact numbers but, in the game, it felt like he had a bunch of completions in a row. When you do that in this league, good things happen.”

Bears coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

The Vikings’ defense got to Trubisky in week 11 and limited him to only 165 yards and two interceptions. Minnesota’s defense, though shaky at points this year, has recently found a stride of consistency, allowing less than 275 yards of total offense in each of their last three games. Danielle Hunter’s 14.5 sacks this season place him in an elite company of pass-rushers, and coach Mike Zimmer, now with a game of film on Nagy’s offense against his defense, will surely have something in the works to keep Trubisky off balance.

Their offense has also found its groove lately, following the firing of OC John DeFilippo. Their ground game, in particular, has found its footing, accumulating 220 yards two weeks ago and 100 last week. A solid run game is nothing new to the Bears, though, who have allowed only 1,217 yards on the season, second in the NFL behind only the Saints.

Kirk Cousins was a mess the last time these teams played, finishing with a state line of 30 for 46 for 262 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bears’ pass-rush proved too much for the opposition again as they sacked him twice. The Vikings’ offensive line has not gotten any better, allowing two sacks in each game since. The short game will be a big part of Minnesota’s game plan for that reason, so second-level players will have to make tackles in space and prevent another big YAC (yards after catch) game from Stefon Diggs, who had 126 yards Week 11.

As mentioned, the two-seed is still up for grabs. It would take a Rams’ loss to make it happen, but the 49ers have given them challenges in the past. Their game kicks off at the same time as the Bears, so Nagy won’t have the benefit of a known outcome. For that reason, he will play his starters Sunday.

“We’ll have a plan and process to get an idea of what we need to do,” Nagy said. “But that’s, again, where it gets real easy is that when you just and you just play your guys to win. To me, it would have to be something that’s, you know, somebody comes to me and says ‘Hey listen it’s a complete blowout,’ or something. And then you still have decisions to make as well.

“So, we’re going there to win the game. Regardless of who is in the game, we’re going (there) to win the game and so none of that’s going to change for any of the players, any of the coaches.”

The Bears can deliver the kill-shot on the Vikings’ season on Sunday. There will likely be no Eddie Jackson heroics as he continues to heal his ankle. A sound game on both sides of the ball should be enough against a Vikings’ team that has played so sporadically through the season.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

The Sports Report – Christmas 2018 Edition

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with Packer Dave and Steve Leventhal

Here’s a little bonus Sports Report for you. Dave laments the end of the season for Packer fans, while discussing the playoff scenarios in the NFC and AFC. Steve reports from Halas Hall on the latest Chicago Bears news as the team begins to prepare for the final game of the season, and their first taste of post season in eight years. This includes audio from Bears head coach Matt Nagy.

In addition, we break out an oldie, but goldie, former show producer Ira Tating’s twisted version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’. Lastly, Steve interviews Chicago Cubs play by play announcer about his newest project, Baseball Voices, recorded in the SRN studios. Happy Christmas, and Merry New Year to all!


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2018 Bears @ 49ers preview

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The newly crowned 2018 NFC North Champion Chicago Bears will be in San Francisco this week to face the 49ers. The 49ers carry with them unfamiliar momentum, having won their past two games. The Bears will play for seeding this week, with a first-round bye still very much in play after the Rams loss to the Eagles. A win over the 49ers could end up as the deciding factor between the two seed and the three seed.

Controlling Kittle

The 2017 Draft, the year where John Lynch was thought to have fleeced Ryan Pace, has yielded poor results two years later. If there is a diamond to be found in the rough, however, it has been tight end George Kittle. Kittle, who served a mostly limited role last year, has blossomed in his sophomore campaign, being selected to his first Pro Bowl after hauling in 72 receptions for 1,154 yards. He moves exceptionally well for a player his size (6’4, 250 pounds) and has become the go-to option for 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens.

“I think they do a good job, and Kyle [Shanahan] in particular, of understanding how teams are playing certain coverages,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “And maybe where the weaknesses are or where they can pop a guy free. And they’ve been able to do that here lately, more than a few times.”

