LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — The NFL is a results-based business, and it can be a cruel one. Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy knows that well.
Under Getsy's direction, the Bears offense hasn’t produced at a consistently high level. Chicago ranks 20th in the NFL in total yardage and 21st in scoring offense. With five games remaining in the regular season, there’s a sense of urgency to get the offense clicking.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus acknowledged as much, and Getsy understands those demands.
“There's no pressure or urgency more than I put on myself, that we put on ourselves as a staff to make this as good of a unit as possible,” Getsy said. “There's got to be progress each week, and I feel like there has been.
“Now, it's not consistent enough, that's for sure, for where we want to go and what we want to be. But it's about that progress.”
Quarterback Justin Fields has showcased individual growth in his third NFL season, in particular with his improvement as a passer. He has thrown for 1,587 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions in eight games while posting a career-best 92.3 quarterback rating. Top receiver DJ Moore, who has 1,003 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season, has helped transform the offense and given Fields a dangerous weapon.
But the Bears still failed to find the end zone in a defense-led 12-10 win against the Vikings on Nov. 27, a game that Chicago won with the help of kicker Cairo Santos' four field goals. Getsy’s offense relied heavily on horizontal passing, which he explained was in part due to pre-snap reads from Fields himself.
The Bears have struggled to unlock their downfield passing game on a consistent basis.
“The sense of urgency should always be there,” Eberflus said. “When the execution is there, you want to keep doing that. When it’s not, you want to have a sense of urgency.
“It’s about how do we generate explosive plays? You score touchdowns by getting the explosives. We all know that. But how do we do that in the running game? How do we create advantageous positions for the offense? Through motions, formationally, to create those advantages, those angles that we want to have so we can pop those runs. And in the passing game, we’re going to have to take more shots downfield to create those explosive plays.
“Those things are there. We just have to take advantage of it.”
Getsy sees progress in the Bears' offense in how they've produced long, sustained drives. Chicago’s offense is fourth in the NFL in time elapsed per drive with a 2:59 average and is ninth on third downs with a 43.3% conversion rate. One year after setting a franchise record with 3,012 rushing yards, the Bears’ ground game ranks third in the league.
Through Getsy's vision, the Bears have established an offensive identity that’s based upon controlling possession, but it hasn’t consistently led to crooked numbers on the scoreboard.
Like Eberflus, Getsy is coaching for his job in these final five games of the regular season. He feels a sense of urgency.
“We’ve got to continue to grow,” Getsy said. “And we've just got to continue on that path.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.