Lions 34, Bears 30: Game # 12 ( 2020 )

[D6]

Quick observations: Lions roar back from double-digit deficit, stun Bears in Darrell Bevell’s debut

Thoughts in ****


Quick observations: Lions roar back from double-digit deficit, stun Bears in Darrell Bevell’s debut
Updated 6:29 PM; Today 4:20 PM

Week 13: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

By Kyle Meinke [e-mail]


CHICAGO -- They couldn’t stop the run. They couldn’t stop the pass. Their quarterback tried to keep them afloat, until a bad interception torpedoed them late.

For three-and-a-half quarters, they looked every bit like they did under Matt Patricia. And they looked like they were headed for a sixth straight loss against the Bears too.

But then Matthew Stafford led a 96-yard touchdown drive that pulled Detroit within three points right before the 2-minute warning, and then Romeo Okwara came up with the defensive stop Detroit has lacked in clutch moments all season, stripping Mitchell Trubisky on third down. John Penisini recovered the ball at the 7-yard line, Adrian Peterson punched it in two plays later for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:37 left, and Detroit held on for a 34-30 win on Sunday against Chicago at Soldier Field.


Matt Patrica never beat the Bears in five tries. In fact, he lost his last nine games against the NFC North in a row overall.

In his first game as interim head coach, Darrell Bevell vanquished both losing streaks by securing Detroit’s first win against the division since Dec. 30, 2018.

Make no mistake, he was no magical elixir either. The Lions were still dogged by many of their same problems, especially defensively. Facing the second-worst offense in the league, they allowed 389 yards. Facing the very-worst running game in the league, they were chewed up for 140 yards and three touchdowns, two of which were scored by David Montgomery and helped Chicago build a 23-13 lead by halftime.

Bad defense against the run. Bad defense against the pass, even though it was Mitchell Trubisky doing the passing. And once Stafford threw another pick to another defensive lineman, this time to Bilal Nichols, it seemed Detroit was headed for a fifth loss in six weeks using the same formula that got Patricia fired.

But this time, they made adjustments. Their defense tightened up. They got stops on five of their last six series, while Stafford engineered a 96-yard drive that pulled the Lions within one score late. Stafford was cooking too, completing six straight passes to T.J. Hockenson (14 yards), Danny Amendola (22 yards), Amendola again (17 yards), Marvin Jones (5 yards), and then Hockenson again (13 yards) before hooking up with Jones on a 25-yard touchdown pass that pulled them within 30-27 before the 2-minute warning.


Stafford was 6 of 7 passing on that drive for 96 yards and the touchdown. They were within three, but still needed another stop -- the kind of stop they’ve failed to get all season under Matt Patricia. And this time, Romeo Okwara came up with it, separating Lions killer Mitchell Trubisky from the football. The rookie Penisini recovered, the struggling Peterson punched it in from 5 yards out, and then the recently re-signed Kevin Strong -- cut from the team under Matt Patricia -- got a huge stop on fourth-and-1 to clinch the victory.

It’s just one game against a bad team, so don’t buy your tickets to the Super Bowl quite yet. But after just one week, they were making the kinds of winning plays that they almost never did under Matt Patricia. A team known for blowing double-digit leads worse than any team in the history of football had suddenly pulled off a double-digit rally in Darrell Bevell’s debut.

Now they’ve done something they never did under Matt Patrica -- beat the Chicago Bears. The team is feeling good, and the energy is up. But the real test will come in the following three weeks, with games on deck against playoff hopefuls Green Bay, Tennessee and Tampa Bay.

**** Tremendous comeback win by the Lions! This win reminded me of the resolve and emotion the Lions often displayed when Jim Caldwell was the team's Head Coach. It was fitting for Kevin Strong to make the game sealing play. He was totally discarded by Bob Quinn and very likely Matt Patricia. The interim regime's first personnel move was to re-sign Strong to the P.S. A day later, he was promoted back to the 53 man roster. In connection to Strong being back on the 53 man roster, the Lions comeback win in Chicago felt like talent, not scheme was the priority on Defense. Even with the Lions tackling being as bad as any game this season with the possible exception of the loss at Green Bay in mid September, there was resolve on the Defensive side of the ball that made the comeback win possible.

