The Lessons Learned from 3-14

The Bears have to stress solving specific problems they suffered through as they learned while suffering the most defeats in franchise history.

USA Today

Lessons can be learned every week in an NFL season, if a team chooses.

When a team goes through 17 games in 18 weeks it exposes plenty, but also teaches.

The Bears received a real education last year with 14 defeats, maybe even a doctorate.

They lost by blowouts. They lost heartbreakers. They lost games to good teams and they lost games to mediocrities like Atlanta and Washington.

Here are lessons they should have learned from a season when they lost more games than any team in the league and more than in any of their own seasons since A.E. Staley started the organization originally known as the Decatur Staleys in 1919 before the NFL existed.

1. Passing Ratio

While it's critical to run the ball, the Bears had to improve the passing game drastically and appear to have done it. So now they need to use it.

The blocking should be better. DJ Moore makes it three legitimate top-level receivers. Tight end Robert Tonyan is a needed complement to Cole Kmet.

However, the key aspect is whether Justin Fields recognizes where receivers are coming open and throws it on time.

They passed 43.8% of the time last year. They can't do that again and succeed. Something closer to 50%, like the Eagles had (50.26%) or San Francisco (51.3%).

It also depends on coordinator Luke Getsy maintaining his confidence in their passing game and using it instead of reverting back to some high school-style attack that runs 56.2% of the time.

2. Run and Stop Run to Win

The old saying "pass to score and run to win" still applies, although to a lesser extent than before rules got bent to emphasize the pass, leading to running backs getting valued less.

The Bears led the NFL in rushing last year so you'd think it's something they have covered. They still got outrushed in games a lot more times than you'd think the top rushing team in the league would be outrushed—nine times, or more than half their schedule. The last eight times they were outrushed, they lost.

The main problem here, of course, is you have to defend the run as well as run it. This part of it they didn't exactly master, as they finished next to last against the run. They were outrushed in six of their last seven games because their run defense collapsed.

The addition of rookie defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens is designed to help. But rookie production can never be expected, only enjoyed when it happens. Veteran help from Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green is what they're counting on to tip the balance back toward a team that should limit opponents' rushing, allowing the Bears to outrush their opponents.

3. Justin Fields Can't Lose Fumbles

Fields shouldn't fumble, obviously. When he does and the Bears lose possession, it's a disaster.

In his career, Fields has fumbled 28 times. In all six games when Fields had a lost fumble, the Bears have lost.

One of the more remarkable aspects of last season was it could have been much worse. Fields fumbled a league-high 16 times and the Bears lost the ball on just two of those.

4. The Importance of Takeaways

Coach Matt Eberflus preaches takeaways. The defense is supposed to be able to deliver here and did to a better extent than in 2021 under Matt Nagy and coordinator Sean Desai. They had 23 takeaways after just 16 in 2021. However, Eberflus' defenses with the Colts had 23 takeaways only once, and left off in 2021 with 33.

The Bears went through five games last year when they failed to take it away at all and they lost all of those games.

They say they realize the importance and it's going to take more heat on the QB.

"Just more opportunities for picks, sacks, coverage," cornerback Kyler Gordon said. "Rush and coverage go together. Just combine those two things and I think it's going to be a defense that creates way more turnovers."

The problem is, no one can be sure they have a rush.

5. Losing Teams Lose Close Games

They have to win close games. There's no getting past this in the NFL.

The Bears seven times finished with losses by the margin of a touchdown and a conversion or less. They need their quarterback and offense to rise up at the end of games, just as they need the defense to stop final drives. They have to expect to be in close games and experience success in those situations.

If they want proof of the difference winning close games makes, they have two perfect examples within the NFC North.

The Minnesota Vikings won 13 games in taking the division and in 11 of them they won by a touchdown and coversion or less. They figured out how to compete very early on. The same wasn't true with Detroit, but when the Lions started doing this they were difficult to stop. Detroit started out 1-6 and four of the losses came by four points or less. Then they beat the Bears in a wild 31-30 game at Soldier Field thanks largely due to a missed extra point by Cairo Santos that would have provided a 31-24 lead.

The Lions went on to win eight of their last 10 and twice had tight victories. They had figured out how to win close games and even losing one on Thanksgiving to Buffalo didn't deter them moving forward because every team is going to lose some close games. It's those who win their share of them who succeed, like the Vikings and later the Lions.

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