Evidence of the Bears’ consistently slow starts is everywhere.
It has now been seven weeks since they last scored on their opening possession.
Quarterback Caleb Williams? He has a .585 completion percentage in the first halves of games (which ranks 29th in the league) and an 85.5 passer rating (26th), per TruMedia.
Two weeks ago, at Lambeau Field, the Bears didn’t reach the end zone until their sixth possession. They had only six first downs and 23 passing yards before halftime and their lone scoring drive was a field goal march that required 14 plays and more than eight minutes.
There’s been an ongoing push to get things rolling more quickly. And this week, Bears coach Ben Johnson emphasized the need for Williams to find his aggressive and confident mindset right away to catalyze a fast start.
“A big part of what we do in our pregame routine is making sure the first series isn’t a warm-up series,” Johnson said. “We’re starting hot. “Offensive philosophy-wise, we talk about having 65-70 bullets in a game. And we can’t afford to waste any of those plays trying to get the engine started.”
Against a Packers defense that’s without star pass rusher Micah Parsons, how quickly the Bears start that engine may be pivotal in the game’s result.