Halas Intrigue Bears Report: Catching up on a quiet bye week

Wide receiver Allen Robinson is on pace to catch 99 passes for 1,206 yards this season.

The good: Wide receiver Allen Robinson is on a pace to catch 99 passes for 1,206 yards. That would put him fifth in catches and sixth in receiving yards for a season in franchise history. Only one Bear — Brandon Marshall in 2012 — has caught more than 102 passes in a season. But ...

The bad: If Robinson catches 99 passes, that would almost certainly mean the Bears won’t make the playoffs. Seems odd, right? Patrick Finley lays it all out right here.

The ugly: We can all agree things aren’t going particularly well for the Bears these days. Compounding matters, things seem to be going awfully well for the, gulp, Green Bay Packers. And now there’s this: the Packers’ odds of winning the Super Bowl have climbed from 16-1 to 12-1, while the Bears’ have dipped from 16-1 to 25-1. Our Jason Lieser details how the two rivals are suddenly headed in opposite directions.

Let’s get to it ...

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Offense: Bears Offense Reaches Crossroads

What’s going on with the offense these days should be disconcerting to those of you who were sure the Bears were going to build on the success of 2018. Mitch Trubisky was a question mark entering this season, and nothing the quarterback has done so far has changed the punctuation. You’d have a hard time finding someone who’d say that the Bears would have beaten the Raiders if Trubisky, out with a shoulder injury, had been healthy. That’s as damning a statement as any, says our Rick Morrissey.

Did you know?

The Bears rank 30th in the NFL in total yards with 1,330. Only the Dolphins (900 yards) and Jets (718) have fewer. The Cowboys are tops with 2,264 yards.
Things are better when it comes to passing yards. In that category, the Bears rank 29th with 927 yards. The Chiefs, behind QB Patrick Mahomes, are tops with 1,780.
When it comes to rushing yards, the Bears are 26th at 403 yards. The Ravens lead the NFL with 961 and the Vikings are second with 832.

Defense: Wakeup Call in London

We’re told this was supposed to be a carefree bye week for Bears coaches to catch up on rest after the trip to London. But during the plane trip home, it appears coach Matt Nagy ordered a week filled with meetings for coaches at Halas Hall as the Bears try to regroup from a stunning loss to the Raiders that revealed cracks in the offense, defense and special teams. Before departing London on Monday, Nagy met with reporters, and he was clearly still steamed, even if he was trying to put on a positive face.

Did you know?

Through five games, the Bears’ defense was second in the league, yielding 13.8 points a game. Only the Patriots (in five games) allowed fewer with 6.8 points.
LB Khalil Mack is tied for 11th in the NFL (with the Giants’ Markus Golden) among sacks leaders with 4.5. The Bucs’ Shaquil Barrett is tops with nine.
LB Danny Trevathan is third in the NFL in solo tackles with 36 in five games. Browns LB Joe Schobert is tops with 38.

Special Teams: Parkey Finds a Job

Upon his arrival as a full-fledged member of the Titans, “Double Doink” kicker Cody Parkey says he has moved on from his Bears days. “It’s a new year,” Parkey said Wednesday. “It’s 2019, not ’18 anymore. We’re chugging along, and I’m just excited to be a Titan.” Parkey discusses his fresh start in Tennessee here.

Did you know?

Through five games, Eddy Pineiro is eighth in the NFL in field-goal percentage at 88.9 (on 8-for-9 kicking). The Ravens’ Justin Tucker and Steelers’ Chris Boswell were tops with 100 percent on 10-for-10 kicking.

What They’re Saying

Looks like a new culture is taking hold in Green Bay. Packers RB Aaron Jones revealed to Packers News that he has been told to stop waving good-bye to defenders to avoid taunting penalties.

Ten years later, it looks as if Brett Favre has really retired, right? Right? The Minneapolis Star Tribune tries to close the book on Favre as he turns 50.

From Our Notebooks

Journeyman cornerback Sherrick McManis has kept alive the “Peanut Punch.” Cornerback Charles Tillman, who had 44 forced fumbles in his 13-year career, spread his Peanut Punch technique like Johnny Appleseed, says our Patrick Finley.
Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will host a fundraising event with his “HERO Foundation” on Oct. 21 at the Dave & Buster’s in Vernon Hills.

What’s Next?

After the bye week, the Bears play host to the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 20 at Soldier Field (another 3:25 p.m. start).

On the Podcast

In the latest edition of Halas Intrigue, coach Matt Nagy vows changes are on the way.

Listen here.

Also, got any questions for the Bears? Email us or tweet at @suntimes_sports and we’ll see if we can get them answered in one of our next newsletters.

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