Chicago Bears Week 8: What To Look For

Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Mills has to swim or get out of the water. 

Mills has struggled at right tackle this season. He had offseason foot surgery, but he still doesn’t look right. He is slower, and as a result, he is thinking too much and is getting called for too many penalties.

Mills had his hands full having to deal with Cameron Wake last week, and struggling with injury made the task worse. He got killed a few times, but most notably on the sack-fumble Wake got that really put the Bears behind the eight ball.

The Bears have to decide if having Mills on the field is worth it right now. Mills had a great year last season, but the opposite is true this season. As I said last week, the Bears need to use a tight end to chip Mills’ man and help him out. They did not do that, and it cost them.

This week, the Patriots have Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich, who had a combined 19.5 sacks last season, and currently have 8.5 between them. Again, Mille will need help, or it will be another long game for him.

If Mills is not healthy enough to be effective, then the Bears have to replace him. Michael Ola has done a good job filling in on the line with the absences of Matt Slauson and Jermon Bushrod and could be a better, healthier option for the Bears. It makes no sense to keep Mills on the line when he just isn’t healthy enough to get the job done.