Bears Film Study: Quarterback protection plan goes awry in Atlanta
The Bears had two jobs: Avoid running Justin Fields into the ground or ruining his confidence, while securing a top-five draft pick.
Sunday's loss in Atlanta achieved the second goal, but the overreliance on Fields was a problem, obviously.
Things were going reasonably well until the second quarter, after the Cordarrelle Patterson kickoff return touchdown. In a span of eight plays, the Bears called three QB sweeps, Fields scrambled twice and he got leveled after throwing a pass.
The one sweep that worked for a 17-yard gain featured two receivers, tight end Cole Kmet and running back David Montgomery as lead blockers. Fields was able to follow the blocks and get out of bounds. On the last of the three sweeps, the Bears didn't have as many guys leading the way and ended up with wide receiver Byron Pringle trying to block three defenders.
The most successful play this season has been the QB read, when Fields fakes a handoff one way, then sprints to the other sideline and gets out of bounds. As the Bears have tried to put more variety into the QB run game, they're just getting Fields hit more often.
The Falcons didn't get a ton of pass-rush pressure Sunday, but they also rank in the bottom five in sacks, along with the Bears.
Another concept that's not working well is the max protect with a two-man route. The Bears even tried a roll out with a one-receiver route Sunday. It didn't work and Fields just sailed the ball out of bounds.
Another play that didn't go well was the option-style play when Fields got smacked after pitching the ball to Montgomery for a 5-yard gain.
On the final drive when the Bears trailed by 3, the QB sweep on the opening play wasn't that bad of a call. It was pretty well executed, but the Falcons just got one more defender than the Bears could block and safety DeAundre Alford got to Fields before he reached the sideline, and apparently injured his left shoulder on the tackle.
Why the Bears would come back with a QB draw after Fields was shaken up on the previous play is anyone's guess, but it definitely should have been a drive-extending personal foul when Grady Jarrett hit Fields in the head as he slid.
Here's hoping the Bears have enough sense to sit Fields this week and maybe longer. One reason is to keep him healthy, but the No. 3 overall draft pick, where they sit now, should be considered an important goal.
Worst play:
It doesn't get much worse than the third-quarter play when Fields got leveled on a sack after his knee already touched the ground.
For starters, the Falcons only rushed four and the Bears' six blockers couldn't slow the play down. Michael Schofield ignored and turned away from linebacker Arnold Ebiketie for some reason, opening a clean path to the QB.
Then just compare this play to the roughing-the-passer penalty called against Washington's Taylor Heinicke that clinched the Monday night win over Philadelphia last week. Fields was sacked, his knee was on the ground and the refs let Lorenzo Carter level him with no flag.
The NFL deserves a large amount of blame for not protecting athletic QBs, but the Bears should also know better than to let Fields keep taking hits.
Best play:
The best throw of the season may have arrived during the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, when Fields rolled right and dropped a dime to David Montgomery along the sideline for a 32-yard gain. A few players later, Fields had a nice scramble-to-throw play where he eluded about five rushers and found Equanimeous St. Brown for a 14-yard gain on third-and-12. This is the ideal role for Fields - be a scrambler who occasionally runs.
Defensive gripe
On the fourth-and-two run by Cordarrelle Patterson that led to the game-winning field goal, the Bears had the B-team tackles on the field, Angelo Blackson and Mike Pennel. Sorry, but Justin Jones has to be out there in that situation. He was back for the next play.
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