The Chicago Bears' offense is starving for some sort of breakout game from someone.
Through six games, the Bears' offense ranks 29th in the NFL in yards and 26th in scoring, which is the primary reason why they are a disappointing 3-3 right now.
Yes, the defense has fallen off a bit, but the lack of offensive production is the primary culprit for Chicago's struggles.
This weekend, the Bears will be facing a team that is just as disappointing (if not even moreso given their record), as Chicago will be battling the 2-5 Los Angeles Chargers.
Both clubs are obviously in desperate need of a win (although the Chargers might already be done), so you have to expect a big effort from both sides in this matchup (or at least you would hope).
The problem for the Bears is that Los Angeles' defense has not exactly been bad, as it ranks 11th in the league (one spot behind Chicago's).
For that reason, Matt Nagy must get creative to help the Bears come away with what would be a potentially season-saving win on Sunday, and that means getting Tarik Cohen more involved.
Over his first two years in the NFL, Cohen was one of the league's most versatile players. He can run. He can catch. He can return kicks.
Cohen was so terrific last season, as a matter of fact, that he made the Pro Bowl and earned First-Team All-Pro honors after rushing for 444 yards and three touchdowns, catching 71 passes for 725 yards and five scores and leading the league with 411 punt-return yards.
But this season? Cohen has been a mere shell of himself, as he has carried the ball 20 times for just 47 yards, good for a meager 2.4 yards per attempt. He has also logged 29 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown, which puts him on pace for 77 receptions (good) and 392 yards (not good).
Basically, Cohen has scarcely even made an impact, and the Bears' offense is suffering as a result.
Of course, Cohen's lack of touches and production is hardly the only issue, as Chicago has problems at quarterback, the offensive line has been less than stellar and it doesn't really have elite receiving talent.
Still, you work with what you have, and Cohen is one of Nagy's most valuable weapons.
That's why Nagy needs to get him more action against the Chargers. Get him some more carries to open up the offense. Let him run routes that allow him to average more than just 5.1 yards per catch. Diversify your offense in general.
The Bears' run game has been brutal this season, even though it looked to be solid coming into the year with Cohen, Mike Davis and rookie David Montgomery.
Instead, Cohen hasn't been used properly, Davis has hardly even played and Montgomery has just been alright.
But the more Nagy utilizes Cohen and understands how crucial he is to Chicago's offensive success, the better off the Bears will be.
You aren't going to puncture the Chargers' defense by just running straight at them and being vanilla. You have to be able to keep them off balance, and Cohen is the perfect guy to achieve that feat.
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