Halfway by the Bears’ season — which hasn’t gone in response to plan — the Sun-Times’ Mark Potash analyzes what’s gone fallacious and what to anticipate the remainder of the best way:
Matt Nagy’s grade midway by the season is:
D. When there are that many factors of regression — Trubisky, the offensive line, Cohen, Burton, Miller, the working again, and many others., and many others., — it factors the finger squarely at Nagy. The league has caught as much as his offensive type and he has but to reply.
What ought to they do at quarterback, now and sooner or later?
The Bears have little alternative however to stay with Trubisky and hope that Nagy lastly finds a approach to spark the offense and provides Trubisky an opportunity to a minimum of be nearly as good as he was final 12 months. That’s nonetheless a profitable method, with this protection. Barring an exceptional turnaround by Trubisky, the Bears ought to herald a top quality veteran and a Day 2 draftee to problem Trubisky in 2020. But if the issue is Nagy, will that even make a distinction?
The Bears’ greatest place group:
The line of defense has carried out a yeoman’s job, regardless of accidents to Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols and now Eddie Goldman. Depth is strong, with Nick Williams and Roy Robertson-Harris offering starter-quality snaps many of the season.
The Bears’ worst place group:
The Bears have created a brand new soccer adage: ‘The team that has seven tight ends on its roster has none.’ One of the important thing positions in Nagy’s offense has been a convincing failure. Trey Burton has change into actually high-maintenance — unproductive when he’s not completely 100 p.c. Adam Shaheen simply hasn’t labored out.
Khalil Mack has been:
Effective however not unstoppable. He’s each bit the participant he was final 12 months, however opponents have made a concerted effort to pressure anyone else to beat them. And, with Hicks out of the image, no person has constantly stepped up and brought benefit. Neither Leonard Floyd nor Roquan Smith has blossomed this season.
How the Bears can pull out of their spiral:
Fix the offensive line, which is perhaps an not possible job. The line was rather more workmanlike than elite final 12 months, however the incapacity to match even final 12 months’s modest commonplace is one among a number of mystifying points of the 2019 regression.
The Bears’ remaining document:
5-11. Unlike final 12 months’s staff, this one — with nearly the identical forged — doesn’t appear like it has the power to lift its sport to satisfy the problem forward.