One of Kittle’s biggest advantages over competition is the guy calling his plays. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has kept his offense steady (13th in yards) despite the absence of Jimmy Garoppolo. He throws a heavy dose of play-action at opposing defenses, giving his receivers an extra step against hesitant defenders preoccupied with the run. Kittle is one of the biggest beneficiaries of this, and he has taken full advantage of it this season

“It’s a very good offense from a scheme standpoint,” Vic Fangio said. “(Shanahan) does a good job of calling the game. They marry their run game and their passing game together very well. Even if they were to put in a new play, new running play, they’re going to have some form of play-action pass off of it.”

Discipline will be of the upmost importance against play-action. The Broncos failed in that regard, and it resulted in 210 yards for Kittle. The Bears had no issue keeping everything in front of them against the Rams, a team even more reliant on play-action. They will slow down the 49ers’ offense if they are able to repeat that discipline.

Possible air-show

Bears Quarterback Mitch Trubisky: SRN Broadcasting

While the 49ers have a young defensive line that features DeForest Buckner, their secondary leaves an awful lot to be desired, even with the addition of Richard Sherman. Though they have performed respectably against the past (13th in yards allowed), the defense has failed to take the ball away, ranking dead last in the NFL with only two interceptions.

Taking care of the football is always a priority, but the 49ers’ inability to take the football away will allow room to be more aggressive and throw the ball into tighter windows. The playbook will likely open up more and we could see coach Matt Nagy at his most creative.

“I think just as far as, you know, an offensive stand point, there’s still things we want to get accomplished,” WR Allen Robinson said. “You know, and continue to try to build this momentum, you know, going into the playoffs.”

We’ve seen what Trubisky can do against defenses that struggle to force turnovers; His two best games came against the Lions and Buccaneers, who are 30th and 24th in interceptions, respectively. He is at his best when playing loose and not concerned about interceptions, and he can very well play like that on Sunday.

Staying focused

Bears coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

The Bears have clinched the NFC North and come off a great win over their rival, so the 49ers may be looked at as a letdown spot. The season is not over, and as Nagy put it, resting starters “is not even in the world of consideration for us. We’re trying to win.”

He added Thursday, “I think that’s what separates the good teams from the great teams is they know how to focus each week and not make any game more significant than the other. And that’s where we’re at right now.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be on other teams where we’ve won division championships,” he said Wednesday. “And it’s nice. It’s important because, you know, it gives you advantages. It gives you a home game in the playoffs… But you can’t be satisfied. And that’s who our guys are.”

The Bears have the edge over the 49ers across the board. San Francisco is simply a lesser team than the Bears and their already precarious situation was worsened with the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo and eventual insertion of Nick Mullens. Their offensive line is 7th in sacks allowed and their receiving corps is average at best. Mullens is young and limited, and the degree of separation between the 49ers’ offense and Bears’ defense is too big for even Kyle Shanahan to overcome. The 49ers can only win this if the Bears make preventable mistakes. Avoid those errors, and this will turn into a warmup for the playoffs.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul 

Hear audio from Matt Nagy, Vic Fangio, Allen Robinson and Roquan Smith

Monday Mulling: 2018 Bears clinch NFC North with win over Packers

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The 2018 Chicago Bears exorcized their demons with a win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, giving them their first win over the Packers in five games and, more importantly, their first division win since 2010.

Bounce-back game from Trubisky

Bears QB Mitch Trubisky
photo by SRN Broadcasting

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky had arguably the worst game of his career against the Rams a week ago. A week of criticism ensued, further adding to the mounting pressure on Trubisky.

He responded with a big day when it was needed most, a day in which he was 20-for-28 with 235 yards and two touchdowns, posting a passer rating of 120.4. He tacked on an additional 16 yards on the ground. Trubisky played with a confidence that simply wasn’t there against the Rams. The game never became too fast for him, and that was shown by him not breaking down in mechanics or decision-making. 

“I know what I can say about my teammates is that they always have my back no matter what,” Trubisky said. “I think they see how hard I work and how much I care about this thing and how I’m hard on myself and I always continually want to do better. 

Perhaps more noticeable than his confidence was Trubisky’s performance was his poise. Green Bay’s pass-rush got home on multiple occasions, but Trubisky used his feet to create space for himself and reset his body to deliver a throw. If he was forced to throw off-balance, he did so without putting the ball in harm’s way. That mobility became useful on multiple occasions when he was him to extend a play with his feet to make a timely throw, or just take off for positive yards.

