Getting Outside with Runs Critical for Bears to Beat Cardinals

Bears running backs struggled at times over the last three games and they need all three backs to pull it together Sunday to face Arizona.

It's not the only factor limiting their running attack as they head into a matchup against a Cardinals defense ranked next to last at stopping the run.

Moving Teven Jenkins out of left guard or losing him all together hasn't been good for their offense, and they won't have him against Arizona.

The Bears with Jenkins starting at left guard averaged 145.2 yards rushing this season. When Jenkins moved to right guard to start it was 133.7 yards rushing.

This discounts the last game, when the two almost had equal time at the position, but they didn't run it well with either playing against the Browns, with 88 rushing yards and most of those by Justin Fields.

With Cody Whitehair at left guard, they averaged 120 yards rushing. Whitehair will be at left guard again Sunday with Jenkins out.

"It's always about moving people," coach Matt Eberflus said. "You have to be able to do that. You got to be able to move people at the line of scrimmage, and you’ve got to be able to attack the line of scrimmage (on defense)."

Eberflus thinks the line will get its act together because they respond to adversity. Last week was definitely adverse.

"And you put the onus on the O line and they welcome that," he said. "That's a challenge for those guys and that's every week. We have to win the game up front and it's important that we do that this week."

Blocking isn't the only aspect to running. The Bears have shifted between three running backs because of injuries and now have all three healthy. 

Whether they use all three will depend on whether they think the mix works. Last week D'Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert struggled while Roschon Johnson popped an explosive run that accounted for a quarter of all their rushing yards (22). Earlier in the year they had D'Onta Foreman inactive and used only the other two.

"Like we've said you always go with the hot hand, that type of thing," Eberflus said. "Certainly we have guys who are more slated to the third-down package and the protection part and the passing part."

Johnson has been better at doing this.

"Obviously, Foreman's been a big part of the first and second down and Herbert was obviously injured, coming back from there," Eberflus said. "There's been some continuity issues due to injury. Guys in and out. I think that may be playing a part of it, but certainly looking forward to getting that going this week."

In particular the Bears need to get Herbert out and running. He's advanced well past the ankle injury he suffered Oct. 5 and when he runs effectively the Bears have a feared ability on RPO to scorch defenses for big plays on the ground. They have to choose between stopping Fields or Herbert. 

It's one of the keys to a win over the Cardinals.

1. Get Herbert Running Room

The place for Herbert to gain yards is off tackle and outside. He's been getting bogged down inside when he runs lately, and part is due to blocking breakdowns. Earlier, some was due to his own recovery from an ankle injury.

The Bears say he has a burst back now and the ankle injury is in the past.

"I've seen it in practice," Eberflus said. "We're excited to see it in the game. And so is he. He's been working hard at it. And he works really hard every single week and the scheme is good this week, got some good plays in there for him and the other guys to get the ball on the perimeter as well as inside."

When the Bears can run around left end, they lead the NFL in rushing at 8.55 yards a carry. They're not bad around right end at 5.9 an attempt, good for 10th. Arizona is 29th at limiting runs around right end. The Bears average 6.2 yards running off left tackle (3rd) and 4.6 off right tackle (10th). They need to see Herbert getting out into space at tackle or around end, just like they need to see Fields with room to pick yards up in the clear.

The wide zone scheme needs to work with Whitehair blocking instead of Jenkins, but it has happened in the past with both. 

They gained 173 yards with Whitehair at left guard against the Raiders in a win and 156 against the Saints in a loss and didn't even have Fields' running ability available as a counter punch to the backs in those games.

2. Confine Kyler Murray

Murray is going to scramble and pick up yards. He's quick, even after last year's ACL surgery.

They need to keep him confined within the pocket so he gets his scrambling yards up the middle. It's more difficult to run there in a crowd. It's also tougher for him to see downfield from there and step up to throw.

Ends Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker must be cognizant of their rush lanes, which is a strength for both.

Murray is listed at a generous 5-foot-10. He doesn't have his best outside receiver, Hollywood Brown, due to a heel injury. The place he'll look the most to pass is his backs or tight end Trey McBride, and those players will usualy be inside the numbers. The Bears give up more receiving yards to backs (55.5 per game) than any team in the league. They give up the fifth-most catches (5.9 per game) to tight ends. Murray could also throw it to Rondale Moore, the slot receiver, who will operate a lot inside. Murray is going to need to throw over some tall defensive linemen inside and see over his own blockers there. It's difficult for him to stay in the pocket and find those targets.

Bad things happen to teams throwing over the middle against the Bears. It's been that way since Sweat arrived, and started applying pressure to force those hurried throws to receivers over the middle.

3. Wrap Up

The Cardinals offense hasn't progressed to a point where they're explosive. They have the third fewest explosive passes. They are 30th in yards after the catch. They don't have their best receiver or many effective backups. The tight end is their main threat, just like Cleveland's David Njoku was a huge threat last week for the Bears.

McBride will probably get his share of catches. But limiting his yards after the catch is the key. The same is true with running back James Conner as a receiver. 

The Bears were fine against Cleveland when Njoku was catching it and getting blasted in the back. It was when he got behind ill-conceived coverage by defensive linemen or avoided first tacklers that yards after the catch piled up and Cleveland beat the Bears.

It's a matter of rallying to the ball and wrapping up on tackles for four quarters. It's a simple concept but one a team using zone defense extensively should master.

The Bears are 1-13 this year when they give up more than six explosive plays in a game. Those are runs over 10 yards and receptions over 20.

Limit explosives by making sure tackles and Arizona will need to drive for points. Doing this against a defense ranked first against the run isn't easy, and doing it against one ranked second in interceptions is even tougher.