Can the Chicago Bears offensive line put 9-sack performance behind it?

LAKE FOREST – Whose fault is it that the New England Patriots sacked Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams nine times Sunday?

The answer, of course, is complicated. The person who had to answer for it was offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who the Bears fired Tuesday. Head coach Matt Eberflus’ hand-picked offensive coordinator lasted all of nine game before Eberflus showed him the door.

The quarterback himself could play better, too. Any Bears fans who believe Williams is blameless are kidding themselves. There are some times when he holds onto the football too long (although the analytics suggest that wasn’t, by and large, the problem Sunday).

Then there’s the offensive line. Any time a quarterback faces 18 pressures on 41 dropbacks, there needs to be a conversation about the offensive line. Injuries decimated the Bears offensive line last week. They played without left tackle Braxton Jones or right tackle Darnell Wright, and they lost guard Teven Jenkins mid-game. They finished the game with only one Week 1 starter in the lineup along the offensive line.

But that can’t be an excuse. The Bears still gave up nine sacks against a Patriots team that previously was averaging fewer than two sacks per game.

“It doesn’t matter,” offensive line coach Chris Morgan said of the injuries. “The results are what matter, and we didn’t win the game. We’ve got to play better. We know that. That’s all that matters.”

The results are what matter and we didn’t win the game. We’ve got to play better. We know that. That’s all that matters.”

—  Chris Morgan, Bears offensive line coach

Morgan knows what it looks like when things are humming. With a decade and a half of experience coaching offensive lines in the NFL, Morgan’s crown jewel offensive line was healthier than any in recent memory. Morgan coached the 2016 Falcons, who eventually reached the Super Bowl. His five starting offensive linemen started all 16 regular-season games and all three playoff games. They played 98% of the offensive snaps during the regular season.

Few offensive lines are that lucky. This current Bears group certainly isn’t. On top of the injuries, the Bears released Nate Davis, their highest-paid offensive lineman, after he showed up to Sunday’s game with a back injury.

Eberflus has a ton of respect for Morgan. There’s a reason Eberflus kept Morgan in January when he fired former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. The Bears might have interviewed Kliff Kingsbury for the OC job in January, but Eberflus never had any intention of moving his offense out of the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay wide zone blocking scheme. Kingsbury’s air raid offense is not that.

Eberflus hired Waldron because he came from that same coaching tree as Shanahan and McVay – the same tree as Getsy and Morgan.

But it’s hard to do much of anything when everyone is hurt. The Bears are optimistic that Jones and Wright could return this week, and they desperately need them. Both tackles have been practicing this week. Jenkins, on the other hand, has not.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Jones told the Shaw Local News Network. “Rejuvenated. I’m feeling healthy.”

Jones said new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is bringing positive energy to the offense. Brown is a former running back himself, briefly playing in the NFL, and a former running backs coach. He knows how important it is to establish the run in the NFL.

“He sees it through that lens, obviously, because he played it,” Morgan said. “Played at a very high level. It should be a really smooth transition that way, in that sense.”

Morgan declined to comment much on Davis’ exit. The 28-year-old hadn’t started a game since Week 2.

“Decisions that are made are always going to be what’s best for the team,” Morgan said. “It didn’t work out with Nate. Only wish him the best moving forward.”

Morgan confirmed Thursday that he still holds the title of run game coordinator for the offense, despite the change in OC. In the passing game, it is essential that the Bears keep Williams clean.

This is going to be a pivotal stretch. The Bears have lost three games in a row, and now they have the Packers, Vikings and Lions for their next three opponents. They need their tackles back.

They also need to play better.

“Our backs are kind of against the wall right now with everything that’s going on, but I’m excited,” Jones said. “It’s like a breath of fresh air to be able to go out there and play and let it loose, let it rip.”