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Sporting Charts defines “team dropped passes” as those times when “a team’s receivers make contact with the ball but end up dropping it incomplete.” By their measure, the Chicago Bears were the 6th-worst in the NFL this year, with 24 dropped passes out of 550—a drop rate of 4.4% (the average NFL team in 2016 faced a drop rate of 3.35%). They were also seventh in raw drop totals.
As fans either know or suspect, the quarterback who suffered from this the worst for the Bears was Matt Barkley, who saw 12 of his 216 passes dropped (half of the Bears’ total) for a 5.56% drop rate. Of quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts, Barkley was third in the league for the rate at which his passes were dropped (behind Fitzpatrick and Gabbert). Cutler also saw an above-average number of his passes dropped (4.38%), however.
Josh Bellamy was not the leading Bear wide receiver in drop percentage, however, at 10.5%. That “honor” goes to Marquess Wilson with a 12.5% drop rate.
Besides wanting to fan-source the purchase of a jugs machine or two, what are your thoughts on the Bears’ drops this year?