What to make of the Chicago Bears offense getting the better of the defense on Wednesday
Bears’ Ben Johnson gets in Cole Kmet’s face at OTAs | ChicagoNOW
Ben Johnson got right in tight end Cole Kmet's face on the second day of offensive installation at OTAs. Sports reporter Chris Kwiecinski explains why, despite the interaction, their relationship is not strained. ChicagoNOW is a fast-paced, conversational show that spotlights what’s trending in and around Chicago.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Wednesday was a slick day. It was drizzling most of the afternoon, but Ben Johnson opted to have his Chicago Bears practice outside instead of indoors.
Hardly the conditions for the Bears' offense to have a breakthrough day, to be sure.
The offense did anyway.
"I would say the defense has gotten better of the offense more often than not in all those two-minute (situations), whether it's 10-to-half or end of game," Johnson said. "It was good to see the offense stack a few plays together."
Timeline:
The Bears' two-minute drill pitted the first-team offense against the first-team defense.
The offense was down 24-20 with about 50 seconds on the clock in an end-of-game situation. To add more fun to the situation, the offense started inside its own 10-yard line, too.
You can't have a field goal here. The drive needed to finish in the end zone.
"That's a very tough situation," Johnson said.
That's where the Bears ended the drill, taking it down to the very last second. Here's how it played out.
- First and 10, Caleb Williams scrambles outside of the pocket when the pressure constricts on him. Willaims, rolling right, responds with an accurate, off-balance and impressive toss to Olamide Zaccheus for a chunk gain of 36. The clock says 44 seconds left.
- Williams sails a pass to an open Rome Odunze. Odunze was open, it was just an overthrow and Williams got lucky. Jonathan Owens dropped an interception that would've ended the drive. There are 38 seconds remaining.
- The offense gets moving again with a pass to Cole Kmet on a crossing route for a gain of about 21 yards. There are 30 seconds left.
- Williams scrambles for a gain of 15. Now, 22 seconds remain.
- Williams scrambles again for a gain of six. Now, 16 seconds remain.
- Williams gets a first down by hitting Zaccheus on an out route for seven yards. There are 12 seconds left, with first and goal from the four yardline.
- Williams tries to hit Odunze on a quick out route in the end zone. Owens reads this perfectly and undercuts it. He can't make the interception. Eight seconds are left.
- There are maybe two plays left. Williams needs one, as his short toss to Kyle Monangai wins the game in this situation. Touchdown with about two or three seconds left.
That's an eight-play drive that covers 94 yards and scores a touchdown.
The show-stopping act was Williams' 36-yard strike to Zaccheus. It was a good roll-out by Williams and better awareness by Zaccheus to get open and make a play.
But, the most impressive part of the drill was the number of negative plays. There were none. Owens almost ended the drive with to picks – The pro was he was in perfect position twice to make a play; the con was he needed to finish the play – but the Bears never went backwards.
After the offense struggled in OTAs and in the first day of minicamp, Williams and the offense strung together an impressive series of plays. Specifically, Williams stacked plays when the Bears needed it most.
"What we thought about him was when the lights were bright, that he was going to show off, and it felt like the game slowed down a little bit for him," Johnson said. "You could just go out and find another guy and get the completions."
It was a much-needed day for the Bears' offense. The offensive install took a step forward. Williams looked in control of the scripted plays and also made plays on his own.
Dig deeper:
The Bears only had two excused players from Wednesday's mandatory minicamp: Jaylon Johnson and Elijah Hicks. Both missed for personal reasons.
Wednesday was also another day when rookie offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo ran with the first-team offense. He didn't split time with Kiran Amegadije. He was the first-team left tackle throughout 11-on-11 drills and situational drills.