The NFL doesn’t track style points—just wins. And on that note, the Chicago Bears channeled a little Al Davis “Just win, Baby” energy this week, leaving Las Vegas as a .500 ballclub heading into their Week 5 bye.
The league is filled with parity — which is a polite way of saying mediocrity. Through four weeks, 58% of games have been one-possession wins. Despite their inability to stop the run, or run the ball, or turn plus-territory possessions into touchdowns, the Bears battled for 60 minutes and in the end each phase played a role in the 25-24 victory.
Diving into the data
Let’s look at some numbers from Sunday’s game that both tell the tale of the game, but additionally show trends — good and bad — about the state of the beloved.
- Five of the Bears’ 10 offensive possessions made it inside the Raiders’ 25-yard line. Three of those five started at the 24, 20 and 24 respectively — two off of turnovers generated by the defense — yet the Bears only came away with just six points. On one of those three drives, the Bears ended up losing 16 yards and punting from the Raiders’ 40-yard line, resulting in a touchback. Good teams don’t squander that many opportunities.
- Speaking of turnovers, the Bears’ defense generated four takeaways for the second-straight week, bringing their season total up to nine, which ranks third-best in the league, as does their plus-five turnover margin. A lot of credit needs to be given to defensive backs coach Al Harris, who was a gambler himself as a player. The defensive backs are clearly recognizing patterns based on formation and down-and-distance and their coaching and scouting is paying off. Kevin Byard was outstanding all game and he hawked Raiders quarterback Geno Smith twice on an in-breaker from the slot. Tyrique Stephenson was Johnny-on-the-spot with a fumble recovery, but also had an incredible diving interception from a trail technique on a crosser. Stephenson has been outstanding in back-to-back games.
- The Raiders averaged an eye-popping 7.7 yards per rush attempt and nine explosive (carry of 10-plus) rushes on 31 attempts. For the season, the Bears’ defense is giving up a league-worst 6.1 yards per rush attempt, and the 658 rushing yards they’ve given up rank dead last in the league. The defensive line is consistently losing at the line of scrimmage and teams are making it to the second level cleanly far too often and easily.
- The Bears didn’t register a sack against the Raiders. Through four games this season, they’ve generated just five sacks and their pressure rate of 20.7% ranks 29th in the league. Considering the investments they’ve made across the defensive line, this is a sub-optimal return and a concerning trend. Yes, Kyler Gordon’s return will help the slot-corner blitz package. But relying on a coverage player to generate heat in the pass rush isn’t a sustainable plan.
- Rome Odunze caught his fifth touchdown pass of the...
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