The Chicago Bears are sitting at 2-4 through the first quarter-plus of the 2022 NFL season. Which isn’t unexpected given the current state of this roster in the beginning of a rebuild.
Chicago has remained competitive all season, where three of their four losses have been by one score. This season isn’t necessarily about winning, but it’s showing how head coach Matt Eberflus is getting the most out of this underwhelming roster.
But there have been some areas where the Bears offense and defense need have notably struggled this season, which has the been the difference between wins and losses.
Here’s a look at where the Bears must improve heading into the remaining 11 games:
1
Red zone offense
It’s hard to believe that there was a time when the Bears had the fifth-best red zone offense in the season, but that was the case through the first three games (scoring touchdowns on 71.43% of their trips). But it’s all been downhill from there. Three of Chicago’s four losses have been by one score, and in two of those losses (Giants and Commanders), you can attribute them directly to the Bears’ red zone woes.
In each of those losses, Chicago went 0-for-3 in the red zone. While the Bears at least turned those stalled drives against the Giants into nine points, they were held scoreless against the Commanders inside the red zone. To make matters worse, Chicago was inside the 5-yard line on all three possessions, which ended in an interception and two turnover-on-downs. Heading into the final 11 games, the Bears need to capitalize on red zone opportunities, where there’s plenty of blame to go around from the overall execution to play caller Luke Getsy.
2
Run defense
The run defense has been a problem all season for the Bears, where they’ve been among the worst in the NFL all season. Missed tackles have been a huge issue for this defense, and they’ve faced some big names in the run game, including Aaron Jones, Saquon Barkley and Dalvin Cook. Chicago is currently allowing 163 rushing yards per game, which ranks 29th in the NFL.
There was a time when the Bears were allowing as much as 189 rushing yards per game. They’ve only managed to hold one opponent under 100 rushing yards — the Texans, who had 92 rushing yards. But they’re coming off one of their better performances against the run in their Week 6 loss against the Commanders, where they allowed 128 yards on the ground. It’s not great, but it’s better than their season average (163).
3
Pass protection
The offensive line was one of the biggest concerns heading into this season, and it certainly doesn’t help that Cody Whitehair is currently on injured reserve. And while the line has done a solid job in run blocking, they’ve struggled to protect Justin Fields. Struggling pass protection isn’t exactly a recipe for success for a second-year quarterback. Fields has been sacked 23 times this season, which is tied for dead last in the NFL through six games.
There’s a clear lack of trust with the offensive line, as Fields often abandons the pocket earlier than he should given that internal clock is ticking faster than normal. That was especially true against the Commanders in Week 6, where he was sacked five times and pressured 18 times (although not all were on the offensive line). But there were some hits where Fields took some shots and was slow to get up. Fields needs to be healthy for him to continue to progress in his second season, and shots like those aren’t helping.
4
Pass rush
There were high hopes for this Bears pass rush heading into the 2022 season, despite dealing Khalil Mack to the Chargers in the offseason. Robert Quinn was coming off a franchise-record 18.5-sack season; Trevis Gipson had a mini-breakout season; and they added a veteran in Al-Quadin Muhammad. But Chicago’s pass rush has been one of the biggest disappointments on defense.
The Bears have just 11 sacks this season, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. While they’ve managed at least one sack in every game, they’ve had multiple sacks in just three games. That includes most recently a three-sack performance against Carson Wentz. While Chicago didn’t blitz much earlier this season (13%), that changed against the Commanders, where their first two sacks were off a blitz by rookie Jaquan Brisker and Roquan Smith.
5
Passing game
The Bears passing game has been the worst in the NFL since the start of the season, and it’s shown no signs of changing. Chicago is averaging 122.8 passing yards per game, where Justin Fields has thrown for 200-plus yards in just one game this season. Granted, it helps when you have the second-best rushing game so you don’t have to lean too heavily on a struggling passing game. But given the importance of Fields’ development, the Bears really need to open things up.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for the passing game struggles, including Fields, pass protection, the receivers and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Darnell Mooney leads the Bears in receiving this season with 17 catches for 241 yards — but it’s through six games, which isn’t good. That’s not to say there haven’t been opportunities for the passing game to find success, but there have been too many self-inflicted mistakes.
6
Quarterback
It hasn’t been an encouraging start for Justin Fields in his second season, where he certainly appears to have regressed. He looks uncomfortable and indecisive in the pocket, and he’s also played a role in the issues in the passing game and pass protection. Fields is holding onto the ball too long, bailing from the pocket too soon and there’s a lack of trust in his offensive line and unimpressive weapons. He’s not being helped by his supporting cast, but Fields continues to struggle with his footwork and accuracy.
Fields’ best game of the season came in Week 5 against the Vikings, where he looked comfortable, confident and poised, and it’s no coincidence that the passing game looked at its best. The Bears need to find a way to get back there — the offensive line needs to give him time, receivers need to get open and make plays but, most importantly, Fields needs to rip the ball. This season isn’t about winning, it’s about development. And there’s no development more important than Fields’ this season. The Bears will look to surround Fields with talent this offseason, so the hope is Fields manages to show some growth (and survive) the rest of this season.
