Tag: Bill Lazor

Bears TE Cole Kmet wins angriest run of Week 14 by GMFB

It might’ve taken nearly the entire season, but the Bears have finally discovered exactly what they have in rookie TE Cole Kmet.

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It might’ve taken most of the season, but the Chicago Bears are finally starting to discover exactly what they have in rookie tight end Cole Kmet, who has become Chicago’s top tight end over the last few weeks.

Kmet is a big-bodied, physical tight end that will fight for extra yardage, as evidenced by his performance Sunday against the Houston Texans. In fact, Kmet’s 67 yards after the catch over the last two weeks ranks third among tight ends behind just Las Vegas’ Darren Waller and Kansas City’s Travis Kelce.

But there was one run after the catch in particular that has caught eyes across the NFL landscape. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw a beautiful sidearm pass to Kmet, who barreled ahead for the first down and then some, dragging defenders with him and refusing to go down.

That catch earned Kmet “angriest run” honors from Good Morning Football‘s Kyle Brandt, who was quite animated about the former Notre Dame tight end’s run.

As with many things this season, the question remains: Where has this been all season? As in, why has it taken the Bears so long to get Kmet involved in this offense? This is exactly what they could’ve used amid a deflating losing streak.

Kmet has succeeded since Bill Lazor took over play-calling duties from Matt Nagy, specifically in these previous two games against the Texans and Detroit Lions. Kmet has nine receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown in those two games compared to eight receptions for 94 yards and a score in the first 11 games.

With Kmet’s star on the rise, you’d expect to see a lot more of the rookie involved in Chicago’s offense, especially as the Bears are looking to make a late push for a wild card berth.

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5 takeaways from Bears’ dominant 36-7 win over the Texans

All three phases exceeded expectations and the Bears finally have life again in the playoff race. Here are our takeaways from the win.

The Chicago Bears’ two-month long nightmare finally came to an end on Sunday when they dominated the Houston Texans on the lakefront, winning 36-7 and snapping their seven-game losing streak.

The win was a complete team effort, as the offense started fast and didn’t look back, while the defense made life miserable for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, sacking him six times and forcing two turnovers on the day.

Though the season has slipped away, this was a win fans can feel good about. All three phases exceeded expectations and the Bears finally have life again in the playoff race. There was a lot to unpack from this victory, so here are my key takeaways following the win.

4 biggest questions heading into the Bears’ bye week

With the Bears in a much-needed bye week, here are the biggest storylines for this team.

Following an impressive 5-1 start, the Chicago Bears have fallen after losing four straight games heading into their bye week. The problem hasn’t been the defense, which has once again been a top-five unit in the league. Even the special teams has been solid with kicker Cairo Santos and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson.

Of course, the issues remain on offense, which is coming off an embarrassing outing against the Minnesota Vikings where they put up just 149 yards of offense. This is nothing new for this offense, which hasn’t been in a rhythm since 2018. And it seems to get worse with each passing week.

Here are the biggest storylines for this Bears team during this much-needed bye week.

Bears vs. Vikings game recap: Everything we know

It’s the same old song for the Bears, who lost their fourth straight game, a 19-13 loss to the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

It’s getting exhausting watching the same game every week with this Chicago Bears team. Once again, the Bears relied on their defense — and this time special teams — to help keep them in the game long enough to blow it themselves, as Chicago lost their fourth straight game — a 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Facing one of the NFL’s worst defenses, the Bears offense managed a lowly 149 total yards, including four three-and-outs in the second half. They were once again outscored by another unit — this time their special teams, as Cordarrelle Patterson returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown, which gave the Bears third quarter points for just the second time this season.

The Bears fell to 5-5 on the season, and the playoffs are all but a wash at this point. Luckily, they’re headed into a bye week, where they have a lot of self-reflection to do on offense, as well as get healthy heading into a primetime showdown against the Green Bay Packers when they return in Week 12.

The only question is — who will be under center? It sounds more and more like it’ll be Mitchell Trubisky’s second chance with Nick Foles suffering a leg or hip injury that had him carted off the field in the final minutes.

Instant analysis of Bears’ 19-13 loss to the Vikings in Week 10

The Bears dropped their fourth straight game and fell to 5-5 on the season with a 19-13 loss to the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

We are starting to run out of ideas on how to describe football games for the Chicago Bears. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a good game for the Bears as they were defeated 19-13 by the Minnesota Vikings.

On the opening drive for the Vikings, they got things going. The Vikings were marching down the field, but the Bears defense was able to force their first turnover of the game. However, the Bears couldn’t capitalize on the Vikings mistake. On the second play of the Bears opening drive, Nick Foles threw a pass right through Anthony Miller’s hand and it was intercepted by Harrison Smith.

The Vikings were able to capitalize on the Bears turnover. Kirk Cousins connected with Adam Thielen for a 17-yard touchdown to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Bears were able to respond after the Vikings scored. The offense got within the 10 yard line, but settled for the 23-yard field goal.

After the Bears cut into the Vikings lead, punts were exchanged between both teams. The Vikings were beginning to drive down the field with under two minutes left in the second quarter, but Khalil Mack was able to intercept Cousins and return it for 33-yards. Being set up in Vikings territory, the Bears couldn’t score a touchdown as they settled for a 42-yard field goal to trail 7-6 heading into halftime.

The beginning of the second half was the highlight of the game and seemed to be the game changer. Cordarrelle Patterson opened up the second half with a 104-yard kick return touchdown and gave the Bears a 13-7 lead. The Vikings were able to comeback to tie the game with a pair of field goals by Dan Bailey.

