Run the ball and stop the run. That’s what we were told makes successful football teams for the majority of my life. Run the ball and stop the run. Well after ten games the Bears are the 18th best rushing team in the league and only the Jacksonville Jaguars are worse at defending the run. (This is almost unfair being that Jacksonville has a points differential of -189 and teams are basically running at them non-stop from the middle of the third quarter on.)
Where does this mediocre rushing attack/awful rush defense currently sit? Of course! They’re tied for first place! So why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?
I always like the Chicago Bears.
BUT WHAT FOOTBALL REASONS, JEFF?
- The NFL now ranks the Bears as the 9th best offense in terms of yardage and the Aikman Efficiency Rankings have them 8th. So now matter what numbers you’re looking at the Bears are a top 10 offense in the sport. If Bears fans had been told in August the team would be ravaged by injury on defense and play Josh McCown for two and a half of the first ten games and STILL be tied for first place in the division…how hard would the laughter be? That’s how impressive a first year this has been for head coach Marc Trestman.
