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Chicago Bears All-22 Coaches Tape Review: Pass Rush From the Front Four Was Nonexistent vs. Cowboys
Every so often a myth from watching a game on TV is created that seems to take hold in the collective minds of fans and media. The myth is largely created out of a strong performance by team A or team B. The team in this case is the Chicago Bears, and the myth in this case was there was adequate pressure in the Monday night game against the Cowboys.
Nothing could be further from the truth to make the flat out wrong assumption that the Bears' pass rush forced Tony Romo into his interceptions. On the contrary the pass rush, bordered on anemic and was easily the worst pass rushing effort of the season.
The primary factors that led to led to this myth was the five turnovers that were generated in this game, and that somehow these turnovers were generated by the pass rush. Nope sorry Bears fans, three of the interceptions were the result fault of players on the field rather than pressure.
It may be splitting hairs to say that the Charles Tillman INT was not the result of pressure, when in fact it was. The pressure came from a blitz, something the Bears rarely do, and was the result of Dez Bryant buffoonishly running the wrong hot route. Romo had the right call and the right throw, and it wouldn't have been picked off had Bryant done what he was supposed to do.
The most legitimate play to cause a turnover was the Lance Briggs INT/forced fumble by Henry Melton. Even then however Romo had over three seconds to survey the field before Melton's pressure got to him to force the errant pass.
Throughout the game Romo had plenty of time in the pocket, and more importantly a clean pocket with which to execute the Cowboys' offense. If Romo experienced any pressure in this game, it was on maybe 10-percent of his throws, far beneath the Bears' average on the season.
The frank assessment is this, the Bears' defense did not play well in this game in the least bit, in fact they played well enough to lose this game.
The Bears were extremely fortunate, if not outright lucky to wind up with five interceptions of Romo. The Bryant screw up, the Ogletree deflection, the Melton sack are three interceptions that benefited the Bears in a right place right time sense.
The other two, DJ Moore's undercutting a pass route and Major Wright's second INT on the Cover-2 busting route that failed were good plays.
For the Bears to be competitive in the playoffs, and the assumption is they will make the playoffs, they need to generate pressure like they did against Aaron Rodgers.
Overall the performance by the pass defense left a lot to be desired. The Bears were helped out immenesely by silly Cowboys mistakes and will have to put forth a better effort against far better teams.
