Conference Titles’ Remarks About the Bears…….
The quarterback who extends plays with his feet to use his arm defeated the running quarterback when the Super Bowl teams were selected.
What had been a 17-point lead was ruined when the gambling coach took one unnecessary risk too many.
As usual, a Sunday featuring football but no Bears game indicated something about the team’s standing and future.
These are the things that the Chiefs’ AFC title and the 49ers’ NFC championship have taught us about the Bears.
Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Lions, is expected to be promoted to head coach after demonstrating his exceptional play calling skills during the season. Without him, Detroit’s offence will look different. The quality of Detroit’s defence was evident in the second half on Sunday. After dominating the Bears for 55 and a half minutes, the Lions rallied to win the other game. They managed to let the Bears score 54 points in just two games, and the Bears castoff They were benefiting greatly from Kindle Vildor’s ability to bounce passes off his head and onto the 49ers. This season, the Packers were right there, but with a new defensive coordinator, things will be different. The Vikings must decide on a quarterback.
The Bears are aware that they have momentum because of their defence, regardless of whether they choose to go with rookie Caleb Williams or Justin Fields. They topped the NFL in stopping the run, tied for the league lead in interceptions with 22, and currently have a strong pass rush that they will continue to hone. Their defence will keep them competitive in the NFC North and open the door for them to experience in 2024 what happened to Detroit this season. The NFC North is going to see an open contest next season. Regarding the NFC North, head coach Dan Campbell predicted that “everyone will want a piece of you.” He’s accurate.
For the 49ers, a 48-yard scramble by Brock Purdy on Sunday while they were down proved crucial. Naturally, Patrick Mahomes occasionally runs and enters and exits the pocket. Lamar Jackson teeters about. The Bears have a mobile quarterback, whereas the other two victorious teams in the conference finals had one as well. But the two winning quarterbacks were passers first, looking to throw whenever their legs were free. Although Lamar Jackson’s playmaking was impressive, it’s usually easier to stop a quarterback who prefers to sprint after the ball rather than run to pass. However, his technique of catching his own toss and then sprinting was a remarkable move that should be emulated.
Justin Fields is a running quarterback for the Bears, and they can draft a quarterback to throw to Williams. Fields is allegedly studying how to be a quarterback who runs in order to pass. Fields already has this down, so before they decide not to take Williams, they better make sure he is genuinely improving in this way, given what that quality accomplished for the two winning teams on Sunday.
This was something Matt Eberflus ought to have learned on the opening drive of the season when he foolishly attempted a fourth-and-1 against the Packers at his 40 and it failed, leaving them behind 38-20 and never able to come back. Dan Campbell’s two fourth-down gambles were completely needless. They weren’t being realistic about the gaming circumstance; they were just gambling for the sake of gambling or to feed their ego. A three-score advantage in the second half would have resulted from a 17-point lead after the initial field goal. Rather, it immediately led by seven points. Halfway through the fourth quarter of the second time, they had a chance to tie the game. “Analytics” indicates that you can take the lead because of the statistics people.
Football games require real thinking based on people and conditions to win. Hopefully, Campbell’s reckless risks confirmed what Eberflus ought to have discovered on his own a couple times this season with reckless bets.
Whoever is throwing the passes, the Bears must locate receivers. They have one wide receiver and one tight end. Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and even Kyle Jusczczyk were among the 49ers’ pass targets. Six receivers for the Lions had 20 yards or more. Beyond Rayshee Rice and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ receiver group was subpar, but Marquez Valdes-Scantling made a crucial 32-yard completion when it counted most.
Pro Football Focus ranked centres Frank Ragnow (No. 1), Creed Humphrey (No. 4), and Tyler Linderbaum (No. 7) of Detroit, Kansas City, and Baltimore as the last four clubs’ best seven players at the position. Centre Jake Brendel of the 49ers received an 18th grade. That is far better than Sam Mustipher’s poor performance the previous year or Lucas Patrick’s 32nd-place ranking.
All during the playoffs, the running game was crucial. The Bears will require a superior running attack and another running back, especially if Caleb Williams is selected with the first overall choice in the draft. Without Fields, they won’t be able to collect their rushing yards from scheduled quarterback runs.
With 54 yards and eight carries on Sunday, Jackson was Baltimore’s top rusher. Six times, the Ravens allowed Justice Hill and Gus Edwards to run. There were no other running back rush attempts. Their backs ran for 23 yards. A team will not win even with Jackson as a running threat. They were defeated by a team whose two running backs only gained 2.76 yards per carry, but they persisted and had running backs carry the ball 25 times. With 182 yards of rushing and 27 rushes by their backs, the Lions had the perfect plan. Their early lead was built in this manner. However, after running it 21 times in the first half, they only ran it eight times in the second.
The Bears might need another potent rushing threat because they already have contracts with Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert. With the signing of Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions ought to be considering a speed back. They won’t want Fields to be the quarterback on scheduled runs in Shane Waldron’s new offence to the same extent as they did in Luke Getsy’s. Why would you draft someone for their arm and convert them to a running back if it’s Williams?
Matt Eberflus’s focus on key takeaways through application of the HITS principle is effective. The Ravens lost with minus three turnovers. The 49ers were level. So far in 12 postseason games, the victorious side has only been able to overcome a negative turnover differential once. It was the Chiefs versus the Bills.