Props to ESPN Lions Beat Writer Michael Rothstein for predicting the Lions would score 35 points AND win the game. He came very close with that part of his prediction ( though he had the Lions winning by 14 ). I couldn't envision the Lions scoring 34 points AND winning the game. Not without Kenny Golladay and D'Andre Swift. The return of Danny Amendola turned out huge. This was probably his best game of the season. Yet, even with Amendola, I didn't expect the Lions to come close to scoring 34 points AND winning the game. Other than the interception, this was a great performance by Matthew Stafford. Also, with noticeably better pass blocking than I anticipated once it was known that Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks would play. IMHO, the 96 yard TD drive in the 4th QTR was somewhere in the top 5 drives of Stafford's NFL career.

Adrian Peterson displayed enough juice, combined with immense determination, to be a difference maker in the Lions comeback win. Peterson was usually on the losing end of games at Soldier Field. I'm sure this win felt special for him.

This was clearly Nick Williams' best game of the season. He was a difference maker for the Lions in the 4th QTR. ****


Here are some more instant observations from a wild win in Chicago:

Some other quick observations:

-- Matthew Stafford wasn’t perfect -- he did throw another pick to a defensive lineman for a second straight week -- but he was pretty damn good otherwise. Interestingly, the game plan brought back the deep ball even though Kenny Golladay wasn’t playing. And Stafford had a ton of success. On passes that traveled at least 13 yards through the air, he was 17 of 22 passing with three touchdowns. He hit six different players with passes of at least 19 yards, including Quintez Cephus for a 49-yard touchdown at the end of the first half. He finished 27 of 42 passing overall for 402 yards, three touchdowns, the one pick and a passer rating of 109.4. Not bad for a guy still playing without his top receiver and deep threat. Not bad at all. Oh, by the way: Kenny Golladay should have a pretty good chance to be back as soon as next week.

**** It was great to see many Lions WRs step up today.

Great job by T.J. Hockenson as a receiver in this game.

Jesse James redeemed himself with a 3rd Quarter TD reception, after not running the correct route in zone coverage earlier in the drive. An incompletion resulted when he didn't settle into a spot. One thing in general that was pleasing was many Lions players making a play soon after a concentration or mental mistake. Jayron Kearae did so twice on the Bears final drive, on the following play. This is also a credit to Darrell Bevell. ****


-- It was a little surprising to see the Lions cut Marvin Hall on Friday night, considering Hall was just a month removed from a 113-yard game and remained one of Detroit’s best deep threats. Clearly, Darrell Bevell and the Lions were interested in giving young guys like Quintez Cephus more burn down the stretch, and Cephus showed why when he caught that beautiful 49-yard bomb from Stafford at the end of the first half. Cephus did run the wrong route earlier in the game, resulting in a ball thrown at his feet, and finished with just one other catch. But there’s a lot to like about the upside of the fifth-round pick, and Detroit seems determined to develop it. Expect to see a lot more from the rookie in the last month of the season.

**** This is another example of a player responding favorably from a mistake. Great job by QB, WR, and the pass protection on the 49 yard TD reception to Quentez Cephus.****



-- T.J. Hockenson ranked among the top-five tight ends in the league in catches, yards and touchdowns heading into Sunday’s games. He continued his strong sophomore campaign against the Bears too, including snagging two passes for 27 yards on that 96-yard touchdown drive that pulled Detroit within one score late. He finished with seven catches for 84 yards overall, his eighth game with at least 50 receiving yards this season. That’s already a team record for a tight end, with four games left to pad his total. I don’t know if he’ll ever play well enough to validate a top-10 pick, but he’s already making a case that’s he’s among the league’s best pass-catching tight ends and appears to have a real chance to make the Pro Bowl.

**** T.J. Hockeneon has yet to display the consistent run blocking that's also needed for a TE to live up to pick # 8 of a draft or even close to that spot. To Hockenson's credit, he's made huge strides as a receiver this season. ****

-- Romeo Okwara continues to make himself some money in his contract season. The Lions spent big on Trey Flowers and actually spent a third-round pick on his brother, Julian, in the draft. Yet it is the elder Okwara who has led Detroit’s pass rush this season. On Sunday, he made one of Detroit’s biggest defensive plays of the season when he bent the edge and then fully extended to knock the ball out of Mitchell Trubisky’s hands in the final minutes. Adrian Peterson ran into the end zone two plays later, giving the Lions a win in Bevell’s debut. Huge, huge play from Okwara. He now has seven sacks on the season, a team high, and a career-high 15 quarterback hits with four games to go.

