The 2024 Chicago Bears started off slow and did so consistently.
By the time the first quarter ended, the Bears put themselves at a major disadvantage. The Bears scored a league-low 27 total points in the first quarter and averaged just 10 yards on the opening drives – ranking them dead last.
Chicago was playing catch up while other teams were establishing leads. Not only could the Bears not score, they were also tied for 28th with the most points given up in the first quarter with 92.
The Bears must improve in many areas offensively this upcoming season and head coach Ben Johnson will play a pivotal part in making that happen, including creating ways to put his team in positions to begin games at a more efficient rate.
What went wrong in Chicago?
Caleb Williams experienced plenty of turmoil during his rookie season and former Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was a major factor in creating that dysfunction. Nobody told Williams how to find shortcuts when watching game film – a job that should have been tasked to Waldron and other coaches.
Waldron also didn't script plays to start games to begin the season. The Bears started the year off 1-2 and scored less than 20 points in each of those games. DJ Moore appeared on Mully & Haugh in October and revealed that Waldron elected to not script plays initially, but he eventually made a change and Moore gave the offensive coordinator credit for listening to the players to reconsider how to start games.
Moore gave Waldron credit for doing something that a lot of teams in the NFL typically do, but despite having an opening script, the offense never created any type of consistency in the first quarter throughout the 2024 season.
Johnson in Detroit
Unlike the Bears, the Lions with Johnson last season as the play caller had much more success. Detroit ranked in the top half of the league in points scored in the first quarter with 81 (13th-most) and 15th in the NFL in average yards gained (33) on opening drives.
The hope for the Bears is that the success Johnson sustained in Detroit starting games carries over to Chicago. It might not be immediate considering Johnson called plays for three years with the Lions and quarterback Jared Goff, and of course, he will be entering Year 1 with the Bears and Williams.
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Starting fast, it's just one of the many areas the Bears must do better offensively this upcoming season.