“Yesterday, Mitch made some great plays with his legs in the pocket, where it broke down, and then made the pass,” Nagy said on Monday. “Or made a scramble on a third-and-long there in the fourth quarter.”

It may not be represented by jaw-dropping deep throws, but Mitch Trubisky played a very good game Sunday. It was particularly encouraging to see him bounce back from his struggles against the Rams, and he did so in one of the biggest games of his career. It is a performance he can build off of, and the arrow is back to trending up for Trubisky.

Rushing Rodgers

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

Aaron Rodgers has made a habit of tormenting the Bears for a while now. And at times on Sunday, the nightmares or Rodgers-magic crept back into the minds of Bears fans. Alas, the Bears’ defense kept the foot on the gas all game, and Rodgers was unable to do what he does so often.

“They all battled. Really proud of them,” Rodgers said of his offensive line. “Good defense. Really good front. Crowd was loud. They had a nice plan for us.”

Aaron Rodgers is particularly dangerous when forced to improvise. His instincts and sometimes freaky chemistry with his receivers means coverage integrity is a must. The Bears’ secondary knew this and, instead of losing their focus with eyes on Rodgers, stuck with their receivers through the whole play.

Save for a couple quick throws and screens, the Bears prevented Rodgers from setting into any sort of rhythm and held him to a completion percentage of less than 60%. Rodgers was under duress all day, falling victim to a Bears pass rush that totaled five sacks. 

Khalil Mack was his typical, dominant self, sacking Rodgers two and a half times, while his counterpart, Leonard Floyd, had two of his own. Roquan Smith flew all over the field to lead the team in tackles with 10, plus, he tipped the pass that Eddie Jackson intercepted. It just so happened to be Rodgers’s first pick in over 400 pass attempts.

“Another lesson,” Nagy said of the timely interception. “Sometimes it’s a fortuitous bounce that you get. Sometimes it’s just you didn’t make a play. I talked to our guys last night in regards to those situations. We talked about them and how when you get an opportunity in this game, you got to make it and you cannot look back and have any regrets at all.

Lessons learned

Although it was the first week of the year, the Bears’ second-half collapse was still fresh on everyone’s minds. Rodgers tied the game early in the second half and the, “Here we go again” feeling began to sink in.

“I was even holding my breath on the onside kick just because I’ve seen it so much,” cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “Even on the Hail Mary before the half, you’ve just seen it so many times. [Aaron Rodgers] is so accurate and precise, when he throws the ball he is going to give the receiver a chance. We’re just glad that we finished. I think the pressure that Vic [Fangio] was sending in different looks made a difference in the game.”

These Bears are different than the ones from Week one, however, and they responded swiftly, scoring two possessions later. The defense stuck to what worked instead of reverting to soft coverage like they did before. The offense didn’t become a shell and run conservative play-calls; instead, they let Trubisky do what works best for him: Easy throws that move the chains, misdirection and run-pass-options.

The Bears are at a place they haven’t been since 2010. A place people hoped they would be in a couple years. Their defense is good enough to win the Super Bowl, and if Trubisky plays sound, mistake-free football like yesterday, there is no reason to think they can’t play in Atlanta this February.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins 11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Matt Nagy:

2018 Bears vs Packers preview

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The 2018 Chicago Bears face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday for the second time this year, but this time, a lot more than pride is on the line. A Bears a win clinches the NFC North and, combined with a Vikings win, would eliminate the Packers from postseason contention.

A chance for the run game

The Packers enter Sunday with the 29th ranked run defense by FootballOutsiders, allowing 1,641 rushing yards (24th) and 12 touchdowns (21st). The Bears’ run game has struggled at many points this season, but one of its best days came the first time these teams squared off, a game in which Jordan Howard averaged 5.47 yards per carry, his highest mark of the season. The Packers are without Mike Daniels, Mohammed Wilkerson and Nick Perry, and Mike Daniels is questionable for Sunday. Jordan Howard will have his chances to get some big yards on inside runs against a depleted Packers front.

