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What a wasted opportunity by a championship caliber squad. The Bears should have had no business losing to the inferior Philadelphia Eagles. The game was marred by several missed opportunities, especially on offense. The performance of the offense can be separated into 2 distinct categories based on the vast differences in success, the first half and the second half.
1ST HALF
Things started off strong, with a nice 6 yard run by Jordan Howard. Watch Kyle Long here get off of his initial block to then swallow the linebacker trying to get through the B gap...
Play 2 was a designed quick pass from a 3 step drop to ease Trubisky into the game. You can see his 3 targets all run the same 5 yard routes, Shaheen runs down field as a decoy, and Cohen runs to the flat in order to clear out the middle of the field.
Leno and the guards engage their assignments off the snap without a back pedal in order to keep the immediate throwing lanes open...
And the result is the first conversion for the bears offense...
A few players later, after a nice 6 yard gain on 1st down, Mizzell gets stuffed in the backfield because Daniels completely whiffs on his assignment...
This brings up the opening 3rd down, and the Bears lined up in a 3 x 1 formation. Against 1 deep safety like this, the offense usually like to isolate the lone receiver in a 1 on 1 matchup. Robinson flat just out physicals Maddux here, Robinson vs. Maddux is simply a big mismatch for the Bears...
2nd down on the same drive, and Nagy calls a designed deep shot to Cohen off a 7 man protection. The route design works, as Cohen leaves the safety in his dust...
But the one thing you can’t do on longer route concepts with extra protection is allow immediate pressure. Unfortunately, Long gets manhandled off the snap and ruins the play...
This sets up 3rd and long, and maybe the biggest missed opportunity of the entire game. The Eagles look to be in a cover 6 (quarters-quarters-halves coverage). This means the FS is responsible for 1/2 of the field, the SS is responsible for 1/4 of the field, and the CB is responsible for 1/4 of the field...
So basically 1 side of the field is playing a cover 2 look (Free safety), and the other side of the field is playing a cover 4 quarters coverage look (CB + SS). The Bears are in a 3 x 1 formation. The cover 2 side has Bellamy on his own, so there is nothing there for Trubisky to read. The cover 4 side has the 3 wr’s in Cohen #1 Robinson #2 and Braunecker #3. The weakness in the cover 4 is in this exact formation, 3 x1, specifically a vertical seam route by the #3 wr (Braunecker). This is because the SS is lined up on the inside of the #2 wr but on the outside of the #3 wr, giving up leverage to the deep middle. And the underneath defender only carries/cushions the #3 wr into the secondary.
What happens on this specific play is that the SS pretty obviously brackets Allen Robinson, so there is no defender for the underneath safety to hand Braunecker off to while as he is trailing him. This leaves Braunecker running down the seam wide open. Once Trubisky read that the SS was bracketing Robinson, he should have known that Braunecker would be running free and threw it up to him for the easy TD. He had plenty of time to diagnose this and get rid of the ball, but for some reason he just couldn’t pull the trigger.
Let’s go through the progression of the play. A few steps into the routes, you can see the SS not really backpedaling and with his eyes on Allen Robinson. The lone safety on the other side is drifting toward the sideline while Braunecker is running up the seam...
A few steps later, and the SS is still holding his ground with all attention on Robinson. It’s pretty safe to deduce that he is bracketing Robinson. The underneath safety begins to trail the sprinting Braunecker with his eyes still on the qb. Trubisky still has his eyes downfield and should have a good idea on where he is going with the ball...
A few steps later, and the SS is in a stand still with all attention on Robinson. The underneath safety has passed off Braunecker, but there is no defender actually there to pass him off to. Braunecker is left wide open over the top. Trubisky still has his eyes downfield. He should have already threw the ball up to the deep middle by now, but if not he really needs to pull the trigger now...
But instead of firing, the next moment has Trubisky dropping his eyes and aborting the play. Right after Trubisky bails, you see Braunecker running all alone. The SS then realizes the blown coverage and starts frantically sprinting toward Braunecker, but he was already out of his range a while ago...
Here is a slowed down version of the coverage...
Here is Trubisky in the pocket...
