Velus not part of Bears' offensive plan in loss vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Velus Jones Jr.'s NFL debut came and went with a whimper. Had it not been for a costly muffed punt, you'd have hardly noticed the third-round pick was active Sunday in the Bears' 20-12 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
Given the Bears' myriad of passing game issues, the belief was that Jones' game-breaking speed could help the Bears open up the offense and make life easier for wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet.
But Jones wasn't part of the Bears' offensive game plan in the Meadowlands. The Tennessee product, by way of USC, saw zero offensive snaps. Ihmir Smith-Marsette got the snaps as the Bears' No. 4 wide receiver, playing six of 62 offensive snaps.
Jones hoped he would have more of an opportunity to help the struggling Bears offense.
"Wherever they need me to be," Jones said after the loss. "I'll be ready for receiver on offense and be ready at returner. Wherever my coaches need me to be."
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Sunday was the Bears' most effective passing game of the season, but that isn't saying much.
Quarterback Justin Fields went 11-for-22 for 174 yards, but the Bears' offense went 0-for-3 in the red zone and also stalled out at the Giants' 22-yard line, effectively making them 0-for-4 in scoring opportunities.
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Perhaps having a game-breaker like Jones on the field could have helped make life easier for Fields and the pass game. The only thing that's clear is that everything has to get better.
"I think we’ve just got to be more consistent," Fields said. "Whether it’s me, whether it’s O-line, whether it’s the receivers. Some plays, we’re all on the same page, we’re all executing great, and then some plays, we aren’t. The biggest thing with that, you know, is just consistency."
Now that he has got his feet wet in the NFL, perhaps the Bears will look to utilize Jones more on offense when they visit the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5.
Here's the snap count from the Bears' loss to the Giants:
Quarterback: Justin Fields 62
Running back: Khalil Herbert 48, Khari Blasingame 16, Trestan Ebner 14
Wide receiver: Equanimeous St. Brown 59, Darnell Mooney 53, Dante Pettis 36, Ihmir Smith-Marsette 6
Tight ends: Cole Kmet 61, Trevon Wesco 16, Jake Tonges 1
Offensive line: Braxton Jones 62, Larry Borom 62, Sam Mustipher 62, Lucas Patrick 50, Teven Jenkins 47, Cody Whitehair 27
Defensive line: Robert Quinn 43, Justin Jones 40, Angelo Blackson 36, Al-Quadin Muhammad 35, Dominique Robinson 28, Trevis Gipson 28, Armon Watts 26, Mike Pennel 24
Linebackers: Roquan Smith 65, Nicholas Morrow 65, Joe Thomas 40
Defensive backs: Eddie Jackson 65, Jaquan Brisker 65, Kyler Gordon 65, Kindle Vildor 65, Jaylon Jones 25
Special Teams: DeAndre Houston-Carson 25, Thomas 25, Josh Blackwell 20, Elijah Hicks 20, Sterling Weatherford 20, Jack Sanborn 18, Lamar Jackson 15, Blasingame 15, Trenton Gill 14, Jaylon Jones 13, Velus Jones 11, Darrynton Evans 10, Ebner 10, Patrick Scales 9, Blackson 9, Kmet 9, Brisker 6, Gordon 6, Morrow 6, Vildor 6, Justin Jones 6, Muhammad 6, Wesco 5, Robinson 5, Gipson 5, Jenkins 4, Borom 4, Mustipher 4, Braxton Jones 4, Riley Reiff 4, Michael Badgley 4, Patrick 2, Whitehair 2, Smith 1, Quinn 1, Watts 1
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