Howard got going against Los Angeles, collecting his first hundred-yard game of the season, and looking like the effective runner he usually is. “It was really good,” quarterback Mitch Trubisky said. “Sometimes that’s how it goes. We have a mindset that we want to establish the run and the other team made a decision that they were going to take away our pass and kind of zone us out and that opened up the run game.”

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

In week One, Tarik Cohen was not used as heavily as he has been of late. He had five carries for 25 yards and three receptions for 16 yards. He has had at least 10 touches in his last five games, however, and the Bears are 4-1 in those games.

The Bears have a third element to their run game, and that is in their quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who is fifth in the league with 386 QB rushing yards. Trubisky had 32 yards on seven rush attempts and a fumble in Week One and has only grown as a runner since. Trubisky and Josh Allen are the only true run-threat quarterbacks the Packers have faced this year, so it is hard to have a feel for their ability to stop a mobile quarterback. Regardless, his legs will be a threat against the Packers, as they will against any team.

“It would be really big for us to (establish the run game,)” coach Matt Nagy said. “Any quarterback you talk to will tell you that, to have that run game going, man, it makes things a lot easier. It opens up the play-actions. It opens up the shots downfield.”

The Bears have trended towards a pass-first offense, currently with a pass-rush ration of 429 to 374 attempts. Some of this is by design and the nature of today’s NFL, but much of it has simply been in response to an inability to establish a run game. They currently rank 20thin the league in yards per rush attempt, and that ranking includes Mitch Trubisky’s scrambles. Howard is coming off his first 100-yard game of the season, and Sunday will give the Bears an opportunity to continue their success in the run game.

Stopping Aaron Rodgers

The Bears have an advantage over the Packers in nearly every aspect of the game. But, like every other NFL team, the Packers have an edge at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers. So long as Rodgers is in the game, the Packers have a chance.

Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky: SRN Broadcasting

“He’s a guy that’s seen a lot of different defenses, he’s been in that offense for a long time, so the game’s slow to him,” Nagy said of Rodgers. “And then he’s got that extreme talent. He has some of the best arm talent that this game has ever had.”

We saw the sheer dominance Rodgers is known for Week One. It seemed the Bears were to start 2018 on the best foot possible, a convincing victory over their rival Packers at Lambeau. Rodgers trotted out at halftime on his injured knee and ripped the Bears’ hearts right out of their chests, mounting a 20-point comeback victory.

“We came out strong in the first half on offense and then second half we didn’t come out as aggressive and didn’t finish,” Trubisky recalled.“So, the theme for this week is just finish as a team, have a great week of practice and then we’ll get our opportunities in the game.”

Though there was a thought that such a comeback was going to be emblematic of the teams’ seasons, wherein the Packers ride a wave of Aaron Rodgers magic to the playoffs and the Bears continue their rebuilding ways, the Bears and Packers have gone in completely different directions. Packers coach Mike McCarthy lost his power struggle with Rodgers, and the team is now led by Joe Philbin. Green Bay has toiled their way to a 5-7-1 record with a mathematically impossible chance to win the division, while the Bears have gone against the grain of the modern NFL, winning nine and losing four with a dominant defense that is third in points allowed and yards per game allowed, and first in takeaway differential.

“They’re a different team,” Nagy said. “You know, they’ve had some injuries. Again, the course of the season, you run the course of the season and you kind of create the identity of who you are. And same with us too, you know. So, every game is its own game.”

It is fair to say that the Bears and Packers are different teams than they were week one, but the most important constant is Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has dominated the Bears his entire career with a 16-4 record in 20 regular season games. Chicago has enjoyed a degree of success that’s been unheard of for most of the last decade, but they have not yet shown they can defeat the thorn that pricks them in the side twice a year. Sunday is not only a chance to clinch the division for the first time since 2010, but, given the sustainable model for success Ryan Pace has built and the state of disarray thePackers are currently in, it could be a catalyst for a swing in the oldest rivalry in the NFL.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky:

The Sports Report – December 2018

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with Packer Dave, Steve Leventhal, and John Poulter

Dave and Steve discuss the Chicago Bears’ stunning win over the Los Angeles Rams. What was defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s role in the victory? We also get commentary from Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. John joins us with his insights into the NHL and English Premier League soccer.  Plus, can the Green Bay Packers keep winning and make the playoffs. All that and lots more NFL talk.  Hear interviews from Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky, new Packers coach Joe Philbin, Aaron Rogers, and Sean McVay.

