The 4-7 Chicago Bears came close to upsetting the 10-1 Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Despite a disappointing and scoreless first half by the Bears, the team regrouped in the second half and quarterback Caleb Williams went on to throw 3 touchdowns, cutting the lead to a 3-point deficit with under 5 minutes left to play.
However, the Bears fell short after a questionable decision by Matt Eberflus in the final seconds. Despite the matchup being close, there was a concerning sight for fans of the team, as offensive linemen showed no fight against the Detroit Lions.
The concerning play came in the fourth quarter with 33 seconds left in regulation. As the ball was snapped, guard Teven Jenkins and right tackle Larry Borom seemed to show no fight as the Lions’ defensive line got through Chicago’s front line and sacked Caleb Williams almost immediately.
Larry Borom what was the plan here pic.twitter.com/569BsZUBdy
— Christian D’Andrea (@TrainIsland) November 28, 2024
Caleb Williams is the most sacked quarterback in the NFL
The play demonstrated why the rookie quarterback has been sacked 49 times through 12 weeks, that is 5 times more than Justin Fields was sacked in his last season with the Chicago Bears.
This play demonstrated that the one area that general manager Ryan Poles has to overhaul immediately is the team’s offensive line in the off-season. The Chicago Bears rank fourth in their division and despite coming close to beating the top team in their division, it should be noted that Caleb Williams managed to do so in spite of his O-line and not because of them.
The offensive line has been a point of concern for the team since they drafted Justin Fields. In his three years with the franchise, Fields took an estimated 135 sacks as per data from Stat Muse.
The combination of injuries to Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, and Ryan Bates, and the lack of solid options at backup has plagued the Bears. It comes as no surprise that the team was ranked 30th in terms of pass-block win rate stat through the first two weeks of the season. Until Williams has a reliable O-line, he will not be able to unlock his full potential.
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