Matt Forte thinks he knows one way the 5-7 Chicago Bears can turn their season around, and his idea won’t surprise you.
After the Bears threw the ball 48 times compared to just eight rushing attempts against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, Forte said Monday that the Bears need to run the ball more if they want to succeed.
“You can’t just sit back there and throw 50 passes a game and expect to win,” Forte said, via Rich Campbell of The Chicago Tribune. “Their (the Lions’) front four were pinning their ears back. They didn’t have anything to do but pass rush. They’re not respecting the run, and then if you play fake, they’re not going take the play fake because you haven’t been running the ball. It’s a big part of the play-action game, to keep the defense off of keying on exactly what to do, whether it’s pass rush or trying to stop the run.”
Forte has a point, and it’s not like the Bears were playing catch-up against Detroit. They jumped out to a quick 14-3 lead in the first quarter before being outscored 21-0 by the Lions in the second quarter. Had Chicago been more successful running the ball, they could have controlled the tempo a bit more.
Throwing the ball 48 times usually means you’re scratching and clawing your way back into a game. And throwing the ball 48 times with Jay Cutler usually means lots of interceptions.
Forte is arguably the best receiving running back in the NFL, and we all know Marc Trestman loves to throw the ball. That said, Chicago’s defense is not very good. The Bears need to find ways to string together long drives. They won’t do that by chucking 50-yard bombs to Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.