The Packers come to Soldier Field for the second meeting of the 2018 season!

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Monday Mulling: 2018 Bears’ defense dominates Rams

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The 2018 Chicago Bears made a statement against the Los Angeles Rams. A game many picked to be another victory, the Bears’ defense showed out and put a boot on a prolific Rams’ offense.

Stopping the Rams’ offense starts with Gurley

The modern NFL offense revolves purely around the quarterback. While the Rams have a top-10 quarterback in Jared Goff, running back Todd Gurley is the heartbeat of their offense. He is second in the league in carries and leads the NFL in rushing/receiving touchdowns with 19. He is a dangerous runner with 1,202 rushing yards entering Sunday, but is used well as a receiver, as evidenced by his 49 receptions for 504 yards. The Rams spend virtually every play in 11 personnel (One running back, one tight end and three wide receivers), which means he is constantly on the field and the threat of him is always imminent. They tend to get him going early so they can lean on play-action to open up throws for Goff.

Chicago Bears DC Vic Fangio – photo by SRN Broadcasting

Coach Matt Nagy explained part of what makes Gurley so dangerous: “The one thing with Gurley is that a lot of these mid-zones and outside-zones, there’s a cutback. He cuts back. And I thought we did a good job of containing that.”

The Bears, however, took away Gurley completely. He had only 28 yards with his longest rush coming on a 12-yard burst in the fourth quarter. The interior, led by another great outing from Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman managed a consistent push all night, collapsing the pocket and for Goff and forcing a wall Gurley was unable to run through. Roquan Smith, who had an interception, flew around the field to make plays on the perimeter and collect seven total tackles. The Rams only handed Gurley the ball 11 times, and their need to pass the ball essentially nullified the purpose of play-action, which is how their offense reaches its peak effectiveness.

“I really think, based on some of the different things that they presented to us they had an outstanding game plan and really didn’t have,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I didn’t really put us in the good spots based on what they were presenting to be able to get going.”

Goff, without the easy throws and added time that play-action creates, struggled mightily, and the Bears’ relentless pass-rush compounded that to force bad throws and four interceptions.

Eliminating Aaron Donald

The Bears and Rams feature two of the best player in football with Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald. Donald is truly a game-wrecker with his NFL-leading 16.5 sacks. He can dominate a run game working from the interior and destroys double teams. The expectation was that he would do at least something remarkable Sunday night, but he registered only two tackles and a quarterback hit.

“We had a plan for him,” quarterback Mitch Trubisky said. “They got a good defense all the way around. We had a plan for Donald. The O-line did a great job keeping him in check all night.”

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

Rookie left guard James Daniels’s performance against Donald cannot be overlooked. He worked with very good technique, keeping Donald’s elite hand-fighting at bay, and rarely lost leverage against arguably the league’s best player. Daniels performed so well that he often went one-on-one with Donald, an enormous vote of confidence for the rookie that has struggled at times.

“That was one of the biggest challenges that he is ever going to have, going against Aaron Donald,” Nagy said. “Not all the time, he’s not going against him every play but there’s times when he’s out there and Aaron just has so many great moves. But I thought his technique was really good last night. He never lunged too much, he stayed balanced.”

The Bears often double-teamed Donald when he was lined up away from Daniels, blocking him with center Cody Whitehair and guard Bryan Witzmann.

Nagy’s game plan involved getting the ball out quick with Donald on the field and running where he was not. He also used prioritized the run-pass-option, which he explained by saying, “They wanted to play a certain way last night and so we wanted to make sure we adjusted the right way and getting into some of those RPOs was what we felt, in that situation, was the best thing for us. And, you know, they were working.” Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen took advantage of the holes created by the offensive line, and it allowed the Bears to run the ball while their quarterback struggled. 

A run game to lean on

The Bears’ offensive identity switched to a pass-first approach with the arrival of Matt Nagy. Trubisky struggled against the Rams, throwing three interceptions, but Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen produced enough on the ground to sustain offensive drives.

