Chicago Bears: Week 4 awards, surprises and question marks

Question Marks

No. 1: What will Jordan Howard’s role be going forward?

One of the things Bears fans noticed — or didn’t notice — was the role of Jordan Howard in this game. For one, I definitely found myself wondering at times, “Where is Howard?”

The fact of the matter is, he only carried the ball 11 times against the Bucs and ended with just 25 yards. Cohen was used heavily in the first half, while Howard took a back seat. I think once Nagy saw Cohen make some big-time plays early on, he went with the hot hand.

This isn’t to say that Howard is a bad running back — he’s a darn good one; one of the best in football.

But, remember when there were those asking if Howard fits into Nagy’s offense or not? You kind of saw a bit more reasoning as to why that question was being asked during the Bucs game. Cohen was used all over the place and he excelled. The offense excelled.

It will be interesting to monitor just how heavily the Bears will utilize Howard going forward, if Cohen is showing so much success in this system.

No. 2: How does left guard look in Week 6?

Very quickly, Eric Kush was replaced by rookie James Daniels — thankfully. It’s something fans have wanted to see since Week 1. Holes were not being opened in the run game on the left side and Kush was the most guilty party on most occasions.

Due to Kyle Long leaving the game in the second half, Kush came back in and Daniels moved to right guard. But, Daniels played very well. His versatility was definitely on display. With how this one shook out, how will left guard look after the bye?

What’s next?

The Bears get some rest now as they have an early bye week in Week 5. Following the bye week, the Bears will travel to Miami and take on a familiar face in Adam Gase and his Miami Dolphins.