The Chicago Bears are just a few plays away from being 3-0; however, they pulled the short straw and are stuck at 1-2.
They are, luckily, showing people a lot more than was expected at the beginning of the season.
Before the season started, to have even one win was having high hopes for Bears fans, but they have been lucky enough to find an offense.
That offense consists of a steady running game from Matt Forte who has gone beyond expectations with 4.2 yards per carry and over 100 yards per game on the season.
The offensive line has been better than expected, as Kyle Orton has had decent time and Forte has had some lanes to run in for the most part.
The most important part of the offensive attack, however, has to become wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.
Lloyd has worked his way to a tie for 15th in the NFL in receiving yards ahead of names like Hines Ward, Terrell Owens and Wes Welker.
What is even more important for Lloyd is becoming a big play threat, which has come to fruition so far. He currently is tied for the most receptions over 20 yards with five on the season.
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Yesterday was Lloyd's coming out party, as he played spectacularly with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. He could have, neigh, should have had more yards and even another touchdown if he wasn't forced out of bounds by a bad pass with only green in front of him.
He is sixth in the NFL in yards per catch among players with more than 10 catches on the season, and the Bears weren't supposed to have a passing game.
While receivers like Rasheed Davis drop major passes that may or may not have cost the Bears the game, Lloyd is out there doing his best to make game-changing plays.
Against the Panthers two weeks ago, he picked up a block punt and took it back for a touchdown to give the Bears an early lead and some much needed momentum.
Lloyd had a good career in his time with the 49ers, but was forgot about in Washington, even having a good season in 2006 before disappearing in 2007 with just two catches for 14 yards.
This season, he is back and better than ever now that he is the centerpiece of this passing attack that currently ranks 16th in the NFL.
If Orton wants to have any sort of season, he needs to find Lloyd and they could become a deadly combo. With Forte being productive out of the backfield, things should be open and if they do still focus on Lloyd, Orton always loves to check down.
And if the Bears want to sustain their surprising offensive success, they need to be able to get Lloyd the ball early and often.
I'm Joe W.
Joe also writes for Hoops4Life.com, a basketball fan's site.
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3 months ago
Nice article Joe. Lloyd definitely has the potential to be a serious threat, I just wonder how well Orton's arm will hold up. So far he hasn't had much accuracy on deep throws, if that improves the Bears have a real chance to be contenders.
3 months ago
Lloyd is a perfect fit for the Bears. After the loss of Mushin they need a receiver who can be big over the middle and run good routes. Every team needs a good middle man, and I would wager that without Lloyd, the Bears would be winless.
Great work, Joe!
3 months ago
Very nice article dude. You must be a major Bear fan. You are right on Lloyd, but remember that Chicago still follows the running game offense instead of pass offense or both. They should try to let Orton get the ball to the receivers. I think their biggest mistake in offseason was not securing Muhammed and Berrian. I'm glad they have Lloyd. Hopefully they win on Sunday against the Eagles.
from 3 months ago
The Bears are lucky against the Eagles, since Donovan McNabb and Bryan Westbrook both could be out for the game. Thanks for the compliments on the article.
I think that Lloyd should be a major part of the offense even though they love to run. Forte is a rookie and when it isn't working out on the ground, we can't forget the weapon we have in Lloyd.
3 months ago
Great article Joe, you seem like you know your stuff. If Lloyd keeps this up look for him to get a long term deal easily
from 3 months ago
Thanks Lauren!
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