He probably would have taken a big hit after he released that ball, but the ball needed to come out. For some reason he just didn’t trust his eyes and locked up. A TD here changes the entire complexion of the game. I believe a confident Trubisky and a fired up defense go on to dismantle the inferior Eagles.
Possession #2 begins with more appreciation from Trubisky. If you’re going to Mizzell here, you gotta get him the ball a bit quicker than that. Mizzell is made to be a sitting duck here...
It looks like injuries have not cost Long all of his athleticism, as he maneuvers his way into the second level...
On 3rd and short, Trubisky changes the play at the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately it looks like Miller runs the wrong route, collided with Gabriel, and throws off the timing of the play. Can’t make those kinds of mistakes in the playoffs...
In the 2nd quarter, Trubisky has his first wow throw. It’s a tremendous touch pass dissecting the cover 3 zone defense...
Most qb’s wouldn’t even attempt such a difficult throw, as it requires great touch to get it just over the underneath coverage, just under the deep coverage, and right in between the 2 defensive backs playing thirds coverage...
Here is a designed deep shot off of play action. The run fake works as intended, sucking the deep safety in and widening the window to Gabriel on the post route...
Trubisky still doesn’t like what he sees, so he goes to Robinson in the flat which is fine as he’s all alone with no one within 10 yards of him at one point. But again, Trubisky has to get this ball to the wr a touch earlier so that he has a chance to turn it upfield...
Here Leno misses 2 separate blocks on the very same play...
Another late throw by Trubisky here, and it almost costs him an INT. Robinson actually created enough space between he and the cb...
Uncatchable pass to a 1 on 1 Robinson out of a clean pocket...
Trubisky is yet again late on a throw, this time to Shaheen...
Really good throw by Trubisky here that Miller needs to hold on to...
But then Trubisky caps off the half with a shockingly baffling decision. At the snap, Trubisky has eyes on the safety in the deep middle...
As he feels imminent pressure from his blindside, Trubisky drops his eyes in order to step up and evacuate the pocket...
As Trubisky sets his eyes back downfield on the run, he just assumes the safety is running toward the sideline with him and throws it to a spot where Gabriel’s route is heading in the middle of the field. Trubisky either never reestablished visual eye contact with the safety and just flat out guessed that he wouldn’t be there, or he saw the safety leaning and assumed that he was sprinting towards the sideline. Just a really dumb throw...
1ST HALF
Things started off strong, with a nice 6 yard run by Jordan Howard. Watch Kyle Long here get off of his initial block to then swallow the linebacker trying to get through the B gap...
Play 2 was a designed quick pass from a 3 step drop to ease Trubisky into the game. You can see his 3 targets all run the same 5 yard routes, Shaheen runs down field as a decoy, and Cohen runs to the flat in order to clear out the middle of the field.
Leno and the guards engage their assignments off the snap without a back pedal in order to keep the immediate throwing lanes open...
And the result is the first conversion for the bears offense...
A few players later, after a nice 6 yard gain on 1st down, Mizzell gets stuffed in the backfield because Daniels completely whiffs on his assignment...
This brings up the opening 3rd down, and the Bears lined up in a 3 x 1 formation. Against 1 deep safety like this, the offense usually like to isolate the lone receiver in a 1 on 1 matchup. Robinson flat just out physicals Maddux here, Robinson vs. Maddux is simply a big mismatch for the Bears...
2nd down on the same drive, and Nagy calls a designed deep shot to Cohen off a 7 man protection. The route design works, as Cohen leaves the safety in his dust...
But the one thing you can’t do on longer route concepts with extra protection is allow immediate pressure. Unfortunately, Long gets manhandled off the snap and ruins the play...
This sets up 3rd and long, and maybe the biggest missed opportunity of the entire game. The Eagles look to be in a cover 6 (quarters-quarters-halves coverage). This means the FS is responsible for 1/2 of the field, the SS is responsible for 1/4 of the field, and the CB is responsible for 1/4 of the field...
So basically 1 side of the field is playing a cover 2 look (Free safety), and the other side of the field is playing a cover 4 quarters coverage look (CB + SS). The Bears are in a 3 x 1 formation. The cover 2 side has Bellamy on his own, so there is nothing there for Trubisky to read. The cover 4 side has the 3 wr’s in Cohen #1 Robinson #2 and Braunecker #3. The weakness in the cover 4 is in this exact formation, 3 x1, specifically a vertical seam route by the #3 wr (Braunecker). This is because the SS is lined up on the inside of the #2 wr but on the outside of the #3 wr, giving up leverage to the deep middle. And the underneath defender only carries/cushions the #3 wr into the secondary.