The Vikings were able to pull through for the lead as the Cousins connected with rookie Justin Jefferson to get into Bears territory. To finish the drive Cousins found Thielen for the second time today in the endzone to extend the lead. The Vikings did muff the point after attempt, so the Bears trailed by 6.

Heading into the fourth quarter the Bears have totaled -2 yards in the second half. The offense found a way to get positive yards, but fell short in Vikings territory as they turned it over on downs. The Vikings were able to run the clock out with Dalvin Cook and were able to extend the Bears losing streak to four games.

Luckily for the Bears and the fans, the team will heading into their bye week as the get ready to take on the Green Bay Packers. Foles finished 16-for-28 for 106 yards and one interception. But he was carted off the field after being slammed to the ground on an incomplete pass in the final minutes of the game.

Now, it appears that Mitchell Trubisky — assuming he’s healthy after the bye week — will make his grand return to the starting line-up in a Week 12 primetime game against the Green Bay Packers.

10 Bears players to watch in Week 10 vs. Vikings

The Bears will face the Vikings looking to break their three-game skid. Here are 10 players to keep an eye on.

The Chicago Bears have fallen from grace. After starting 5-1, they’ve lost three straight games and went from potential top seed in the NFC to “in the hunt” for the postseason. Now, they have a must-win game ahead of the bye week.

The Bears will face the Minnesota Vikings looking to break their three-game skid. Here are 10 players to keep an eye on as the Bears face the Vikings in Week 10.

5 big questions ahead of Bears’ Week 10 game vs. Vikings

Here are five storylines to watch as the Bears head into their Week 10 game against the Vikings.

The Chicago Bears are heading into their most important game of the season to date, where they’ll host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. Chicago will be looking to regain some momentum that’s been lost in a three-game losing streak. But it won’t be easy against a Vikings team that has found a rhythm in a two-game winning streak.

Here are five storylines to watch as the Bears head into their Week 10 game against the Vikings.

With Bears OC Bill Lazor calling plays, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer talks about facing him

With Bill Lazor calling plays, the Vikings are facing an interesting curve ball when the team faces off against the Bears Monday night.

Earlier this week, Bears coach Matt Nagy seemed secretive about who could be calling plays against Minnesota on Monday.

Asked about someone else calling the plays, Bears coach Matt Nagy said “I’m looking at all of that right now,” per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.

Nagy added that if he were to relinquish play calling duties for the Vikings game, he would not make that information public. However, Nagy’s announcement that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is the new play-caller contradicts that statement.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer recently talked about Bill Lazor:

“It’s a little bit of an unknown, but we obviously went back and looked at when he was in Cincinnati and so forth, as far as some of those things,” Zimmer said, via the Vikings. “I think it’s tough to just change everything. The tendencies might change a little bit, but during the course of the game, you kind of just go with what you feel, anyway. We’ll just have to see. I really can’t tell you.”

If Lazor can help the offensive find success against a Vikings secondary that has struggled at times, Chicago could be primed for a bounce-back win. That said, the Bears are slumping and the Vikings are surging. Monday should be fun.

Bears TE Jimmy Graham had no idea Bill Lazor is calling plays this week

It turns out not everyone was aware that Matt Nagy handed over play-calling duties to Bill Lazor, including the players.

The big news from Friday was that Bears head coach Matt Nagy had finally decided to hand over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, a move that shocked many considering he’d refused to do as much for the last two seasons.

Nagy made the announcement in a press conference with the media on Friday. But it turns out not everyone was aware that Lazor is taking over as play caller this week against the Vikings.

Tight end Jimmy Graham was unaware that Matt Nagy had handed over play-calling duties to Lazor for Monday night, which is a bit of a shock considering you’d expected the players to know before the rest of us did.

The cries for Nagy to give up play calling date back to last season as Chicago’s offense struggled, and it’s been more of the same this season. The decision to step back from play calling this week is due to Nagy wanting to observe the team as a whole.

“This will give me an opportunity to step back and see things from a different position,” Nagy said.

While the change isn’t necessarily permanent, if the offense runs smoother with Lazor calling plays, Nagy said he’ll continue to do what’s best for his team.

“I’d be lying if I said this was easy,” Nagy said. “It’s not easy. It’s one of my favorite parts of coaching. I love calling plays. I love it. I love it. Is it permanent? No, it’s not permanent. But guess what, if this is best for the team, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

The impossible has happened. Matt Nagy is stepping back from play calling…for now

Big changes are coming on offense for the Bears as Matt Nagy has given up play-calling for Monday night’s game against the Vikings.

Big changes are coming on offense for the Chicago Bears as Matt Nagy has given up play-calling for Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. At least for now.

Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor will call plays for the offense on Monday, which marks the first time that Nagy won’t be in charge of offensive play calling since taking over as head coach for the Bears in 2018.

Nagy giving up play calling has long been a discussion dating back to last season when the Bears offense continued to struggle. The decision to step back from play calling this week is because Nagy wants to observe the team as a whole.

“This will give me an opportunity to step back and see things from a different position,” Nagy said.

But the change isn’t permanent necessarily. Although, if it ends up working out best for this offense, then Nagy will let Lazor continue to call plays.

“”I’d be lying if I said this was easy,” Nagy said. “It’s not easy. It’s one of my favorite parts of coaching. I love calling plays. I love it. I love it. Is it permanent? No, it’s not permanent. But guess what, if this is best for the team, then that’s what I’m gonna do.”