On balance, it's all good for Bears' offense
The balanced performance put on by the Bears' offense Sunday in the Georgia Dome is what has been expected all season long but rarely has been on display.
The vertical passing game, scarce in recent weeks, emerged in Atlanta, and an average offense turned dominant.
The multidimensional attack rolled up 478 yards and demonstrated a versatility that bodes well for Marc Trestman's team in the future.
Every aspect of the offense worked well Sunday, and production continued to come from several sources, which will make it difficult for opponents to slow the attack by taking away any one player.
The Bears had 5 pass plays of 20 yards or longer vs. the Falcons, after just 11 such plays in their first five games. And, of the nine longest plays, six different players were involved.
The most noticeable was the 74-yard Jay Cutler-to-Alshon Jeffery hookup that came just 10 seconds after the Falcons tied the game at 13-13. That connection set up what proved to be the winning touchdown. Earlier, Cutler's 47-yard toss to Brandon Marshall set up the Bears' first touchdown.
That ability to stretch the field opens up everything else in the Bears' offense, from shorter throws to the run game. That vertical threat had been missing from the Bears' repertoire, partly because of the sprained ankle that had limited Marshall since the season opener.
"It's difficult to have (a vertical threat) when the players you're practicing with aren't able to practice those types of things," Trestman said. "Last week was really the first week we had everybody at full speed.
"All those plays you saw out there that went deep, we did practice, we did work on them. They all didn't have to hit, but they certainly stretched the defense to enable us to balance our attack and move the football around as we did."
That provided more room for shorter tosses to, and runs by, Matt Forte. The all-purpose back had 77 yards on 10 catches and 80 yards on 17 carries (4.7-yard average).
Forte always has been a threat in the passing game, averaging 57 catches a year in his previous six seasons, but he's producing at an even higher level this year with an NFL-best 46 receptions through Week 6.
"He's been playing at a high level as a receiver since the day we walked in here," Trestman said. "He's been consistent in his ability to make plays in space and be where he's supposed to be in the passing game.
"But I really haven't seen any ascending. It's just been very consistent week in and week out."
At his current pace, Forte would finish with 123 receptions and surpass Marshall's team record of 118 set in 2012.
Forte is adept as a blocker when called upon, but he's more valuable to the offense as an additional receiver, which coordinator Aaron Kromer and the offensive staff do their best to accommodate.
"Aaron and the guys do a great job in protection," Trestman said. "So, at times, we're able to alleviate the protection (responsibilities) for him (and) we're able to get him out (on routes), and that's unique to how we try to help him."
Indicative of the Bears' offensive diversity is that Jeffery's 5-catch, 136-yard outing Sunday left him tied for sixth in the NFL with 495 receiving yards (on 31 catches). Marshall is tied for fourth with 5 TD catches, and tight end Martellus Bennett is tied for eighth with 36 catches and tied for 11th with 4 touchdowns.
Cutler's 381 passing yards were his most in six seasons as a Bear and the second most in nine NFL seasons. But after two straight 2-interception games, it was his third pick-free game of the season that resonated with Trestman.
"He played a complete game," Trestman said. "He took care of the football, No. 1. He managed the game very well. He managed the adversity we had in the game. He took some hits and was able to respond to that.
"We were backed up a few times. We had some long drives. I thought overall he played a very clean game."
If Cutler and Co. can continue to have success with the vertical game, the potential for greater success going forward only increases.
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