Unreal photo perfectly sums up Bears' terrible offensive line play
Things have not gone to plan for reigning No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears through three weeks of the 2024 NFL season. The Bears' offense has been dismal out of the gate. There's blame to be placed on Williams , who has struggled. However, much of the issue seems to result from some lackluster play by the guys in the trenches. The struggles of Chicago's offensive line were perfectly encapsulated in the Bears' loss to the Indianapolis Colts . Like bowling pins, the Bears' offensive line tumbled to the ground, blowing up anything Chicago had planned on offense.
The Bears ran ten plays from within the 20-yard line but failed to score. The final play of the unsuccessful sequence came from the one-yard line. Williams pitched the ball to D'Andre Swift, who attempted to sneak into the end zone. But Swift was immediately swarmed by Colts defenders, resulting in a 12-yard loss. It took no time for Chicago's offensive line to be overwhelmed by the rush, and Swift had no chance to make a play. There were multiple offensive linemen on the ground and a sea of blue Colts jerseys surrounding Swift in the backfield. This comedy of errors is holding the Bears back and keeping Chicago from finding balance on offense.
How the Bears' offensive line has made the offense un-Bear-able
Besides the Swift play being dead on arrival, Williams was sacked four times Sunday, bringing his season tally to 13. With such little time to work within the pocket, it's been difficult for the rookie to find his footing at the next level. The Bears would prefer not to have Williams attempt 52 passes when adding three sacks and one scramble. That's a week after Williams dropped back to pass 48 times in a road loss to the Houston Texans.
With the offensive line struggling, Chicago has not established a rushing attack, which has led them to become so reliant on Williams' arm. It's even more worrying that the Bears couldn't find any momentum against the Colts. Indianapolis is on track for one of the worst run defenses in NFL history. For context: Chicago had 28 rushes for 63 yards against a defense the Green Bay Packers hit for 261 rushing yards the week before.
That won't cut it for the Bears as the season advances. It'll only hold Williams back as a rookie quarterback and keep this offense from reaching its full potential. Hopefully, Chicago will figure it out when they host the Los Angeles Rams at home next week.
