Playing the Packers

[Les Grossman]

This is probably the most frustrating part about when CHI plays GB. CHI can't even take advantage of an OBVIOUS weakness.

1. The Packers dared the Bears to run the ball, again. Again, the Bears were unable to do so.

The Packers had a minimum of five defensive backs on the field for every single one of their 71 defensive snaps during the Sept. 5 season opener against the Bears, which the Packers won 10-3 at Soldier Field. The Bears couldn’t run the ball and, well, they didn’t even give it a shot.
Naturally, 14 weeks later, the Packers once again dared the Bears to run the ball. The Packers tipped their hand 90 minutes prior to kickoff when they announced B.J. Goodson, a starting inside linebacker, was a healthy scratch. Goodson wasn’t on the injury report all week, but the Packers decided to sit him knowing he wouldn’t be of much use with their plan.

The Packers played primarily dime defense (playing six defensive backs) against the Bears, once again daring coach and play-caller Matt Nagy to run the ball. They failed to do so successfully, and while Mitch Trubisky’s total of 53 pass attempts partly can be explained by the 21-3 deficit the Bears faced midway through the third quarter, the inability to run the ball earlier in the game contributed to the hole the Bears found themselves in, one they were not able to escape.

It’s been a common problem this season, and it’s a good reminder that everything isn’t on the quarterback. Trubisky didn’t play particularly well. He made a handful of really nice throws, but he’s also falling off throws instead of stepping into them, and it’s impossible, from my perspective anyway, to make a case that he regularly elevates the level of play of those around him. Wide receivers Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller did more to elevate Trubisky on Sunday.
But back to the ground game. Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine dared the Bears to run the ball, and they failed. The final numbers — 27 carries, 96 yards — are not hideous. But if you take away Trubisky’s four runs for 29 yards, the Bears gained 67 yards on 23 carries (2.9 per attempt). Not good against a defense that entering “Monday Night Football” is ranked 24th against the run in both yards per game and per carry.

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.
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The Bears are struggling to run the ball against light boxes, and that’s a real problem. They can’t get their ground game going, so Trubisky is throwing into a dime defense with a lot of skilled secondary players to two realistic targets in Robinson and Miller if he doesn’t check down to Cohen. Running the ball makes it a heck of a lot easier on any quarterback.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...0191216-fxnxhep2rnarxosypwv4xiyudm-story.html

 

[abegibronlives]

This is probably the most frustrating part about when CHI plays GB. CHI can't even take advantage of an OBVIOUS weakness.

1. The Packers dared the Bears to run the ball, again. Again, the Bears were unable to do so.

The Packers had a minimum of five defensive backs on the field for every single one of their 71 defensive snaps during the Sept. 5 season opener against the Bears, which the Packers won 10-3 at Soldier Field. The Bears couldn’t run the ball and, well, they didn’t even give it a shot.
Naturally, 14 weeks later, the Packers once again dared the Bears to run the ball. The Packers tipped their hand 90 minutes prior to kickoff when they announced B.J. Goodson, a starting inside linebacker, was a healthy scratch. Goodson wasn’t on the injury report all week, but the Packers decided to sit him knowing he wouldn’t be of much use with their plan.

The Packers played primarily dime defense (playing six defensive backs) against the Bears, once again daring coach and play-caller Matt Nagy to run the ball. They failed to do so successfully, and while Mitch Trubisky’s total of 53 pass attempts partly can be explained by the 21-3 deficit the Bears faced midway through the third quarter, the inability to run the ball earlier in the game contributed to the hole the Bears found themselves in, one they were not able to escape.

It’s been a common problem this season, and it’s a good reminder that everything isn’t on the quarterback. Trubisky didn’t play particularly well. He made a handful of really nice throws, but he’s also falling off throws instead of stepping into them, and it’s impossible, from my perspective anyway, to make a case that he regularly elevates the level of play of those around him. Wide receivers Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller did more to elevate Trubisky on Sunday.
But back to the ground game. Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine dared the Bears to run the ball, and they failed. The final numbers — 27 carries, 96 yards — are not hideous. But if you take away Trubisky’s four runs for 29 yards, the Bears gained 67 yards on 23 carries (2.9 per attempt). Not good against a defense that entering “Monday Night Football” is ranked 24th against the run in both yards per game and per carry.

.
.
.
The Bears are struggling to run the ball against light boxes, and that’s a real problem. They can’t get their ground game going, so Trubisky is throwing into a dime defense with a lot of skilled secondary players to two realistic targets in Robinson and Miller if he doesn’t check down to Cohen. Running the ball makes it a heck of a lot easier on any quarterback.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...0191216-fxnxhep2rnarxosypwv4xiyudm-story.html

That's all true.

And that's bad.

 

[Alterego]

It’s hard to run against a dime when you’re down but they didn’t even try. The pass/run difference was atrocious

 

[Alterego]

It’s hard to run against a dime when you’re down but they didn’t even try. The pass/run difference was atrocious

Damn I meant pass against the dime but they should have run it more. Down by that much they chose to pass 53? times. Bad choice

 

[didshereallysaythat]

The Bears have now gone 25 straight games against the Packers since they last scored 30 or more points against them. That was in 2007.

 

[Les Grossman]

It’s hard to run against a dime when you’re down but they didn’t even try. The pass/run difference was atrocious

They weren't even "down" until the score was 21-7 really. And they certainly were "down" in week 1 unless you forgot the score of that game.

 

[Bears Backer 54]

The Oline was beaten like an old drum all day. Nobody could get any type of push and Nagy reverted to running on 1st down for most of the first half removing any and all elements of guessing as to what type of play it was going to be.