Chicago Bears Sackwatch 2019: Week 16 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs

The Chicago Bears have now allowed their most sacks since Mike Tice was coordinating the offense for head coach Lovie Smith in Chicago’s 10 win 2012 season when they allowed 44 sacks. That year they gave up sacks 8.3% of the time and this season it’s only 7.0%, so at least Matt Nagy has that edge over Tice.

I won’t even get into how much better Tice’s offensive numbers were that year when compared to Nagy’s this season, so let’s get on with the Sackwatch!

Sackwatch after 15 games

2010 - 50 Martz
2011 - 42 Martz
2012 - 43 Tice
2013 - 29 Trestman
2014 - 39 Trestman
2015 - 29 Gase
2016 - 25 Loggains
2017 - 38 Loggains
2018 - 33 Nagy
2019 - 41 Nagy

Sack 39 - First Quarter 10:12 - Frank Clark
The only explanation for stepping out of bounds to take an 8 yard loss on a sack is... (it’s Christmas, so I’ll take a pass on sharing my true thoughts).

And I do not give a damn that it was third down.

Do. Not. Give. Away. Yards.

EVER.

Patrick Mahomes trolling with his ten finger count later in the game may not have been his first troll job, because the play below was K.C.’s very first offensive play after Mitchell Trubiksy failed to chuck the ball out of bounds when outside the pocket to avoid the sack.

Mahomes has situational awareness.

Sack 40 - Fourth Quarter 8:38 - Chris Jones
This was a perfectly timed blitz by the Chiefs. They send the defensive back (#21 Bashaud Breeland) that was lined up over Allen Robinson, and since the timing was so precise it forced Tarik Cohen to commit to the first edge rushing threat (#55 Frank Clark) leaving Breeland an inside path to Trubisky. Cohen on Clark isn’t an ideal matchup to begin with, but with the Chiefs threatening six this was how they had to protect.

As always a free blitzer, which is what Breeland is, is the responsibility of the QB, but again, the timing and design of the play was such that Trubisky had no where to quickly go on this third and 10 play. You see him check to his right, towards Robinson, but Robinson wasn’t ready to accept the pass. He looked back left and thought about going to Javon Wims, but my guess is he was concerned with how quickly Breeland was coming on the blitz and if he cocked his arm to throw Breeland may have affected the pass, or knocked it loose for a fumble.

But as for the man who actually gets the sack, defensive lineman Chris Jones, When Trubisky is flushed to his left it causes left guard James Daniels to lose leverage on Jones, so he’s able to slip the block and pick up the sack.

Good play by the Chiefs, so this one is a sacks happen.

Sack 41 - Fourth Quarter :40 - Reggie Ragland
The Chiefs only show a four man rush on this second and 5 play, and right tackle Cornelius Lucas is beat in under two seconds. Lucas is just too slow afoot and when his punch had no affect he was beat. Mitch escapes the initial pressure, but Reggie Ragland, who wasn’t aggressively rushing and was in a spy technique, flows over and cleans up the sack.

Cohen looked to be playing a check-release (check for blitzers then release out for a pass), and he probably could have popped Ragland, but he wasn’t aware his QB was already forced to scramble.

I’m giving this one to Lucas for allowing the quick pressure that ultimately led to the sack.

2019 Individual Sackwatch after 15 games:

Mitchell Trubisky - 15
Sacks Happen - 8
Charles Leno Jr. - 4.5
Chase Daniel - 2.5
Bobby Massie - 2.5
Cody Whitehair - 2
Kyle Long - 2
Cornelius Lucas - 1.5
Rashaad Coward - 1
Ted Larsen - 1
James Daniels - 1