One of the main ways to win games in the NFL is in the trenches, and the Chicago Bears are having a hard time with that. In their Week 2 game against the Houston Texans, quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked seven times and hit 11 times. Though they only lost by one score, things could have possibly been different if Williams had enough time in the pocket on three or four more crucial plays.
Heading into their Week 3 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Matt Eberflus said that there were no plans to make changes to the offensive line. When asked about why the protection has been good, offensive lineman Teven Jenkins wasn't quite sure but mentioned coaching.
“To my knowledge, I don't know,” Jenkins said. “We get our call up front and we execute to what we're getting coached to do. A lot of things happen like pressures and stuff, so we can only control so much.”
The Bears' offensive line has no doubt been an issue this season. After signing him in free agency last offseason, Nate Davis has not been the player that people expected, Coleman Shelton has been rough, and Jenkins has also had some mishaps throughout the first two games. When the entire unit is having problems, it affects the quarterback, and it's evident by how many times Williams has been sacked so far.
To make things worse, Jenkins is not practicing ahead of their matchup against the Colts with a deep thigh bruise, according to Eberflus. There's still time for Jenkins to practice throughout the week, and if they want to get back on track, it would be important for him to see the field.
Bears' offensive line has to play better
If the Chicago Bears want to win moving forward, it's going to have to start with everyone getting on the same page, and that includes the players and the coaches. While Teven Jenkins said after their loss to the Texans that it's out of their control, Matt Eberflus claims that protecting the quarterback goes for everybody.
“I believe protection is everybody. It’s the tight ends, it’s the offensive line, it’s the runners, it’s the quarterback, it’s everybody involved,” Eberflus said. “And obviously, we need to do a better job of running the ball than what we did. We also need to establish the running game better than what we did because it’s always a good friend for a young quarterback when you can do that.”
It's not just Caleb Williams that needs to be protected, but the running game has to open up, and that's the cause for good offensive line play. It's still early in the season so there's time for them to get in a rhythm, but if they can't, it may be time to make some changes.
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