Hypothetical Question . . . Margin of victory

[jammerhawk]

I thought the game was dominating performance by the team. Their margin of victory was convincing and complete. Chicago was not in the game and in both prior losses the team was in the game until late.

However, we all watched the team underperform in the first half, perhaps the disappointment with the seeming inability of the O to get it done early in the game lead to several raising the issue of a weak margin of victory. Those folks fail to recognize the positives to be taken from a defensive shutout and the steady improvement shown by the O as the game went along. Reality is the O still has lots of work to do, but the team won by 26 points and that is convincing considering the D forced the Bears to punt on every single one of their possessions. Two of the 3 phases of the game D & ST were lights out dominant and the O started to look like they were getting it by the end of the game. I was encouraged and even believed that Bevell called a pretty good game and that for him is not always the case. Now to improve their 3rd down and redzone % and there will not be any reason for some to grumble, even though they will.

A W is a W and style points don't matter a bit. In that regard however the O is starting to look better and will improve as the season goes on. I anticipate that the D and ST will be dominant all season long.

 

[Basis4day]

I'll take 26-0 over 33 to 7.

A shut out is difficult against any team. If they were to score it casts our team in a much harsher light. Even with the same margin of victory.

I also think Graham makes that jump ball TD in the endzone 9 times out of 10.

He missed twice though.

The next throw was to Matthews.

 

[Scottemojo]

4 FGs and a TD vs a team that admitted it's personnel doesn't match the scheme in the following week is a legitimate gripe.

The margin of victory is a straw man. Anyone griping about not killing the Bears by much more is griping about bad offense, no matter how they phrase it. Painting it as margin of victory issue is disingenuous. If we had won 76 to 50, Hawk fans would legitimately be worried about a D giving up 50.

This team has red zone issues. When they got Jimmy he was touted as an answer to those issues. They still have issues. Winning by 26 and hanging your hat on a shutout does not change that fact.

 

[Willyeye]

Margin of victory is less important than HOW you got the victory. If we really need to break out the trick plays against the bears with no QB and the 32nd ranked Defense. What does that say to your confidence in the team? We are unable to convert on 3rd and 1 still. We were a replay call away from being behind at the end of the half had they ruled that punt was touched by a Hawk. When your O-Line is constantly getting blown up against a team that hadn't gotten a sack in the first 2 games and get 4 against you.... That is a VERY bad sign. When you go one half of the game without a first down, this is telling. When you compare yourself against the likes of New England, Green Bay and Arizona after this week and the previous 2 how do you feel?? Not very darn good I bet, those teams are dominating every game and we can't dominate what could be the worst team in the league for a whole 30 minutes. If your aspirations are the same as mine which is Superbowl, than your expectations for this team should be higher than they are now. Why must we wait until late in the game to play well and be heroic? It doesn't always work.... First two games tells that story of this year. I want my team to play well for a full 60 damn it, and I have yet to see it in a long time.

Just wanted to point out: part of the reason the Bears D is considered bad could have something to do with their schedule thus far. According to most Week 4 Power Rankings, they've played against three top 8 teams in the NFL. No other team has had that tough of a schedule. Besides, the Seahawks haven't been even remotely considered a #1 offense for the past 3 seasons, but they have been the #1 defense.

And even given the Bears schedule, according to PFF, the Bears D is ranked #17. Their D is FAR from being the 32nd ranked D. In fact, even in yards allowed, their D is ranked #11. If I remember correctly, a lot of points against them were given up by the ST and offense. I think 3 TD's, and some of the FG's they gave up could have been the result of turnovers or special team plays. I think I read somewhere their D only gave up 79 points.

Either way, they are not even close to being the worst D in the NFL. One must consider context.

 

[purpleneer]

Now, that's not to say they did not make mistakes, but compounding those mistakes with over aggressive play doesn't help either.

Why are we only worried about compounding them with "overly" aggressive play? If you really pay attention, overly conservative play does at least as much to compound mistakes and cost games. It also reduces the margin of error and when you're the significantly better team, that just makes it easier for the lesser team to get more benefit from a couple of fluke plays. With all the ways the NFL has made things easier for offense, any game at home against a bad team where you end the 1st half with 6 points is going to be seen as a disappointment and a bad sign for how good your offense is.

 

[jammerhawk]

I'll take 26-0 over 33 to 7.

A shut out is difficult against any team. If they were to score it casts our team in a much harsher light. Even with the same margin of victory.

I also think Graham makes that jump ball TD in the endzone 9 times out of 10.

He missed twice though.

The next throw was to Matthews.

Boy, do they ever need to practice those fade plays as both Graham and Matthews have the potential to be consistent mismatch targets.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Does margarine of victory determine cream of the crop, or just a poser?

 

[rideaducati]

Does margarine of victory determine cream of the crop, or just a poser?

Real cream of the crop teams use butter.

 

[kearly]

This team has red zone issues. When they got Jimmy he was touted as an answer to those issues. They still have issues. Winning by 26 and hanging your hat on a shutout does not change that fact.

I think putting a spotlight on the RZ misses the point somewhat. It's not like the offense is creating explosive plays or sustaining long drives as often as before either. The offense is producing 3 and outs at a very high rate too. It's just a bad offense right now.

Last year the best red zone offense in the NFL belonged to the Oakland Raiders, and they weren't just #1, they blew away the rest of the league. Yet their overall offensive DVOA that season ranked 30th. Even with that amazing ability to convert red zone trips into touchdowns, their offense still ranked as one of the worst in the league because their offense lacked explosive plays and the long drives necessary to create those RZ opportunities.

I don't think that 3 games into this season we can look at 19 points, point the finger at RZ and say "Aha!" Maybe if our offense was soaring whilst the RZ was sucking, but right now both are going through a completely expected early season fugue.

 

[Scottemojo]

This team has red zone issues. When they got Jimmy he was touted as an answer to those issues. They still have issues. Winning by 26 and hanging your hat on a shutout does not change that fact.

I think putting a spotlight on the RZ misses the point somewhat. It's not like the offense is creating explosive plays or sustaining long drives as often as before either. The offense is producing 3 and outs at a very high rate too. It's just a bad offense right now.

Last year the best red zone offense in the NFL belonged to the Oakland Raiders, and they weren't just #1, they blew away the rest of the league. Yet their overall offensive DVOA that season ranked 30th. Even with that amazing ability to convert red zone trips into touchdowns, their offense still ranked as one of the worst in the league because their offense lacked explosive plays and the long drives necessary to create those RZ opportunities.

I don't think that 3 games into this season we can look at 19 points, point the finger at RZ and say "Aha!" Maybe if our offense was soaring whilst the RZ was sucking, but right now both are going through a completely expected early season fugue.

Oh, agreed.