The Bears got a monster game from Alshon Jeffery in Sunday’s loss to the Saints and it came in large part because New Orleans shut down Brandon Marshall.
Marshall had four catches for 30 yards and a touchdown on five throws his way, continuing a three-game trend that’s seen defenses successfully stop Marshall from making big plays in the passing game. Marshall admitted to feeling frustrated by the extra attention that defenses have been paying him and put the onus on himself to make things work better in the future.
“I have to do a better job of putting myself in position to beat double coverage and try to make myself more quarterback-friendly, so I can make a play for our offense,” Marshall said, via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “So the past few weeks have been frustrating.”
Bears coach Marc Trestman said he needs to do more to get Marshall involved, but big games from Jeffery may be just the ticket to get things rolling for all the receivers. Teams may continue to prioritize stopping Marshall, although they’ll be doing it at the risk of letting Jeffery get free for 10 catches and 218 yards. The Saints were able to survive, but it is a dangerous way to live defensively.
Marshall wasn’t critical of what the Bears have done the last few weeks, saying that they’re doing “what’s best for the team.” A productive Marshall is part of what’s best for the team and Jeffery’s emergence should help restore it.