PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND
BEARS HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE ON THEIR FIRST DRIVES, AND THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF REASONS WHY
Mitch Trubisky overthrew Allen Robinson on a third-down out route Sunday, yanked the chinstrap buckles from the side of his helmet and jogged to the sideline.
The Bears’ first drive was a dud. Again. If history is any indication, it will be Sunday, too. In eight games, the Bears have scored one touchdown and punted an NFL-worst seven times — one of which was blocked for a Saints safety — on their first drives of games.
Dock the Bears for the safety, and only three NFL teams have scored fewer points on their first drives. Only five teams have scored fewer firstdrive touchdowns. Eight, including the Bears, have yet to kick a field goal.
The Bears have totaled seven yards or fewer in five of their initial drives, going three-and-out three times.
‘‘I would say the overall theme is self-inflicted mistakes,’’ Trubisky said. ‘‘That could be numerous different reasons. Not being locked in, overthinking, too excited . . . .
‘‘So we just gotta find a way to get back on track. And, obviously, it’s apparent on film where the mistakes are going. We’re kind of just all taking our turns.’’
Here’s a look at who’s taking those turns in a lost season:
It’s the coaching
The Bears’ slump is particularly disturbing, given that teams script their first 15 plays during the week. The Bears rank their favorite schemes, run and pass, for each down based on a perceived strategic advantage of the comfort level of their quarterback.
Coach Matt Nagy, the Bears’ play-caller, was lauded for his creativity last season. On the first drive of the 2018 opener, his Bears went 86 yards on 10 plays to score a touchdown against the Packers. The Bears scored three first-drive touchdowns in their first four games of 2018 — and have scored three in the 21 games since.
‘‘We have not been effective to start the game with those drives,’’ said Nagy, whose team posted the Bears’ fewest first-half yards — nine — in at least 40 years Sunday against the Eagles. ‘‘We’ve had a couple of games where we’ve gotten it going, and then there’s been the penalty to knock us back.’’ The NFL seems to be catching up to Nagy. ‘‘We haven’t had that one drive like Green Bay last year, the first game of the year, where we just went right down the field and scored a touchdown,’’ he said, snapping his fingers. ‘‘We’d like to get to that.
‘‘There’s so many factors that go into that, with exactly the ‘why’ part. And they’ve all been a little bit different — different people at different times. So that’s been the challenging part.’’
It’s the quarterback
The Bears’ only first-drive touchdown this season came on a second-and-goal out route to Tarik Cohen, who lined up in the backfield and was matched up against Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.
Throwing the 10-yard pass wasn’t Trubisky, though. Chase Daniel had taken over after Trubisky has suffered a dislocated left shoulder earlier in the possession.
Trubisky’s numbers on the Bears’ first drives have been brutal: He’s 8-for-15 for 41 yards and a passer rating of 59.03.
By comparison, Daniel went 4-for-5 for 52 yards and a 149.58 passer rating in finishing the first drive against the Vikings.
‘‘I think it’s more frustration because we know what we’re capable of,’’ said Trubisky, who didn’t play against the Raiders in London while he recovered from the shoulder injury. ‘‘And in the moment, you’re not watching the film on the sidelines and getting in a group meeting, like you do the day after the game, and correcting on the field.
‘‘We’re kind of letting those mistakes linger and kind of thinking about them. And we’ve just got to have a next-play mentality, I think. And when a mistake happens, try to correct it best we can on the sidelines, communicate, get everybody on the same page and then move on to the next play.’’
It’s the running game
The Bears have run 22 times for 60 yards on their first drives. Their 2.73 yards-percarry average would rank last in the league if extrapolated over a full season.
‘‘Starting fast is all about tempo, execution and understanding that we have a sense of urgency getting down there,’’ left tackle Charles Leno said. ‘‘That’s something that we’ve been lacking.’’
He pointed to Sunday, when rookie David Montgomery gained four yards on first down, then lost three on second down.
‘‘It’s just like, ‘C’mon now,’’’ Leno said. ‘‘That’s just tough to get into.’’
The Bears have had four penalties for 25 yards on their first drives. A flag and a negative run accomplish the same thing: The Bears’ play sheets get limited to longdistance plays.
‘‘You don’t want to be in those situations,’’ offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. ‘‘But you have to plan for them.’’
It’s the mindset
Nagy and Helfrich argued first-drive success isn’t always indicative of success. The Ravens and Packers, who have a combined 13-4 record, lead the league with five firstdrive touchdowns. But two teams with zero first-drive touchdowns — the Saints and Texans — also are in first place with a combined 13-4 record.
Still, the Bears know the advantage of scoring early. For one, Nagy said, his defense would be more dangerous if it got to play with a lead.
And then there’s the mental side of it. ‘‘There’s not a relative statistical evidence that that’s a huge deciding factor of winning and losing,’’ Helfrich said. ‘‘But it can be if guys are in any way thinking: ‘Oh, my God. Oh, man, here we go.’ ’’
Trubisky claimed the Bears don’t get that dreadful déjà vu feeling when they come away from the first drive empty — ‘‘We’ve been to a point where we can score points and have been a successful offense,’’ he said — but his coaches say otherwise. It has turned into a hurdle in a season full of them.
‘‘The hardest part is, it’s human nature to say, ‘Here we go again,’’’ Nagy said. ‘‘That’s the human-element part, and that’s where we’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to be mentally strong. And that’s the biggest challenge.’’ ✶
‘‘I think it’s more frustration because we know what we’re capable of.’’ Mitch Trubisky