Matt Forte proved his early season struggles weren't an issue in Week 4

Week 4 was pretty tough for me. I'm in first place in my fantasy league, but I lost to the last place team by 2 points. Ouch. Oh yeah, and the Bears had an embarssing Week 4 loss to Green Bay. But let's not talk about how much our defense stunk, as I predicted.

If there was any consolation about the Bears Week 4 loss to Green Bay, it was that Matt Forte's early season struggles are behind him. After 82, 21, and 33 rushing yards in Weeks 1-3, Matt rushed for an an astounding 122 yards on 23 carries in Week 4 against the Packers.

The big question coming into Week 4 (besides the obvious, "Will Jay finally beat Green Bay?") was "What was causing Matt Forte's rushing struggles this season?"

A lot of people say it's the depleted offensive line that's caused Forte to struggle. With Brian de la Puente in at center for Roberto Garza and Michael Ola in at left guard for Matt Slausen, questions about Jay's protection in the pocket and Forte's rushing numbers arose.

However, people fail to realize that Cutler was only sacked 8 times through 4 games. 8 sacks is the NFL average! I don't think the offense line is to blame for Forte's struggles.

Chicago's depleted offensive line was not the cause of Matt Forte's early season struggles.

A lot of people put the blame on Matt Forte himself. He turned 28 a month ago. Is he going to hit a statistical wall, no longer being able to maintain his reputation as a much-better-than-average back? No, no, no. These Bears fans are the impatient, untrue, disloyal people that call themselves "fans."

Let me tell you: Forte is not declining; at least not yet. Don't expect him to break down next year, either, barring an injury of some sort. Forte is still elite.

It's not Matt Forte's fault he was struggling in Weeks 1-3. 

Others point at Marc Trestman, calling too many passing plays for Jay Cutler - opting to throw rather than to run. Coming in to Week 4, the Bears called a pass play 70% of the time, making them the least balanced NFL team at that point. When Forte only gets 12 carries in Week 2 and 13 carries in Week 3, these fans have a point.

Because Matt Forte rushed for 122 when given a plentiful 23 carries. And when you have a back like Forte, it's okay give him 20 carries. But considering the Bears have Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Martellus Bennett at their disposal, giving Forte 20 carries is probably something Marc Trestman is not willing to do.

Heck, I can't blame Trestman for throwing to the 6'3" Alshon Jeffery, the 6'4" Brandon Marshall, and the 6'5" Martellus Bennett.

But I can blame him for throwing it 70% of the time. What other teams have their elite rusher making a carry less than 1/3 of the time?

We can put some of the blame on Trestman. But not all. Mostly, it's not Trestman to blame.

So, yes, some of the blame can be put on Trestman. But Marc is not the main reason why Forte was sruggling. Most of the blame cannot be put on Trestman. Most of it his not his fault. The big, main reason why Forte struggled in Weeks 1-3 was not Trestman's fault. It wasn't even in Trestman's control.

So it's not the o-line. It's not Forte. It's not really Trestman, either. What was to blame?

Forte's tough, unfriendly matchups in three of the top five run defenses in the league was the main cause of Matt's sruggles.

As mentioned in my last post, the Bears defense looked better than they really are because of a friendly matchup with the offensively-challenged Jets. Likewise, Matt Forte, third in the NFL in yards from scrimmage last year, looked pretty bad in Weeks 1-3. But my contention has always been that Forte looked extra poor because of unfriendly matchups with the Bills, 49ers, and Jets. Per ESPN.com, Buffalo, San Francisco, and New York all rank in the top 5 in the NFL for fewest rushing yards or touchdowns scored against them this season.

Naturally, I expected Forte to turn it around and bounce back against the Packers (most rushing yards allowed in the NFL, 2nd most rushing TDs allowed).

I think it's safe to say he did.

I think it's also safe to say that the early season struggles weren't a fluke. It's safe to say that Forte will put up Forte-like numbers for the rest of the year.

Matt Forte's struggles in Weeks 1-3 will not be an issue for the rest of the year.

Bears fans, you can deeply exhale again. Matt Forte is fine. He proved that in Week 4 albeit a loss.

Matt Forte returned to his swift ways despite a brutal Week 4 loss.