“The run game, the guys were executing it,” Nagy explained. “We were getting some repeated plays in there which is always good… And then the guys were executing it.

“All things considered, the passing game wasn’t really there, so, you know, we decided to go that route and it worked.”

Jordan Howard had only his second 100-yard game of the season, and it came at a great time. He averaged 5.32 yards per carry on 19 attempts, running hard behind an offensive line that managed to contain both Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald.

Howard’s 5’6 counterpart, Tarik Cohen had a similar impact, taking nine carries for 69 yards, a 7.67 yards per attempt mark. His work in the pass game (four receptions for 20 yards) and the threat that his history provides, kept the Rams’ defense off-balance and opened things up for him as a runner.

Sunday night’s game was to be a clash of mentalities; a battle between a team that has helped define modern football, and a team looking to be a part of that following. Ultimately, it was good old-fashioned, physical football that won out, and the Bears have put everyone on alert that elite offense isn’t the only way to win in the NFL. They showed that their defense makes them not only a playoff contender, but a Super Bowl contender as well.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

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What 2018 Bears vs Rams can teach about today’s NFL

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One question will be on everyone’s mind this Sunday night when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Chicago Bears.

Can you still win with defense?Image result for rams logo

The phrase “defense wins championships” has long been a saying your high school football coach barked at you, or your dad called out from the recliner in the living room. But this notion has been dispelled by today’s NFL, a league in which the three best teams, the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, produce offensively at an astonishing rate of over 34 points per game. 300-yard passing games have reached a point where anything below is considered an off day for the likes of Drew Brees, Jared Goff and Pat Mahomes II. Teams are increasingly turning towards innovative, offensive-minded head-coaching candidates. Names like Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley and former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury are popular names in NFL circles that have become open to blurring the line between college and pro-style offenses. Primarily-shotgun offenses, jet-motion, an increasing reliance on play-action; these are the new norms of the NFL. As evidenced by the standings, the top of the league’s food chain shares a common thread: Explosive offense.

Super Bowl 52 was a 41-33 fireworks display that saw over 1,000 yards of total offense, despite the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles came in with a defense that was fourth in the league in points allowed per game. Though they lost, the Patriots’ offensive explosion in Super Bowl 52 and their AFC Championship victory over a historically great Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense foreshadowed what was to come in 2018: Teams don’t win with defense; the top five defenses in defense-adjusted value over average, or DVOA*, are a combined 29-31 (Bears, Broncos, Bills, Ravens and Jaguars), while the top five offenses by the same metric are 47-12-1 (Chiefs, Rams, Chargers, Saints and Steelers). The evidence that an offensive-first philosophy is the only way to keep up in today’s NFL is overwhelming, and it was why hires the hires of Frank Reich and Matt Nagy were lauded, while defensive-minded hirees like Steve Wilkes and Matt Patricia were met with raised eyebrows.

And yet, the Cowboys still beat the Saints on Thursday night last week.

It was bizarre to watch the Saints muster only 10 points and lose to a flawed Cowboys team. There probably wasn’t anyone out there who thought 13 points would be enough to beat the Saints, but the relentless defensive effort Dallas trotted out was just that, and it surely put a smile on the face of your uncle who spent 25 minutes complaining about “what happened to the game he loved” at Thanksgiving dinner.

Bears coach Matt Nagy. Photo: SRN Broadcasting

The Cowboys’ victory raised the question we started with: Can you win with defense in today’s NFL? Is it a sustainable model? We won’t truly find out until the Lombardi Trophy is hoisted, but Sunday Night Football’s matchup with the Rams and Bears may further illuminate the answer to that question.

This past offseason, Bears GM Ryan Pace appeared to take a page from a growing trend the Rams helped start: Pair your young quarterback with a savvy, play-calling head coach. It took only one year for Rams head coach Sean McVay to turn Jared Goff from an all-time bust to top-10 NFL quarterback. Like the Rams, the Bears surrounded their young quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, with as many weapons as possible, from coaches to personnel. It was clear this team was to be built around the quarterback.

That philosophy didn’t stop Pace from building an elite defense, however, and he completed that construction with the trade for Khalil Mack. The Bears’ defense has blossomed into a top-flight unit that leads the league in takeaways and defensive DVOA, and is top five in sacks, team defense and points allowed. The offense, on the other hand, has shown flashes but has yet to truly set into a groove.