**** Romeo Okwara had a roller coaster type of game. He didn't set the edge well enough against the run and his tackling wasn't good. However, he made the most impactful Defensive play of the season with the 3rd Down sack / forced fumble. Romeo Okwara also did a good job on contain against Mitchell Trubisky on at least two passes. Both resulted in incompletions. ****




-- It didn’t take long for Darrell Bevell to leave his mark on the team, calling on Matt Prater to replace Jack Fox on kickoffs. The decision backfired, as Prater missed a tackle on the play and Cordarrelle Patterson returned the ball to midfield. Prater later hit the upright on a PAT.

**** Kicking off to Cordarralle Patterson is very dangerous. Miles Killebrew also missed a tackle earlier on the opening kickoff.

The Holding Penalty by Oday Aboushi, wiped out Matt Prater's PAT on his first attempt on that play. The Bears were called for a Offside Penalty, hence offsetting penalties. ****

-- Bevell’s first game-management decision was electing to go for it on fourth-and-1 on Detroit’s opening drive. You have to like the aggression -- Detroit was way too uptight way too much of the time under Matt Patricia -- and even the call, an end-around to Jamal Agnew. The receiver had just one man to beat to the sideline too, but stopped running for some reason and was tackled short of the sticks. That’s not on Darrell Bevell. Good decision, good call, just not a good read by Jamal Agnew. He’s one of the fastest guys in the league. Get outside, man.

**** I liked the decision to go for the first down and the play call. Great play by Bears Nickel CB Buster Skrine, who also had a roller coaster type of game. Jamal Agnew needed to get the first down but that doesn't take away the efforts and execution of Skrine. Even getting in position to make the tackle was challenging, as he had to get around multiple players to stay with Agnew in man to man coverage.****


-- Tio your hat to Matt Nelson, a converted defensive lineman who found himself playing a career-high number of snaps due to the ankle injury that knocked Tyrell Crosby from the game in the second quarter. And those snaps came largely against none other than Khalil Mack. And Nelson held his own against the All-Pro, while Matthew Stafford was sacked just twice for 2 yards while throwing for 402 yards. All in all, another good day for Hank Fraley’s unit.

**** Even factoring in the help Matt Nelson received on many passing plays, he did as well as I could have realistically hoped for as a pass blocker. ****



-- Kenny Golladay’s recovery clearly has not gone as planned, because Detroit could have placed him on injured reserve weeks ago and saved the roster spot. Instead, he’s missed five straight games. Having said that, it does seem he’s very close to returning. He even made the trip to Chicago, even though he was ruled out on Friday, and got in some sprints in the end zone during warmups. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him practice next week. He has a lot of incentive to do it too, considering he has just four games left on his contract to prove his worth heading into some tough contract negotiations with Detroit in the coming weeks -- and if things don’t go well, the free-agent market after that. Addressing that situation will have to be among the new general manager’s top priorities. Because right now, the only wideouts under contract for next season are Quintez Cephus and Geronimo Allison (who opted out of 2020).

**** With the difficult schedule ahead in the 4 remaining games, a relatively healthy Kenny Golladay is needed.****

-- With Desmond Trufant (hamstring) and Jeff Okudah (shoulder) out, the Lions turned to Amani Oruwariye and Darryl Roberts at outside cornerback. They struggled against Mitchell Trubisky, often allowing just way too much cushion against a quarterback that doesn’t beat defenses over the top. Detroit also insisted on playing a lot of man, even though it’s not very good at man defense. The defense didn’t look dramatically different without Matt Patricia at the helm.

**** I thought the Lions used more Zone Coverage in Chicago than in most games this season. There was clearly less press coverage.

One concern was the problematic tackling and run support by Amani Oruwariye and Darryl Roberts. ****

......

This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:

Lions at.Bears preview: Game # 12 ( 2020 )

detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/830/lions-bears-preview-game-2020

[D6]

Inside the locker room: The Detroit Lions finally get best of Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky

.........

The sack / fumble play was an enormous mistake by Mitchell Trubisky. He also was high on a 3rd Down throw to Cordarralle Patterson in the backfield on an earlier 4th QTR Drive. He also was fortune that Duron Harmon wasn't looking for the ball on a play pretty deep in Lions territory that easily could have been an Interception instead of a completion.

