The 2020 NFL season got off to a wild start for the Chicago Bears after a come-from-behind 27-23 victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday. Mitch Trubisky wrestled victory from the jaws of defeat in the fourth quarter and injected hope that he can become the Bears’ quarterback of the present — and future — once again.
With Trubisky’s success (he totaled 242 passing yards and three TDs, all in the fourth quarter) comes the overshadowing of the real secret to the Bears’ offensive resurgence: the running game.
David Montgomery averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 13 totes, up from just 3.7 yards per carry as a rookie. Tarik Cohen one-upped him at 5.9 yards per carry, and even wide receiver-turned-running back Cordarrelle Patterson did his part, logging an average of 4.8 yards per run.
So, what gives? Why did the Bears suddenly figure out how to turn carries into production?
According to coach Matt Nagy, it’s all about the tight ends.
“I felt that was a big reason, along with our O-line, that we got our run game going with those tight ends,” Nagy said after the game. “That’s so huge. … So we’re only going to get better, production-wise, in the passing game with those guys. It’s just going to take a little bit of time as we work through schematically what we look doing.
“Jimmy (Graham) was the first one that came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, Coach, I promise you we’re going to get this thing going.’ And that’s all you need to hear. I got all the trust in the world in those guys. I love that room.”
The Bears added veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris to the position group in free agency and selected Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. They rebuilt the position from the ground up, and it paid off in Week 1.
Graham contributed as a pass-catcher, too. He hauled-in one of Trubsky’s fourth-quarter touchdowns and set the Bears up for another score late in the game when he was ruled down at the one-yard line on another catch.
Gone are the days of Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen.
The Bears’ tight ends proved how critical they are to an effective Nagy offense on Sunday. It’s an impact that extended beyond the box score and into the win column in Week 1.