Nagy talked about the growing process on Thursday: “I’m learning too. I’m not where I was, football-relationship wise with Mitch right now… than I was in year five with Alex (Smith). That takes time. When you get to that point, that’s when the well-oiled machine starts rolling.”

The Bears may end up like the Seattle Seahawks did, in that they rode a dominant defense until their quarterback became the team’s identity. For now, however, this is a team defined by its defense, not its offense that is ranked 20th in yards per game and DVOA.

The Bears should still be able to move the ball though. The Rams’ defense, despite having one of the NFL’s best players in Aaron Donald, is vulnerable; they are 18th in yards allowed per game, 19th in points allowed per game, and 15th in defensive DVOA, just a tick above league average. The Bears appear to be getting Mitch Trubisky back this week, and the added layer he brings will let Nagy call the plays needed to get this offense going.

“It’s like riding a bike,” Nagy said. “You just get right back onto it, so it’ll be interesting to see as he continues to feel good, how that works with the players too.”

The real strength of the Rams lies in their second-ranked offense. Not much can be said about the Rams’ offense that hasn’t already been said. Sean McVay, at the young age of 32, has transformed Jared Goff and Todd Gurley into two of the biggest weapons in the NFL. He is one of the best play-callers in the league and he knows how to exploit any weakness he sees. Goff executes the offense to perfection and Gurley’s versatility as a rusher and receiver makes him the focal point of an offense that shreds teams off play-action.

Chicago Bears DC Vic Fangio – photo by SRN Broadcasting

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio summed it up: “They got really good scheme, really good players, really good play-caller. It’s a tough assignment, no doubt about it. But we got to show up.

“I’ve never bought into you know, there was a couple questions in here a couple weeks ago after the 54-51 game that, ‘Is this the new way of the NFL?'” Fangio later said before a chuckle. “You guys heard my answers. That was the talk of the week.”

This all gets us back to an extension of our earlier question. Does the Bears’ elite defense place them in the NFL’s elite? This musing applies to any defensive-first team, not just the Bears. How viable of a model is this? It wasn’t enough for the Jaguars last year. We won’t truly know the answer to this question until the playoffs, but Sunday will at the very least give us some clarity. Signs have pointed to defense not being an answer to sustainable success. But if the Cowboys could put a boot on the Saints, perhaps the Bears can do the same to the Rams. Maybe their defense can, in fact, carry them on a deep playoff run.

Maybe defense can still win championships.

 

*DVOA: An advanced metric created by Football Outsiders that rates a team’s efficiency by measuring the success on a given play compared to the league average.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Matt Nagy, Vic Fangio, Trey Burton and Roquan Smith

2018 Chicago Bears lose wild one to New York Giants

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The 2018 Chicago Bears fell to the New York Giants on Sunday in what can only be described as a bizarre game. There were trick plays, a backup quarterback, a defensive touchdown and even an onside kick. The Giants came out victorious in the end though, 30-27.

Though it was a win against a first-place team, Giants running back Saquon Barkley described it as “Just a win.” He added, “Any win in the NFL is amazing. It’s hard to win in this league. We’ve only got four. We were in a lot of situations to win a lot of these games and we weren’t able to do that before but we were able to do that today and that’s the only thing that matters.”

Bears coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

Robinson and Cohen’s impact

The Bears entered Sunday without their starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky for the second straight week, which meant that backup Chase Daniel, now with a game of film, was the man for the second straight week. He struggled early but was able to keep it close, largely thanks to wide receiver Allen Robinson and running back Tarik Cohen.

Nagy’s offense doesn’t work with Daniel the way it does with Trubisky. Nagy can rely on Trubisky’s feet to extend plays and be a threat in the run game, and his arm strength and aggressiveness can be relied upon to take deep shots. The scrambling and deep-ball threats are enough to change a defense’s coverages and playstyle; Daniel’s limited ability makes defensive backs comfortable with bullying players at the line of scrimmage since a deep ball isn’t likely to come. They can also play tight man coverage because they don’t have to keep their eyes in the backfield in case the quarterback takes off running. Anthony Miller and Taylor Gabriel, both under six-feet, were essentially non-factors outside of the screen game because they can’t win physical battles like Robinson can. This meant Nagy had to get the ball to his most physically imposing receiver, Allen Robinson, and his shiftiest playmaker, Tarik Cohen.