Despite these plays, I thought overall Mitchell Trubisky played at an overall winning level in this game. He made a number of clutch throws, including at times under some pressure. The Bears would be crazy if they went back to Nick Foles next week vs. the Texans. There's no realistic way the Bears running game has as much production and success against the Lions yesterday if Foles was the QB.

The tackle on the kickoff Darrell Bevell was referring to was following the Marvin Jones TD reception that cut the Bears lead to 30-27 following the PAT. A touchback resulted on the kickoff following the go ahead / eventual game winning rushing TD by Adrian Peterson. I have no idea why Cordarralle Patterson wasn't used as the deep KO Returner on the Lions Kickoff following Jones' TD. I'm glad they didn't. That opened the door in the Lions pinning the Bears deep in their own territory.

Great job by Matthew Stafford in leading the Lions on the 96 yard TD drive comfortably before the 2 minute warning. That by itself was extremely difficult.

[D6]

Why the Detroit Lions' first win under Darrell Bevell did more harm than good

..........

If the results of a draft were exclusively based on the spot a player was taken, Mitchell Trubisky wouldn't be on his way out of Chicago in 2021. There will be draft opportunities for the Lions regardless what spot the Lions land.

I definitely believe the Lions would have lost this game if the Lions didn't let Matt Patricia go. The Lions failed repeatedly to make a differential play against Mitchell Trubisky during the 4th QTR of the 2020 season opener in Detroit. The Bears scored TDs on 3 consecutive drives! The Lions Defense came up big drive on 4 straight Bears drives in yesterday's come back win in Chicago

[frenchylions]

"It was fitting for Kevin Strong to make the game sealing play"
The highlights are on Kevin Strong but let's not forget he can make that play thanks to Penisini holding his ground against a double team.

"the Lions comeback win in Chicago felt like talent, not scheme was the priority on Defense"
Players over plays !

"The return of Danny Amendola turned out huge"
Amendola made important catches.

"this was a great performance by Matthew Stafford"
Stafford seems definitely at his best in up-tempo when backed up against the wall.
He was particularly efficient on 10+ throws.

"with noticeably better pass blocking than I anticipated"
I have yet to watch the game a second time with the coach cam but it looks like Matt Nelson, the young converted OL, was very good in pass protection. (as mentioned later in the article)

"Adrian Peterson displayed enough juice, combined with immense determination"
He is leading by example. It was refreshing to see the o-linemen flying around to congratulate him on his second TD.

"It was great to see many Lions WRs step up today"
Still, Marvin Jones + TJ Hockenson were targeted for 50% of the pass attempts.

"the 49 yard TD reception to Quentez Cephus"
Props to the rookie for his first NFL TD...and a great one !

"Romeo Okwara also did a good job on contain against Mitchell Trubisky on at least two passes."
At that time of the game, I really thought that if there was one DL capable of forcing a turnover, it was Romeo.
.. and he did it !

"I liked the decision to go for the first down and the play call."
I guess we all liked that aggressive call.

"the problematic tackling and run support by Amani Oruwariye and Darryl Robert"
The Lions missed Jeff Okudah in run support. I also think Okudah would have been a good fit in this zone coverage.

"The sack / fumble play was an enormous mistake by Mitchell Trubisky."
This playcalling was dubious. You don't expose your QB naked on such an important play, all the more when your running game is gaining 5+ yards per carry (the Bears could even have called another Wildcat formation, it worked well).
Not to mention the clock management.

"There's no realistic way the Bears running game has as much production and success against the Lions yesterday if Foles was the QB."
Trubisky played a perfect passer game...but no runs !


As you predicted, Bobby Price played on special teams and has been credited with his first tackle.
Frank Herron was part of the DL rotation.

Let's face it David, it was a tremendous win, yet another wonky game / performance.

[frenchylions]

[D6]

Frenchy, thanks for your thoughts and analysis. This game is certainly far more pleasant to talk about than the previous 2 Lions games.

Good point about the contribution of John Penisini on that play. Peninisi is another example of a Lions player who showed resolve in the Lions comeback win. His fumble recovery on the previous drive was certainly a key part of the Lions eventual win.

The mistake that Bears LBs Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan made in biting on the 2nd and 10 play action pass from the Lions 4 yard line helped open the door for the 96 yard TD scoring drive and eventual comeback win. Good job by Matthew Stafford in helping sell the fake well enough.

The overall enthusiasm on the Lions yesterday was an important component in the improbable comeback win.

