Bears Film Study: Better script and improved improv
Maybe the first lesson from the Bears' Week 1 victory is a how few great plays can outweigh dozens that are not so great.
For the first two-and-a-half quarters, the Bears probably made three or four quality plays, but all were consequential.
Jaylon Johnson's "Peanut Punch" forced fumble on San Francisco's first drive likely saved a touchdown. Rookie Dominique Robinson's sack pushed the 49ers out of field-goal range. And Jaquan Brisker's tackle for loss at the 2-yard line early in the third quarter turned a potential 7 points into 3.
This result doesn't mean the Bears will be better than expected this season, but there were enough promising signs to boost the optimism level on the Matt Eberflus-Ryan Poles era.
It starts with personnel. Robinson was a fifth-round draft pick from Miami of Ohio and made a key contribution in his first NFL game.
Brisker looks like the type of aggressive strong safety that's typically a huge part of successful Bears defenses.
Their first 2022 draft pick, cornerback Kyler Gordon, had some strong moments in run support, but got torched by 49ers receiver Juaun Jennings for a 44-yard gain in the third quarter. The offensive line wasn't great, but they won a game with fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones playing 100% of the snaps at left tackle.
Any NFL turnaround starts with strong drafts and positive player development. Here are some more observations from Sunday's game film:
Well-written script:
One of the most frustrating parts of watching the Bears offense under Matt Nagy was the lack of imagination. Simple things like two receivers crossing paths didn't happen very often, even while teams like the Packers would burn the Bears repeatedly by doing just that.
But maybe things will be different under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Sunday's go-ahead touchdown, the 18-yard pass to Equanimeous St. Brown was practically graduate-level play design compared to what the Bears used to do in the red zone.
To start with, the Bears had fullback Khari Blasingame on the field. Receivers St. Brown and Byron Pringle were tight on the right side, Ryan Griffin was the tight end on the left. In other words, this formation looked like a running play.
Pringle even threw a block while Justin Fields faked a pitch to David Montgomery. The 49ers linebackers all bit, then followed Blasingame on his pass route. To add more confusion, Griffin ran a short cross, cutting in from of St. Brown, who was able to sneak out toward the end zone.
Pringle took off toward the left side after throwing the block and was even more wide open than St. Brown, but it didn't matter. The Bears had already scored the touchdown that ruined a thousand confidence pools.
Improv academy:
With an offensive line that doesn't figure to dominate many teams, the Bears are tasked with making Fields a playmaker without wearing him down or opening him up to big hits. In Week 1, they succeeded.
The first touchdown was a nice example of improvisation. Fields escaped the rush, managed to find Dante Pettis standing wide open on the opposite side of the field, then credit St. Brown for throwing the block-hold that allowed Pettis to find the end zone instead of getting tackled at the 10.
The Bears used to have a quarterback, might have been Mitch Trubisky, who had the athleticism to escape the rush and buy time, but had a frustrating inability to find anyone open downfield once he went off script.
NFL QBs did plenty of running on opening weekend. Fields' 28 yards rushing ranked seventh-best among quarterbacks.
Warning signs:
A few big plays by the Bears delivered a victory, but the list of 49ers miscues might be longer. Before Robinson's sack, Trey Lance missed a wide-open Tyler Kroft downfield.
Before the Bears' first touchdown, the 49ers kept the drive alive with a third-down face mask penalty, then former teammate Tashaun Gipson missed a chance at an interception.
Lance, making his third career NFL start, didn't exactly make Jimmy Garappolo seem expendable. He was tentative and had no shot once the skies opened up in the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers probably won't be as generous this week.
The Bears pass rush wasn't great, but they did a nice job of staying in lanes. There were times when Lance wanted to run, but couldn't find enough wet grass for a meaningful first down.
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