The Chicago Bears shocked the NFL on Sunday as they pulled an upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers at a rain-drench Soldier Field. Chicago overcame a 10-0 deficit midway through the third quarter to win Sunday’s game 19-10. The Bears’ offense behind second-year quarterback Justin Fields scored three touchdowns, despite several of the team’s offensive starters being a non-factor during most of the game, something that can be used to Chicago’s advantage moving forward.
Chicago’s Offensive Backups were Difference Makers against San Francisco
Heading into the 2022 season, there were significant concerns on whether new general manager Ryan Poles had added enough offensive weapons to assist Fields in the passing attack. Although Chicago’s general manager added several wide receivers during the off-season, he missed out on acquiring an elite-level wide receiver, despite several being acquired by new teams, including Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown. Outside of wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet, many fans and NFL analysts wondered which pass-catchers Fields would throw to.
"Justin Fields should demand a damn trade. The Chicago Bears don't have enough good players. Their cap is messed up. They didn't draft and sign all that well. Hold out and force a trade."
– Former NFL cornerback Domonique Foxworth(Via The Domonique Foxworth Show)
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) September 8, 2022
New offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy’s plan on offense is to utilize running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert to establish the rushing game to set up the passing game. Getsy’s passing scheme will feature play-action and boot-leg handoffs to running backs to freeze defenders to give Fields more time to find an open receiver and avoid potential sacks.
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Against the 49ers in the torrential rain on Sunday, Chicago’s offense couldn’t do much due to the weather conditions, as Montgomery, Mooney, and Kmet contributed very little on offense. The three Bears’ starters combined for four receptions and 32 receiving yards. Additionally, Montgomery failed to make a difference running the ball as he only recorded 26 rushing yards on 17 attempts as he was outgained by Herbert and Fields.
Through two and a half quarters, Chicago’s offense failed to have any success against San Francisco’s defense and the weather conditions. It all changed when Fields connected on a 51-yard touchdown pass to former 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis on a broken play. From that point on in the game, the Bears’ backup offensive players made the difference.
49ers have let Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle and Dante Pettis get loose in the secondary for big plays.
Fields' probably mobility helped shake guys open a couple times today.
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) September 11, 2022
On the first play of Chicago’s next offensive drive, Fields connected with wide receiver Byron Pringle on a 22-yard pass and finished the offensive series with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Equanimeous St. Brown. Pringle, St. Brown, and Pettis were all signed this offseason during free agency by Poles but are not seen as potential difference-makers on offense for Chicago. Herbert led the Bears in rushing yards with 45 and scored the team’s first touchdown on the ground of the season, sealing the 19-10 win.
The Bears having their second, third, and fourth option wide receivers being able to contribute significantly in the first game of the season matters, especially when Mooney and Kmet made no contributions. If opposing defenses plan on taking away Chicago’s best running back, wide receiver, and tight end, Fields and Getsy will have options to utilize to move the ball on offense. An example of this came on the touchdown pass to St. Brown, as although Mooney and Kmet were not on the field, St. Brown and Pringle were still able to get wide open on the play.
Great design and execution for the Bears on this play-action, which schemed open multiple options for Justin Fields. He could’ve hit a wide-open Byron Pringle for a layup too but dropped it in to Equanimeous St. Brown. pic.twitter.com/NSYJwEltPQ
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 11, 2022
Getsy Can Utilize The Depth To The Offense’s Advantage Moving Forward
There will be games this season where Montgomery, Kmet, and Mooney are productive for Chicago’s offense, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday, and it may work to Chicago’s benefit moving forward. The Bears’ next opponent will be the Green Bay Packers, and now the Packers’ defense will have to account for Pringle, St. Brown, and Pettis being potential threats in Chicago’s passing offense.
Before we bury Cole Kmet or Darnell Mooney, remember: the Bears played a consensus Top 5 defense in terrible weather conditions. Good omen that the team still got it done when targeting the likes of Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, & Dante Pettis.
It’s one week. Relax.
— Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware) September 12, 2022
If Green Bay can’t dedicate significant defensive coverage to Kmet and Mooney due to other pass-catchers being viable threats, the two players could be in line for a big game. Getsy could use this to Chicago’s advantage and scheme his best wide receiver and tight end open while still making it a point to get the other receivers involved. Against the Packers, there could be several instances in which Fields can connect with a wide-open Kmet or Mooney, which was nearly impossible on Sunday against the 49ers.
As for the Bears’ rushing offense, having two running backs capable of gaining yards will add flexibility and deception to their offense. Herbert and Montgomery have recorded 100-yard rushing games last season and have two different running styles. If Getsy utilizes his rushing offense to set up the passing offense, the play-action pass becomes even more effective with two proven running backs.
2. Why did the #Bears still run the ball 26 times with David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert despite only averaging 2.73 yards per carry?
Because Fields had a 116.7 passer rating off play action, including the game-winning TD.
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 13, 2022
There should be no concern about the lack of production by Montgomery, Kmet, and Mooney as the defensive game-planning and the weather contributed to them not making plays on Sunday. Despite the lack of production, it’s a positive that others players on the Bears’ offense made impactful plays that led to the team’s first victory of 2022. Having depth that could make plays was a legitimate concern for Chicago’s offense but was answered against the 49ers.
Fields throws such an awesome, catchable ball that I could make plays for him.
When your QB is hitting guys like Brown, Pettis and Pringle it tells me something very good for both Fields and the team. He is seeing the field better this year! That is huge! Sure, a couple were pretty much uncovered; but he saw them instead of staring down Mooney or Kmet.
I think teams stupidly bought into the national media narrative that the Bears lacked any offensive skill position players outside of Mooney and Kmet. Montgomery simply dances too damn much when he gets the handoff, unlike Herbert who runs without hesitation.
Will be nice to see what Velus Jones adds to the mix.