Good observation about Marvin Jones and T.J. Hockenson being targeted half the time. Even with this, Stafford threw to Danny Amendola twice ( 2 receptions for 39 yards ) on the 96 yard crunch time drive.

The confidence you had in Romeo Okwara was rewarded. It's been a long time since a Lions Defensive player stepped up with a play of this magnitude ( not counting Will Harris letting Todd Gurley intentionally score a TD back in late October. During the Matt Patricia era, Darius Slay's late Interception against the LA Chargers in Game 2 of the 2019 season was the only clutch Defensive play in the same ballpark as Okwara's sack /forced fumble yesterday.

Jeff Okudah's run support was indeed missed yesterday. With much more exposure and experience in zone coverage, Okudah clearly has the potential to be a huge asset in this facet of play.


The tackle that Nick Williams made, limiting Mitchell Trubisky to a 3 yard gain when he escaped the pocket on 2nd and 7 probably made the Romeo Okwara 3rd and 4 play sack/ fumble possible.

It's fair for one to say that Matt Nagy had too much confidence in Trubisky in such an important spot. Yet, based on Trubisky's overall performance up until the 3rd and 4 play, I respect Nagy's decision. The Lions run Defense improved, compared to earlier in the game. Without getting a 1st Down, even if the Lions had to use another time out after a 3rd Down run, the Lions still would have had at least 1:25 remaining on the clock, with one timeout remaining ( with the Lions probably having the ball around the Detroit 35 to 45 yard line ). With the combination of Matthew Stafford and Matt Prater in the clutch, I understand why Nagy made his play call decision.

Even though Mitchell Trubisky didn't have any read option or designed runs in the game, the Lions had to respect the possibility of Trubisky breaking outside contain on a run.

Bobby Price made a heads up play on Punt Coverage when downing the ball around the Bears 45 yard line with less than 7 minutes remaining in the 4th QTR. Price noticed that the ball might have touched a Bears player. He tried to get everyone's attention once he downed the ball. Likely because FOX went to a commercial break, this is something that wasn't mentioned on the telecast.

It was an entertaining game to watch. It largely felt like the season opener between these teams in Detroit, with thankfully the teams reversing roles.

[D6]

Stock watch: Darrell Bevell keeps hopes alive to land Detroit Lions head coach job

.........


Darrell Bevell increased his overall NFL HC opportunity stock. Bevell's opportunity could come in a season beyond 2021, if it doesn't come in 2021.

One play that also was a huge positive contribution by Romeo Okwara that Dave Birkett reminded me of in another article, was the blocked PAT following the Bears first TD. Okwara also blocked a punt at Minnesota in early November. Okwara's long arms are a major asset. That was evident on the strip sack fumble yesterday.

Yesterday in Chicago, Marvin Jones had one of his best performances in his 5 seasons with the Lions. His route running and awareness were repeatedly excellent in this game.

Matt Nagy survived at least for today. He has an uphill battle to retain his job for the 2021 season.

Kerryon Johnson has done a great job this season picking up blitzes. He's also been a reliable receiver. Unfortunately, he doesn't look like the runner he was prior to knee injury vs. the Panthers in Nov. 2018. My opinion at present is Kerryon Johnson is going to be released at some point in 2021 or traded in a conditional late round deal.

If Matt Prater is re-signed, it likely will be for noticeably less dollars than the value of his expiring contract.

[D6]

Snap counts: Ex-DE Matt Nelson steps in at right tackle, holds own against Bears’ Khalil Mack

.......

Tyrell Crosby clearly looks like the better run blocking option in 2020, when both Crosby and Matt Nelson are relatively healthy. I'm not sure who the better pass blocking option is.

Tremendous play by Romeo) Okwara, causing a strip sack fumble. Keeping things in perspective though, Okwara was in a one on one situation on that play. The Bears double teaming was in the interior of the Lions Defensive Line on that play. I'm highly confident that in a similar situation, the Lions would have provided help for the Lions RT against Mack. The QB pressure stat is one of the most misleading NFL stats. It doesn't account for double team and triple team blocks, including chip blocks.

I'm glad that Romeo Okwara received much more playing time and that he was on the field at the same time with Everson Griffen ( huge play on the 4th QTR spin move sack ) than when Matt Patricia was HC.