What happens on this specific play is that the SS pretty obviously brackets Allen Robinson, so there is no defender for the underneath safety to hand Braunecker off to while as he is trailing him. This leaves Braunecker running down the seam wide open. Once Trubisky read that the SS was bracketing Robinson, he should have known that Braunecker would be running free and threw it up to him for the easy TD. He had plenty of time to diagnose this and get rid of the ball, but for some reason he just couldn’t pull the trigger.
Let’s go through the progression of the play. A few steps into the routes, you can see the SS not really backpedaling and with his eyes on Allen Robinson. The lone safety on the other side is drifting toward the sideline while Braunecker is running up the seam...
A few steps later, and the SS is still holding his ground with all attention on Robinson. It’s pretty safe to deduce that he is bracketing Robinson. The underneath safety begins to trail the sprinting Braunecker with his eyes still on the qb. Trubisky still has his eyes downfield and should have a good idea on where he is going with the ball...
A few steps later, and the SS is in a stand still with all attention on Robinson. The underneath safety has passed off Braunecker, but there is no defender actually there to pass him off to. Braunecker is left wide open over the top. Trubisky still has his eyes downfield. He should have already threw the ball up to the deep middle by now, but if not he really needs to pull the trigger now...
But instead of firing, the next moment has Trubisky dropping his eyes and aborting the play. Right after Trubisky bails, you see Braunecker running all alone. The SS then realizes the blown coverage and starts frantically sprinting toward Braunecker, but he was already out of his range a while ago...
Here is a slowed down version of the coverage...
Here is Trubisky in the pocket...
He probably would have taken a big hit after he released that ball, but the ball needed to come out. For some reason he just didn’t trust his eyes and locked up. A TD here changes the entire complexion of the game. I believe a confident Trubisky and a fired up defense go on to dismantle the inferior Eagles.
Possession #2 begins with more appreciation from Trubisky. If you’re going to Mizzell here, you gotta get him the ball a bit quicker than that. Mizzell is made to be a sitting duck here...
It looks like injuries have not cost Long all of his athleticism, as he maneuvers his way into the second level...
On 3rd and short, Trubisky changes the play at the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately it looks like Miller runs the wrong route, collided with Gabriel, and throws off the timing of the play. Can’t make those kinds of mistakes in the playoffs...
In the 2nd quarter, Trubisky has his first wow throw. It’s a tremendous touch pass dissecting the cover 3 zone defense...
Most qb’s wouldn’t even attempt such a difficult throw, as it requires great touch to get it just over the underneath coverage, just under the deep coverage, and right in between the 2 defensive backs playing thirds coverage...
Here is a designed deep shot off of play action. The run fake works as intended, sucking the deep safety in and widening the window to Gabriel on the post route...
Trubisky still doesn’t like what he sees, so he goes to Robinson in the flat which is fine as he’s all alone with no one within 10 yards of him at one point. But again, Trubisky has to get this ball to the wr a touch earlier so that he has a chance to turn it upfield...
Here Leno misses 2 separate blocks on the very same play...
Another late throw by Trubisky here, and it almost costs him an INT. Robinson actually created enough space between he and the cb...
Uncatchable pass to a 1 on 1 Robinson out of a clean pocket...
Trubisky is yet again late on a throw, this time to Shaheen...
Really good throw by Trubisky here that Miller needs to hold on to...
But then Trubisky caps off the half with a shockingly baffling decision. At the snap, Trubisky has eyes on the safety in the deep middle...
As he feels imminent pressure from his blindside, Trubisky drops his eyes in order to step up and evacuate the pocket...
As Trubisky sets his eyes back downfield on the run, he just assumes the safety is running toward the sideline with him and throws it to a spot where Gabriel’s route is heading in the middle of the field. Trubisky either never reestablished visual eye contact with the safety and just flat out guessed that he wouldn’t be there, or he saw the safety leaning and assumed that he was sprinting towards the sideline. Just a really dumb throw...