3 moves the Chicago Bears must make this offseason for Justin Fields
Offensive Line
Super Bowl LVI provided the perfect reason for why the Chicago Bears must address the offensive line.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tied the Super Bowl record for sacks allowed on Sunday as the quarterback was sacked seven times. The biggest play of the day for Burrow was on fourth-down of the Bengals’ final offensive drive of the game. Burrow lined up on fourth-and-1 with the game on the line and instead of being able to complete a clean pass attempt, the quarterback was forced to throw the ball away as he was pressured by Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Replays showed that Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had Rams’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey beat for a potential game winning touchdown but Burrow did not have the time to make the throw.
On the final play of the game for the Bengals, Ja'Marr Chase had Jalen Ramsey on the ground and was WIDE OPEN for what could have been a game-winning TD.
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) February 14, 2022
If only Burrow had more time.. pic.twitter.com/QIIH77SYVY
It was a fitting end for the Bengals in the Super Bowl as the biggest criticism throughout their regular season and Super Bowl run was the lack of protection from the offensive line. Burrow was sacked an NFL leading 51 times during the regular season and the protection struggles continued in the post-season as he was sacked another 19 times.
Despite the Bengals willingly forgoing the improvement of the offensive line last off-season in order to have talent at the skill positions, their downfall ultimately was the lack of offensive line protection.
The Chicago Bears must take the Bengals lack of commitment to the offensive line as a warning to this offseason. While Burrow was the most sacked quarterback last season, the Bears allowed the most sacks as their quarterbacks were taken down a total of 58 times. The 58 sacks allowed by the Bears last season led the NFL. Before anything else this off-season, the Bears need to address the offensive line and ensure that Justin Fields has enough time to make plays.