We won and I want to get some things out of the way before diving into my jive. Brock Osweiler finished the game with 20 complete passes out of 27 attempts. He had a 127.1 QB rating, two touchdown passes, and zero interceptions. A great start for any QB in this league, especially a quickly improving Bears defense. However, I would hold off jumping on the bandwagon until he starts more games. The Bears had very little game tape to scheme against Osweiler. The Patriots have more tape, so it will be interesting to see how they play against him this weekend.
Regardless, it’s obvious that Osweiler is a better fit for the Kubiak offense. He can move out of the pocket quickly and scramble if necessary. Working from under center allows the running backs to gain some speed before the hand-off, providing them an opportunity to gain more yards than the pistol/shotgun formations. SterlingMalloryArcher wrote more on this in a previous article.
10 Things I Liked:
- First game without offensive turnovers
- 170 rushing yards with 4.7 average yards per carry
- Won possession time with 33:13.
- Bears couldn’t get a rushing game going
- Two defensive turnovers
- SS TJ Ward came with some of the most impressive stops
- TE Vernon Davis was quiet, but received 6 passes for 68 yards
- Held Bears offense to 4 out of 12 3rd down conversions
- 9 passes defensed
- Obvious chemistry between WR Cody Latimer and Osweiler
10 Things I Didn’t Like:
- Penalties our defense committed
- 0 penalty flags thrown for Bears (holding, roughing passer, etc.)
- Osweiler stares down first receiver option too long
- Play call in 4th quarter on 4th down and goal – We should’ve just taken the field goal and made it a 7-point lead
- 5 sacks allowed on Osweiler
- Omar Bolden should’ve caught that kick return at 6:13 in the second quarter
- We blew defensive coverage on several plays
- Only 3 of 7 punts were within the 20
- 1 score out of 3 red-zone attempts
- 5 first downs for the Bears from penalties
Bonus: Another wicked tackle from David Bruton Jr.
Bonus 2: One handed catch by DE Malik Jackson
Update: Made some wording changes.