Bears’ Red-Zone Offense Will Be Key vs. Resurgent Packers in Week 12
Published by Matt Eurich on November 24, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
In order to be a great offense in the NFL, a team has to produce in the red zone. Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears, they have struggled with consistency in that part of the field this season.
The Bears entered Week 11 against the Denver Broncos 28th in the NFL in touchdowns scored in the red zone, and the offense scored just one touchdown in four trips to the red zone in Chicago’s 17-15 loss to the Broncos.
Not scoring in the red zone has been an issue for the team all year, and Chicago’s struggles on Sunday were not a surprise to head coach John Fox.
“This isn’t anything new for our group,” Fox said after the loss, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. “We had some red-zone problems. Everything is a little bit tighter, everything a little bit quicker. We’re missing some guys, but that’s nothing new.”
Wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal, as well as running back Matt Forte, were out of the lineup against Denver due to injuries, but Chicago’s offense has struggled in the red zone even when those three have been healthy this season.
Though not having some of his best weapons on offense near the end zone has hindered quarterback Jay Cutler‘s play this season, he said the team needs to continue to press forward.
“It’s not deflating,” said Cutler in regards to the team’s red-zone issues, per CSNChicago.com’s John Mullin. “We just need to do better. We have to figure out ways. During the week we have to work on it more, guys have to study more. I have to execute more and be more accurate. It’s a challenge for all of us.”
With a trip to Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving on the docket for the Bears this week, the offense will need to be sharp against a revitalized Green Bay Packers team.
The Packers were in the midst of a three-game losing streak before they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 30-13 on the road in Week 11.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota, and if the Bears defense struggles to slow him down through the air, Chicago’s offense will need to produce—particularly in the red zone.
How can the Bears improve their production in the red zone against the Packers on Thanksgiving night?
Utilize Martellus Bennett and Zach Miller’s Size
Martellus Bennett has been one of the league’s best tight ends in the last two seasons, but he has struggled to find the end zone as of late for the Bears.
Bennett caught 24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns in Chicago’s first four games, but he has caught just 26 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown in Chicago’s last six games. He struggled against the Broncos in Week 11 and finished the game with just two catches for 26 yards.
According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson, Bennett was unavailable for comment after the game:
Measuring in at 6’6″ and 273 pounds, Bennett is one of the league’s biggest tight ends. In addition to his size, he is very athletic and does a good job of attacking the football at its highest point.
He has struggled to secure the catch at times this season, but he should be Cutler’s primary target once the team gets into the red zone because he is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
Teams can try to put a defensive back on Bennett to combat his athleticism, but he is typically able to use his size to gain an advantage. If a team wants to play physically with Bennett, it can use a linebacker on him in the end zone, but he has enough speed to create separation.
One reason why Bennett has not been successful in the red zone as of late is opposing defenses have been bringing extra help to his side of the field.
Since Jeffery and Royal have missed a handful of games this season, opposing defenses know they can slow down the passing game in the red zone by double-teaming Bennett.
Luckily for the Bears, reserve Zach Miller has developed into a reliable pass-catching tight end in recent weeks.
Miller had a strong preseason in 2014, but a Lisfranc injury ended his year. The Bears re-signed him to a one-year deal this offseason, and the former Nebraska-Omaha standout has become a bigger part of Chicago’s passing game over the last three weeks.
After recording three catches for 35 yards in the Bears’ first seven games, he has hauled in 10 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns in the last three games. Like Bennett, Miller has good size (6’5″, 240 lbs) for the position, and he has proven that he possesses good hands and above-average speed.
Both Bennett and Miller have the ability to be threats in the red zone on Thursday against a Packers defense that has allowed 58 catches for 709 yards and five touchdowns to tight ends this season.
In addition to utilizing Bennett and Miller’s size near the goal line, the Bears can also find success in the red zone by being creative in the running game.
Get Creative in the Running Game
With Forte sidelined in the last three games with a knee injury, rookie Jeremy Langford and second-year man Ka’Deem Carey have been sharing the load at running back.
Langford scored Chicago’s only red-zone touchdown against the Broncos, and he said the team needs to do a better job of executing once it gets closer to the end zone.
“That’s us, on the offense,” Langford said after Sunday’s loss to Denver, per ChicagoBears.com’s Eli Kaberon. “We did a great job moving the ball down there multiple times, but we have to go back and look at the film to see what we can do better. Driving the ball—we did a great job of doing that. But as a total offense, we need to fix those mistakes.”
The Bears have been productive in the red zone running the ball this season when they get creative with their formations.
Earlier this year against the Detroit Lions, offensive coordinator Adam Gase opted to use defensive lineman Mitch Unrein at fullback with both Langford and Forte in the backfield at running back, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Patrick Finley:
Early in the second quarter against the Lions in Week 6, the Bears lined up on Detroit’s 1-yard line with Unrein three yards to the right behind Cutler, Langford three yards to the left behind Cutler and Forte set up deep in the backfield:
Unrein acted like a lead blocker for Forte to the right, but Cutler turned to his left and handed the ball off to Langford for the one-yard touchdown:
The veteran defensive lineman has been used two other times near the goal line as a fullback this season, and Chicago has scored on both plays. Unrein was used as a blocker at the 1-yard line against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football in Week 9 and again this past Sunday on Langford‘s one-yard touchdown run.
Gase‘s offense does not typically utilize a traditional fullback, but Unrein has been able to provide necessary size (6’4″, 306 lbs) in the backfield in short-yardage situations this season.
Langford has been productive near the goal line in 2015, and he should be leaned on against Green Bay if the Bears find themselves in a short-yardage situation in the red zone on Thursday night.
If Forte is able to return to the lineup, the Bears could use a combination of Forte, Langford and Unrein in the backfield like they did against Detroit or opt to split either Langford or Forte out as a wide receiver to help create confusion.
In the end, the Bears need to do a better job of executing once they get into the red zone in Week 12.
If they can create mismatches with Bennett and Miller in the passing game and show some creativity in the running game, they may be able to find a way to consistently get in the end zone against the Packers on Thanksgiving night.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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