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Bears Fall to Texans in Houston, and Other Thoughts from Around the League

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The Bears’ offense is a work-in-progress, and I’ve been trying to encourage folks to not expect this unit to be fully formed until round Thanksgiving. Training camp and the preseason are no longer functionally effective. (Just look at a lot of the offenses around the league.) It takes teams time, and the Bears come into this season with new players across the eleven. But there are certainly some concerning trends through two games, most notably their inability to run the ball. The run game was supposed to be a given for the 2024 Chicago Bears and it has been anything but. Is this a serious concern or are Tennessee and Houston two of the better defenses? We’ll find out in Indianapolis next weekend.

More Bears Thoughts.

  • Eberflus and Waldron have to seriously consider sending Nate Davis to the bench. Rarely does a guard look so noticeably lost down-for-down. (See Tweet above.)
  • It is hard to evaluate the league statistically at this juncture because the horror show that is the Carolina Panthers is skewing everything, but the Bears profile as a defense that is going to be right around a top five unit. Holding the Texans under twenty points at home is a sizable achievement.
  • Bears have allowed three second-half points.
  • Where are the wide receivers? That unit needs to be a team strength, and it has been a liability early. One would expect this to change quickly.
  • In no scenario should Gerald Everett be more involved in the passing attack than Cole Kmet.

Around the League.

  • No one is arguing that Tua shouldn’t make his own decisions, but one would hope people who care about him have influence. We know so much more about concussions and the long-term brain damage caused by this sport. Winning a Super Bowl is fine. Remembering how to get back to your house when your 55 years old is much better.
  • The Giants knew Graham Gano was struggling with an injury and had no injury protection on their roster. How does Brian Daboll excuse that to John Mara?
  • If the Bills commit to this power run approach with James Cook, they’ll be tough to beat in January.
  • When does Trevor Lawrence start receiving real scrutiny? He’s not the player he was billed to be coming out of Clemson.
  • Aaron Rodgers won the Jets that game in Nashville with pinpoint accuracy at decisive moments. His stat line won’t reflect how good he was.
  • Isiah Pacheco’s injury is a massive one. Andy Reid saw Pacheco as a three down back, a sort of combination of Duce Staley and Brian Westbrook, for those of you old enough to remember. He was set to be the centerpiece of the offense this season.
  • I kind of love how the Steelers are attempting to play right now. They are the 2005 Chicago Bears.
  • What a win for Antonio Pierce and the Raiders. Do you know why I think Pierce is going to be successful? He knows what he doesn’t know. This summer he had Tom Coughlin helping him organize and run camp from a mental perspective. And Marvin Lewis is his Assistant Head Coach. Not a coordinator, or position coach. He’s just there to provide experience.
  • Nobody’s success makes me happier than Baker Mayfield’s, and I’m not entirely sure why. I do miss the commercials.
  • New Orleans is off to a flying start, but Arizona might also be a sneaky contender in the NFC.