There are certain stats regarding offensive football in the NFL that can often indicate the difference between good and bad. Turnover ratio is one. Third down conversion is another. Perhaps the most important of all? That’s red zone offense. Don’t believe it? The world champion Philadelphia Eagles were 7th in red zone attempts and 2nd in red zone efficiency. The year before, the eventual champion Patriots with 1st in attempts and 10th in efficiency. This stuff matters. A lot. Something the Chicago Bears offense has tried to master for ages.
It’s almost like a lost art for this team. Since the stat came into prominence in the early 2000s, they’ve struggled at it. Since 2003, the Bears have finished in the top 10 in red zone efficiency just three times. In other words, they were settling for lots of field goals. It’s little wonder they’ve had such a hard time winning games.
Now some will argue the Bears were actually solid last year, ranking 6th in efficiency at 60.61%. The problem is that the stat is misleading. Chicago was also 31st in red zone attempts at 2.1. In other words, they made 33 trips into the red zone and 20 of them ended in a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Patriots made 4.4 attempts per game, which rounds out to 70 for the year and scored a touchdown on 44 of them.
Clearly, the Bears red zone offense isn’t even in the same zip code.
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Bears offense starting to flex their red zone muscles in training camp
That may be getting ready to change. Head coach Matt Nagy is bringing a similar system with him to Chicago that turned Philadelphia into a powerhouse. Though it took some time, results have begun to show up in ever-increasing numbers. The Bears’ latest padded practice on Friday proved as much when Mitch Trubisky and the passing game scored several times during 11-on-11 drills.
Leading the charge, much to the delight of fans, was wide receiver Allen Robinson. The prized free agent receiver started camp slowly, still recovering from his knee injury last season. This marked the first time he seemed at full go, and the Bears defense felt it most inside the 10-yard line where he made two pretty catches for scores.
Beautiful red zone TD catch by @AllenRobinson!#BearDown pic.twitter.com/ga7zSkDyBI
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) July 27, 2018
Mitch to @AllenRobinson . Touchdown. #BearDown pic.twitter.com/nlvm5BFy7r
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) July 27, 2018
He wasn’t the only one. Others got into the act. Running back Tarik Cohen, who’s expected to play a prominent role in this new offense, showcased exactly why with a couple dump off catches that look like they too would’ve been scores. It further proves how dangerous he is, no matter where the offense sits on the field.
Mitch to Tarik #BearDown pic.twitter.com/LjlgDrUPQ9
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) July 27, 2018
Mitch to Tarik. pic.twitter.com/yxywogDequ
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) July 27, 2018
If that weren’t enough, tight end Adam Shaheen joined in the fun. What was unique about his score was where he was lined up. The Bears had him flanked out like a wide receiver. This drew coverage against Prince Amukamara. Keep in mind Shaheen is 6’6, 270 lbs. Amukamara is 6’0, 204 lbs. That’s a serious mismatch and Trubisky wasted no time in exploiting it.
Mitch to Shaheen#BearDown pic.twitter.com/BFbcPpvQAY
— Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr) July 27, 2018
This was just a taste of what the new Bears offense could be capable of. Not just in 2018 but in the coming seasons as well. They have weapons of every shape and size, and this creates problems for a defense. It’s often in the red zone where the money is made and games are won or lost. Things should get interesting for Chicago when the games arrive next month.
