Through their first four games, the Chicago Bears boast one of the NFL's top offenses. Yet, there are still pieces of the unit that have been found a bit wanting, especially as three of the team's key pass catchers — Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden — have yet to truly get going.
Head coach Ben Johnson is making it a priority, though. Speaking on the lack of involvement from three of his young playmakers through the first four games, Johnson offered the following:
“I put it on myself as much as anything, just making sure that all these guys are getting the touches that they deserve," he said. "Tried to get it in [Odunze’s] hands a little bit earlier in the game and you can feel him come alive a little bit. But I felt that from
Rome. I felt that from Luther, felt that from Colston to a degree as well. [Odunze] knows he’s a big-time playmaker and we’ve just got to make sure we give him opportunities.”
While the Bears lead the league in total offensive yards, much of that has come on the strength of the run game, where their 785 yards easily top the other 31 squads. The pass game, having deployed three different quarterbacks in the wake of Caleb Williams' injury and needing to get three of its crucial playmakers going, remains something of a work in progress. Which makes Johnson's insight notable.
Each of Odunze and Loveland, in particular, had their most productive game of the year against the New York Jets in Week 4. Odunze caught six passes for 94 yards while Loveland brought in six of his own for 57. Burden's 63 yards in that game matched his season-high, as well, while his seven receptions the previous week against Philadelphia were his most this year.
So it's clear that Johnson's prioritizing getting that trio involved. While that's hardly an easy task given how in-flux the quarterback situation has been, the results began to come on Sunday against the Jets. Johnson's hope is likely that each of the three takes another step forward in a crucial matchup with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson discusses getting Bears trio of weapons more involved
