Bears' offensive line taking all the blame

Last week Jay Cutler was sacked a season-worst four times, pushing his total to 15, which is four more times than he was sacked all of last season in Denver.

And, despite a 170-yard effort last week, the run game is tied for 26th in yards and 22nd in average gain per attempt.

So who gets the blame? The offensive line.

As a group, the offensive line has underachieved this season, but it has taken more than its share of abuse, according to offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

"I think it's sometimes blown out of proportion," Turner said. "We give up 4 sacks, and everyone says, 'The line gave up 4 sacks.'

"The line didn't necessarily give up 4 sacks. If you get a sack, it can be the quarterback, it can be a receiver, it can be the tight end, it can be a back, it can be a lot of people responsible for that.

"The line's doing some good things. I know everyone's talking about them and all that stuff, but we're doing some good things. We have a good offensive line, and they're playing well."

Last week Josh Beekman replaced Frank Omiyale at left guard, but coach Lovie Smith said he doesn't foresee additional changes this week.

Still, the O-line will remain under scrutiny Sunday, not only for how well it protects Cutler but also for how well it creates room to run.

The Arizona Cardinals' run defense, which was exceptional early in the season, was gouged for 270 yards on the ground in a 34-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers last week.

The time could be right for the Bears to finally establish a land attack that has been absent in five of seven games this season.

Last week's 170 rushing yards were a season high, and the Bears had 151 yards against Detroit in Week 4. But they've had fewer than 90 yards and less than 3.7 yards per rush in the five other games.

"We have to run the ball, and we want to run the football," Turner said. "We're going to continue to do that. But we also have to have balance. You have to be able to run the ball to win.

"But you also have to score points to win, and it's hard scoring points just running. You've got to make plays in the passing game.

"We've got a pretty good guy back there taking those snaps, so we're going to give him some opportunities to make some plays."

Cutler didn't have much time to make big plays last week against Cleveland because of the pass-rush pressure, but he says the offensive line shouldn't take all the heat.

"It's a mixed bag," Cutler said. "I've got to get rid of the ball, we've got to throw our (hot routes), and the line has got to protect.

"It takes more than the offensive line blocking to make it work. It's all 11 guys. We're in it together."