The Chicago Bears offense struggled mightily in 2019. Many feel that the offense needs to improve greatly in order to succeed. With the elite defense, they only need a moderate improvement in order to win.
The Chicago Bears did not have the season in 2019 they expected. After a successful 2018 campaign in which they had a 12-4 record and won the NFC North, they regressed a season later. They fell to 8-8, finished in third place, and missed the playoffs.
The prevailing thought was that the Bears would concentrate on improving the offense so they get back to winning. They feel the only way to win is to have the offense improve a great deal.
In a recent article, Chicago Bears beat writer Brad Biggs wrote about that same sentiment. Here is what he wrote:
The Bears don’t need to be marginally improved offensively, they need to be leaps and bounds better than in 2019.
Well, that isn’t the case. Yes, the Bears made moves to improve the offense, but most agree they weren’t the big ones many expected. They signed quarterback Nick Foles, who fell out of favor in Jacksonville of all places, aging tight end Jimmy Graham, a 35-year old wide receiver in Tedd Ginn Jr, and some offensive line castoffs.
In the draft, the Bears selected Cole Kmet from a class that wasn’t very good (at least on paper). They also selected wide receiver Darnell Mooney, someone afflicted with the drops. With their final two selections, they selected two offensive linemen who likely end up on the practice squad.
These aren’t the moves that scream “Air raid!” right?
What Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace did was improve an already elite defense. Out went Leonard Floyd and in came Robert Quinn. The Bears showed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix the door and welcomed in Tashaun Gipson. They also selected Jaylon Johnson, one of the top cornerbacks in the draft and a talented edge rusher who will contribute immediately and who will eventually become a starter in Trevis Gipson.
Solidifying the defense even more actually helps the offense. Last season, the defense allowed just 18.6 points per game despite suffering a number of injuries. In fact, take out the bad games they had against the New Orleans Saints (36 points allowed) and the Kansas City Chiefs (26 points allowed) and the defense allowed a paltry 16.9 points per game.
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With an even more solid and healthy defense in 2020, the Bears offense doesn’t need to be a juggernaut. The offense averaged 17.5 points per game, ranking 29th. Five of their losses were by a total of 27 points. Add those 27 points and the season would be completely different with a 13-3 record with an average point total of 19.2 per game.
If the offense can get to over 20 in 2020, we could see a very successful season. Yes, head coach Matt Nagy came in to build a high-powered offense, but there are still changes to make. They’ll eventually get there, but first things first. They need to get back to the playoffs and not waste this elite defense.
If the Chicago Bears offense could add just a few more points and the defense gets back to the number one unit in the league, we’ll see the team take the proper steps forward. After that, and with more improvements, this team will be built the right way and become perennial contenders. Now, if they can get the right quarterback that improvement happens even quicker.