This was definitely Jahlini Tavai's best performance of the season. He wasn't spectacular by any means. But he looked like a legit NFL player. Not using him on the edge was a good decision.

Jonathan Williams was in on some plays on the 4th QTR 96 yard TD drive. This likely wouldn't have been the case if Kerryon Johnson remained relatively healthy.

Jayron Kearse committed a horse collar penalty against David Montgomery ( passing play ) on the first play from scrimmage on the Bears final drive. He also missed a tackle on the drive. To Kearse's credit, he made two effective tackles on that drive, each on the play that followed the bad play by him.

At the very least, three players (Miles Killebrew, Bobby Price, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin ) weren't included on this Special Teams Snap Count Totals list.

[D6]

.........

Considering that the 4th QTR interception was factored in, the PFF Grade speaks volumes of the rest of Matthew Stafford's performance.

Nick Williams probably had a MUCH higher PFF 4th QTR grade than his grade from earlier in the game.

This helps summarize Roneo Okwara's Defensive performance.

[D6]

Detroit Lions move within 1 game of NFC playoff spot (yes, really)

........

Because of the NFL playoffs expanding the playoffs to 7 teams per Conference ( 3 Wildcard teams ), an 8-8 record might even be enough for an NFC Team to get a Wildcard playoff berth this season. However, it's not something the Lions or other teams in the mix for a Wildcard in the NFC should count on.

If the Lions pull off a huge upset over the Packers, I plan on taking the Lions Wildcard chances seriously at least leading up to the Titans game the following week.

[frenchylions]

www.pff.com/news/nfl-2020-week-13-pff-refocused-detroit-lions-34-chicago-bears-30

"Montgomery has been forcing missed tackles all year, but the difference in this game was that he and the other Chicago runners actually had some space to operate. The Bears’ 1.7 rushing yards before contact per attempt were nearly double their season average coming into the game of 1.0."

It's also due to the absence of Danny Shelton, he is very disciplined and knows how to fill his gap.   At times, the LBs were overpursuing the outside zone and opened cutting lanes.


Tavai nearly looked legit as you say but he should avoid rubbing shoulders with offensive linemen on passing plays, he would be better off staying in coverage.

[frenchylions]

Dec 8, 2020 15:19:09 GMT -5 D6 said:

Detroit Lions move within 1 game of NFC playoff spot (yes, really)

........

Because of the NFL playoffs expanding the playoffs to 7 teams per Conference ( 3 Wildcard teams ), an 8-8 record might even be enough for an NFC Team to get a Wildcard playoff berth this season. However, it's not something the Lions or other teams in the mix for a Wildcard in the NFC should count on.

If the Lions pull off a huge upset over the Packers, I plan on taking the Lions Wildcard chances seriously at least leading up to the Titans game the following week.

I've read somewhere that the playoffs could even be expanded to 8 teams depending on circumstances ?

Next week will be a full-scale test for the Lions against a true playoff caliber team.  

[D6]

If the NFL is unable to complete a 16 game season by the end of a week # 18 that would potentially be needed because of the COVID-19 situation, the NFL owners voted to expand the playoffs to 8 teams per Conference for this season. Yet, unless the NFLPA approves this ( hopefully they wouldn't ), the league can't implement the change.

[D6]

Dec 7, 2020 9:43:31 GMT -5 frenchylions said:

.........

The probability line looks like it's close to an immediate complete reversal!

[D6]

Dec 8, 2020 15:33:09 GMT -5 frenchylions said:

www.pff.com/news/nfl-2020-week-13-pff-refocused-detroit-lions-34-chicago-bears-30

"Montgomery has been forcing missed tackles all year, but the difference in this game was that he and the other Chicago runners actually had some space to operate. The Bears’ 1.7 rushing yards before contact per attempt were nearly double their season average coming into the game of 1.0."

It's also due to the absence of Danny Shelton, he is very disciplined and knows how to fill his gap.   At times, the LBs were overpursuing the outside zone and opened cutting lanes.


Tavai nearly looked legit as you say but he should avoid rubbing shoulders with offensive linemen on passing plays, he would be better off staying in coverage.

..........

The loss of Danny Sheldon was indeed felt in this game. The good news is that Nick Williams, Kevin Strong, and John Penisini all stepped up in the last half of the 4th QTR.

Though the nature of each play is different, the threat of Mitchell Trubisky keeping the ball and breaking outside contain on some running plays opened up some inside running space for Bears RBs.