The Chicago Bears faced a challenging game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, marked by penalties, red zone inefficiencies, and quarterback Caleb Williams’ accuracy issues. The Bears certainly started bright though and looked capable of creating dangerous chances. They failed to capitalize on those opportunities, which resulted in their sad defeat in the successful comeback attempt.
The Bears’ offense began strong, with an impressive opening drive that consumed 8:01 and covered 13 plays. They took an early 6-0 lead with field goals but failed to convert those red zone chances into touchdowns. The team has been through a lot this season. Since Week 3, they are dead last in the league in red zone touchdown percentage at a miserable 36.8%.
During the opening drive, a false start by tight end Colston Loveland pushed the Bears back to the Ravens’ 13-yard line. Williams on a deep touchdown pass to wideout Rome Odunze for the third time. In spite of those failures, he exhibited jaw-dropping efficiency.
As the game went along, the Bears continued to be the victim of 11 penalties called on them. This bad habit that has haunted the team throughout this season was only their third double-digit penalty game of the season. Even Williams himself, perhaps the most egregiously placed quarterback on this list, recognized this issue as incompletions hurting him more than picks.
“The majority [of the problem] is shooting ourselves in the foot,” – Rome Odunze
In the fourth quarter (when, mind you, the Bears were still trying to make a comeback), it got even worse for Williams. To cap off this brutal stretch, six off-target passes in this key stretch resulted in frustration from players and coaches all around. He remarked on his previous interception when targeting Odunze while trailing by three points and backed up in their territory.
“It was a good read. Rome was man-to-man with the guy who caught the pick. I just didn’t give a good ball to Rome,” – Caleb Williams
Ben Johnson, the Bears’ offensive coordinator, lamented the Bears’ inability to execute with the game on the line. He focused on how the leadership in the locker room needs to hold their teammates accountable for their play.
“I really put it on the leaders there in the locker room to get this ship going in the right direction in that regard. Us coaches, we have been pounding that drum now for a while, and we haven’t gotten the results we wanted. So, it is on the leaders here on this team to get us right,” – Ben Johnson
The Bears proved that they could do whatever they wanted by rattling off nine first downs in the opening period. Time and again they couldn’t turn those opportunities into points. In fact, they’ve averaged a league-worst 3.9 points per red zone drive this season. This only further illustrates the need for urgent improvement as they proceed down the path.
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