Top Ten Keys to a Bears Playoff Run

Will Leitch of NYMag and the former editor of Deadspin put it best when describing the Bears: “Every single Bears game this season is going to be won or lost in the final two minutes. This theoretically makes them the most exciting team in the NFL. Practically speaking, it does not quite play that way.” The Bears have an awesome defense, but a weak offense, making this team very mediocre. They have the potential to beat any team, but also have the ability to lose to anyone. In order for the Bears to make the playoffs they will probably have to win nine games. Here are the top ten keys for that to happen.

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10. Field position

The Bears have one of the best directional punters in NFL history in Brad Maynard. If he can pin teams deep, the defense should be able to give the offense great field position, which is necessary for their anemic offense to function. I don’t know if Orton and the offense can make 80-90 yard drives with any consistency.

9. A go to receiver needs to emerge

In the preseason, Rashied Davis appeared to be Orton’s go to guy, but he has been relatively quite thus far, even dropping a HUGE pass on Sunday. The whitest-named receiver ever Brandon Lloyd dominated Tiki Ronde Barber Sunday, but unless he can do it week in and week out, the Bears will struggle immensely to stretch defenses down field.

8. Kick/punt return

Not only does the Bears offense lean on the defense for points, but also on the return team. Hester is a one-man wrecking crew, but teams seem to have learned their lesson and are keeping it away from him. The replacement returners looked very solid this week. Vasher averaged 8.3 yards per return and Manning had a 27.0 yards per return average with a long of 46. If Hester is out for a while, these two will need to produce like they did on Sunday in order for the Bears to have a chance to score.

7. Offensive turnovers

Offensively the Bears will score about four times a game. This sounds like a lot, but one or two of those will be setup or scored by the special teams or defense and most likely three of them will be field goals. The Bears must limit their turnovers to hopefully increase their chances of getting another unexpected score. Furthermore, as the last two weeks have shown, the Bears must keep the defense off the field in order to keep them fresh deep into the fourth quarter.

6. The running game

Forte seems to be real. However, it would be nice to see the Bears give Jones a few more touches to limit some of the hits that Forte will accrue throughout the year. The majority of the Bears yards will be on the ground. If they keep the ball in their hands they can control the TOP and once again keep the defense fresh.

5. Robbie Gould

He must be as good as last year. The Bears best offensive weapon (very sad), must make anything within 55-yards. He cannot miss 49-yarders like he did on Sunday. Gould must be almost perfect for the Bears to succeed, for he will be the majority of the offense this year.

4. Defensive turnovers

Unlike most teams, the Bears rely on their defense to either score points or to put them in the red zone via takeaways. They NEED turnovers to succeed. If the four that the Bears had on Sunday is not enough for the Bears to win they are in for a LONG season.

3. Quarterback play

A Bears quarterback does not need to be awesome. A Bears quarterback does not need to be good. A Bears quarterback needs to be solid. He needs to limit turnovers. He needs to have a high completions percentage in the short pass game and hit a deep ball once or twice a game to stretch the defense and keep the running game viable. It’s simple and I believe Kyle Orton can be this kind of quarterback.

2. Offensive line

The line looked abysmal on Sunday. They allowed the Bucs DTs into the backfield and let the Bucs DEs get pressure from the corners in pass downs. If the Bears expect to win nine games, they need the line to play like they did in week one; opening lanes for Forte and giving a pocket for Orton to step in to.

1. Defense stays healthy

Last year proved that if the Bears D is hurt they are at best a six-win team. Healthy they can be dominant and control the game. Injured the Bears fall apart like a game of drunken Jenga. Simply put, they are the most important key for the Bears to succeed.