“We just had a good scheme drawn up against their defense,” Cohen said. “Coach Nagy and Coach (Mark) Helfrich were calling the plays up for me, ones that were designed to go to me. Chase was making a lot of scrimmage calls just to get me open, so whenever he did that, it was my job to step up and make those catches.

Robinson’s size and catch-radius make him a good target regardless of how much separation he has, and that ability was put on full display Sunday when he had 79 yards and a handful of impressive and key receptions.

Robinson was targeted early and often because of his ability to make plays like the one above. He can make any throw easier, not just because of his massive 6’3, 211-pound frame, but also because of how he uses that build to his fullest advantage.

Cohen, being 5’6, is obviously nowhere near the same physical level as Robinson, but Nagy managed to bring out his biggest strengths. He had a matchup advantage against Landon Collins because of his quickness, and Nagy exploited this fact by going to Cohen in those favorable matchups. Cohen’s quickness allowed him to separate from players twice his size, and it left him open throughout Sunday.

Cohen had 186 total yards, 156 of which came through the air. He also threw the game-tying touchdown that sent it into overtime Nagy was forced into a difficult spot without his starter, but he demonstrated he can still put forth a productive offense without his quarterback of choice. Cohen and Robinson are two huge reasons why that was possible.

Peak weirdness

Right out the gate, it was clear this was not going to be a typical football game. The Bears opened the game with a pick-six on their first play from scrimmage by Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree. Chase Daniel took time to settle in, and coach Matt Nagy adapted to that by feeding Jordan Howard on six of seven run-calls on their first scoring drive.

“I thought Jordan ran the ball hard. I really did,” Nagy said. “In these conditions, there were sometimes — there was a few times where they stuffed the backs pretty good, and they were bringing some nickel pressures off the edge, but for the chances that he got when he had the football I thought he did a great job.”

The weirdness wasn’t Nagy leaning on the run game, though it’s definitely out of character for his offensive philosophy. No, the weirdness truly began when Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks was handed the ball from the one to score a touchdown at the end of the first half.

Hicks was clearly excited postgame, saying, “I was super excited, super excited to get behind our big fellas; our other big guys and let them get me to the end zone. It was pretty cool, man. It was a fun play and it was exciting.”

The Giants scored on their opening second-half drive with… a touchdown pass from Odell Beckham Jr. of course. The Bears’ secondary came up to stop the jet sweep Beckham Jr. was on and left Sterling Shepard wide open for an easy touchdown. The scoring would cease until late in the game when the Bears kicked a field goal with under two minutes left to bring themselves within seven. All hope seemed lost until Beckham Jr. let the roll by him on the onside kick recovered by Daniel Brown. The Bears marched down to the goal line yard line where they found Anthony Miller open in the end zone with time expiring. Who threw it? Tarik Cohen.

Cohen discussed the play: “That’s a play that we’ve had for a long time. I think we put it in (the playbook) in camp or the beginning of the season. It’s designed to go to the quarterback, and there’s a second read on there. They had covered Chase (Daniel), so… in practice, I actually had to throw it this week, even though Chase wasn’t covered (in practice), so it worked out.”

The Bears went on to lose in overtime. This was a game they probably should have won, especially given how ineffective Eli Manning was (Stats). The Bears didn’t do many favors for themselves, turning the ball over three times. The run game slowed down after an impressive first half, and with Daniel’s struggles, Nagy had to get creative. Tarik Cohen and Anthony Miller are the two toughest matchups he has, and he went to them often. He will probably regret he took to end the first half that allowed New York to run a play that set up a field goal, but his game plan showed a coach willing to adapt to what is on the field. Instead of forcing what he wanted to do, he let his two best playmakers, Robinson and Cohen, do their thing. The Bears lost, but they lost no footing in their division, as everyone else in the NFC North lost. Trubisky’s presence will make a big difference in the flexibility of the Bears’, and we will see just how much so come Sunday night.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins11 @radiomogul

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