Chicago Bears: Why the offense should be run first

The Chicago Bears offense needs to develop into a run-first team.

On Sunday, the Chicago Bears would leave Soldier Field undefeated through the first two games of the 2020 NFL season. Despite having some work to do on the offense, if there’s one part of the offense that was efficient all game, it was the running game led by David Montgomery and Cordarrelle Patterson.

Montgomery, the lead running back, comfortably rushed for 82 yards on 16 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. On the Bears final possession of the fourth quarter, he’d have rushing attempts for one, ten, 11, and 23 yards on four different plays.

Patterson on the other hand, who’s been featured more in the running game this season had seven carries for 25 yards, averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. Essentially, for Patterson, who’s still transitioning to being a running back, brings speed to the offense, something that’s crucial in head coach Matt Nagy’s system.

Through two games, the Bears have rushed for a total of 284 yards, which averages out to 142 yards per game. Through the first two games of the Nagy era, the running game was always a sore spot for the offense, however, this season, the numbers have shown it’s been one of the biggest strengths for the Bears.

Outside of Patterson and Montgomery, the Bears also have Tarik Cohen and Ryan Nall who can be factors. While Nall isn’t a workhorse running back and Cohen is a gadget player who plays all over the field, when Nagy dials up a run for them, most of the time, it’s successful.

That’s why one of the best things that Nagy can do, is continue to commit to the running game and potentially even make the offense run-first. The biggest advantage of this isn’t just that the defense will have the opportunity to rest, it’s also that quarterback Mitchell Trubisky won’t be asked to do everything for the Bears.

Sunday’s game against the New York Giants clearly showed that when the Bears are able to run the ball effectively, the entire offense as a unit can gel and play at a higher level. Essentially, when Montgomery gets into sync, he’s able to be a catalyst that makes the entire offense run smoother.

Overall, through the first two games of the season, the Bears continue to run the ball effectively and teams clearly don’t have an answer. With the passing game and some wide receivers struggling to find rhythm, making the offense a run-first unit is something that needs to be as the season progresses.