Can the Bears Emulate Patriots’ Successful Gameplan vs. Lions?
Published by Zach Kruse on November 25, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The New England Patriots might have provided the Chicago Bears with an offensive blueprint for beating the top-ranked defense of the Detroit Lions.
Luckily for the Bears, and unfortunately for the Lions, the same approach used by Tom Brady and the Patriots during Sunday’s 34-9 rout of Detroit has been given to quarterback Jay Cutler in recent weeks.
The real question is if Cutler is capable of orchestrating the plan on Thanksgiving Day as masterfully as Brady did in Week 12.
The idea at work was a simple one. The Patriots—despite rushing for over 200 yards the week prior—entered the contest with zero intention of trying to pound away at the league’s top run defense. Instead, head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels asked Brady to captain a high-volume passing game focused on quick pacing and attacking underneath—negating Detroit’s advantage at the line of scrimmage and allowing receivers to make plays after the catch.
The plan was another stroke of Patriot genius.
Brady threw 53 times, completing 38 for 349 yards and two scores. The Patriots scored 34 points, or roughly twice what the Lions came into the contest giving up per game in 2014. In fact, Sunday marked the first time all season that Detroit had allowed more than 24 points in a single game.
Everything about Belichick’s plan worked for New England.
The Patriots called just six runs in the first half and 12 over the offense’s first 64 plays. Considering obscure running back Jonas Gray had just rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11, the Lions might have been caught off guard by New England’s complete lack of interest in running the football.
But against Detroit’s front seven, trying to run is essentially just throwing away snaps—the football equivalent of banging your head against a wall.
Through 11 games, the Lions are ranked first in the NFL in total rushing yards allowed (778), rushing yards allowed per game (70.7) and yards per carry (3.1). One team—the New York Jets back in Week 4—has rushed for over 100 yards in a game against Detroit this season. Anchored by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the Lions’ front four makes up the backbone of the (still) top scoring defense in football.
In response, the Patriots went the unconventional route, transforming a run-based, multipronged attack from Week 11’s win over Indianapolis into a self-imposed one-dimensional offense against Detroit. Short passes essentially replaced the running game.
Of Brady’s 53 attempts, 39 were thrown under 10 yards from the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He attempted just two passes over 20 yards, missing on both—although he had both Julian Edelman and Brandon LaFell open on the respective attempts.
Even more telling, Brady threw 12 passes at or behind the line of scrimmage. He completed all 12 for 62 yards.
The quick passing game had a drastic effect on Detroit’s defense. Brady was under pressure on just 14 of his dropbacks, and the Lions called just seven blitzes. Brady took four hits but wasn’t sacked—an amazing feat considering the number of times New England threw the football. The Lions pass rush was essentially a non-factor.
Meanwhile, Patriots receivers made a living off yards-after-catch, while also feasting on the opportunities in the middle of the field.
New England’s 38 receptions netted 187 yards after the catch, including 65 from running back Shane Vereen, 46 from Edelman, 38 from LaFell and 37 from tight end Rob Gronkowski. Meanwhile, Brady’s most fruitful area was the inside the hashes, where he completed 18 of 25 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown on passes traveling past the line of scrimmage.
Brady averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt overall, but New England still managed 22 passing first downs and six drives lasting at least eight plays.
Only once the game was out of reach did the Patriots really commit to running the football. The door slammed on the rout when LeGarrette Blount scored his second rushing score of the day in the fourth quarter.
Clearly, no team in football does a better job than the Patriots in terms of establishing and creating team-specific game plans on a week-to-week basis. New England’s plan negated Detroit’s biggest strength and attacked its biggest weakness. The Lions had no answer.
In Chicago, Cutler has been asked to play a similar style in recent weeks.
During a Week 10 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Cutler attempted 43 passes and completed 31 for 330 yards and three scores. He took some shots down the field—two of his touchdowns traveled over 20 yards in the air—but the majority of Chicago’s offensive production came from the short passing game.
Cutler completed all 10 of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, per Pro Football Focus. Beyond the line and under 10 yards, Cutler was 15-of-19 passing for 98 yards and a touchdown.
The main beneficiary was receiver Alshon Jeffery, who caught four screen passes and finished the contest with a season-high 11 receptions. Out of the backfield, running back Matt Forte gained 65 yards after the catch.
Last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was just a toned-down version.
Cutler attempted just 27 passes, but only one went deeper than 20 yards. He threw eight more passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, and his lone touchdown came under 10 yards. Only three of his 17 completions traveled more than 10 yards in the air.
The Bears appear recommitted to giving Cutler short throws and easy reads, instead of forcing deep drops and vertical routes on him. Chicago isn’t scoring in bunches—the offense has back-to-back games with 21 points—but the Bears are also 2-0.
The question for Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day matchup is whether Cutler can stay as efficient and accurate as Brady was last Sunday. The short-to-intermediate passing game requires a quarterback to remain patient and mistake free. Drives naturally take more plays, providing a smaller margin of error and more opportunities for drive-killing malfunctions.
The Bears have also started relying more on Forte’s abilities as a runner. He’s carried 49 times for 206 yards the past two weeks, both season highs for Forte over a two-game stretch. Chicago’s emerging success on the ground creates a conundrum. Will the Bears stay with what’s working internally, or go the way of the Patriots and attack Detroit’s weakness?
New England wiped the slate clean and created a plan specific for the Lions. Will head coach Marc Trestman have the confidence to do the same?
Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin will likely make adjustments, as every assistant coach does when faced with a new set of challenges. The Bears can expect far less cushion on the outside than Detroit gave New England, fewer overall zone coverages and possibly more blitz looks against Cutler. The Lions will have new solutions to the looks provided by Brady and the Patriots.
Still, the blueprint for handling Detroit’s defense appears to be on tape.
Substitute the short, quick passing game for running the football, chew up yards after the catch and own the middle of the field. The Patriots set the table. It’s now on Cutler and the Bears to feast in a similar fashion.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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