The Big Number: 17.6

17.6 -- the Bears third down conversion rate. Chicago is last in the league -- by far -- in successfully converting on third downs.

13 -- times the Bears have converted on third down, another category where they . That works out to just over two times a game, but they've had entire games -- like last week's match-up with the Seahawks -- where they haven't converted on a single third down.

Those numbers make it incredibly unsurprising that the Bears are in the lower half of the league in points per game, and fourth from the bottom in yards per game. Consider how much more the Bears could have done if they would have converted just one or two more times a game. Even if Jay Cutler and Co. wouldn't have been able to get a touchdown, with better field position, Robbie Gould would have been able to kick field goals and put points on the board.

A successful football team does not rely on big plays. They can move the ball down the field and eat up the clock by winning with a series of first downs. When the Bears offense get on and off the field so quickly, they're not giving themselves a chance to score and they're also putting too much pressure on the defense.  Of all the problems the Bears have, fixing their inability to convert on third down is job one. 

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