All statistics and snap counts are taken directly from the NFL's Game Statistic and Information System.
I think the Chicago Bears
' offense is starting to come along.
They racked up 478 yards of total offense led by Jay Cutler,
who threw for his most yards ever as a member of the Bears. Jay went
for 381 yards, on 26 of 38 passing (68.4%), with 1 touchdown, no
turnovers and a 109.6 passer rating.
The improved health of his top 2 wide outs allowed their gameplan to sprinkle in some deep shots. Both Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery
went over a hundred yards with their targets/receptions/yards slash
line looking like this, 9/6/113 for Marshall and 7/5/136 for Jeffery.
They each only sat out 5 of the 73 plays the Bears ran on offense.
Josh Morgan may be firmly cementing his status as the #3 receiver as he played 37 snaps to Santonio Holmes'
9. This is something to keep an eye on the next few weeks. Morgan
caught the only pass thrown his way for a 3 yard TD. Chris Williams got
on the field for 2 snaps.
Matt Forte
led the Bears with 157 yards from scrimmage. He had 17 rushes for 80
yards and 2 TDs on the ground, and he caught 10 of the 13 balls thrown
his way for 77 yards. Forte played 66/73 snaps on O, with Ka'Deem Carey
playing the other 7. Carey had the long run of the day by either team, a
15 yarder, and he ended his day with 4 carries for 19 yards.
Tight end Martellus Bennett was targeted 8 times, catching 4 for 52 while playing 88% of the offensive snaps (64/73). Eben Britton
came in for 15 snaps as an extra blocker and back up TE Dante Rosario
had 29 snaps on offense and an additional 19 on special teams.
Cutler and his 5 offensive linemen were the only Bears to play every snap on offense. Roberto Garza was back at his familiar center spot and I thought he looked solid.
I think it's safe to say the
Bears have figured out how to defend the run. After six games they're
currently 10th in the NFL at 103.7 yards per game. In their last 5 games
that number is only 85.8 ypg. Atlanta only managed 3.2 yards per rush on their 13 attempts.
Leading the charge against the run has been the improved play of the front four.
Even though he led the d-line in snaps against the Falcons, Jared Allen played a season low 46 plays. He picked up the first sack of his season which brings his career total to 129.5.
Lamarr Houston
was next at 45/56 snaps at both DE and DT. He had a pass defended, 2
quarterback hits and a tackle. Houston hasn't exactly been filling the
stat sheet this year, but I think he's been doing a good job against the
run. He's often stetting the edge on the Bears' left side and he brings
a toughness to the line. His numbers will come, but he's a big part of
Chicago's improved run D.
Not only did Willie Young pick
up 2 more sacks, but he's now the league leader in that category with
7. Young was in on 70% of the defensive snaps (39/56) and it's
interesting to note, the only game he was held without a sack was the
game he started.
Cornelius Washington made it in for 2 defensive snaps at DE, he also played 16 on special teams.
The Bears spent a lot of time
in their nickel package, meaning Houston was inside at defensive tackle,
so their DT rotation may look a bit odd. Jeremiah Ratliff
had the most DT snaps at 38. In his first game back since week 2 he
failed to crack the stat sheet, but I thought he was active and provided
a good push up the middle.
Stephen Paea
is having a career year now that he's healthy, plus he's playing for
his next contract. He had a couple of tackles, a sack, and a pass
defense in his 24 snaps (43%). He already set a career high and only one
other DT has more than his 4 sacks.
Rookie DTs Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson played 15 and 14 snaps apiece. The only scratch by either in the stat sheet was Sutton's pass defended that ended the game.
Reigning rookie of the month Kyle Fuller
was the only defender to stay on the field for all 56 snaps. He had 5
tackles, a pass defense and a forced fumble. He didn't shadow Atlanta
wide out Julio Jones, but he did have a hand in holding the Pro Bowl
receiver to just 4 catches, on 12 targets, for 68 yards. Atlanta's other
starting WR, Roddy White, was targeted 6 times, catching 3 for 40
yards.
Chicago's other corner, Tim Jennings, had a tackle and a pass defense in 54 snaps. Rookie corner Al Louis-Jean saw first career action on 4 defensive plays. Brand new nickelback Demontre Hurst had the game's only interception along with 3 tackles. He played 38 snaps (68%), plus another 10 on special teams.
Safety Chris Conte left
another game, this time with yet another shoulder injury, after making 3
tackles in 25 plays. It was rookie Brock Vereen
that was the first safety off the bench this week and he played 31
defensive snaps, with another 24 on special teams. Brock had a tackle in
both phases.
Danny McCray filled in for 2 plays on D when starter Ryan Mundy was shaken up. Mundy had just 1 tackle on the day.
Just how active were the three new Bear linebackers?
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