The Chicago Bears will attempt to carry an finish to their three-game shedding streak Sunday after they play the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields has led the offense in averaging 30.3 factors per recreation the final three weeks, however a struggling protection and the offense’s incapability to come back by means of on clutch second-half drives have saved the Bears out of the win column in that stretch.
As kickoff approaches, right here’s our snapshot have a look at the sport.
1. Player within the highlight
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson
Johnson strained an indirect through the Week 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins, an damage that lingered by means of the following week and hampered him throughout Sunday’s house loss to the Detroit Lions.
Johnson struggled bodily and in protection at occasions, most notably when he was overwhelmed by receiver Tom Kennedy for a 44-yard acquire on the Lions’ game-winning 91-yard landing drive within the ultimate minutes. Johnson stated his indirect bothered him “from Play 1.”
“My biggest limitations (were) my explosiveness, my quick twitch,” he stated. “Really just being able to move, you need your core. And when you’re pressing and making certain breaks and certain movements, it was taking a lot out of me and not being able to move at my full potential.”
Johnson has not been on the damage report this week, a sign he shall be nearer to full power towards the Falcons. Coordinator Alan Williams has zero nervousness about his prime cornerback’s capability to rebound.
“When Jaylon hasn’t performed up to his standards, you can almost bet the next week is going to be better,” Williams stated. “He’s prideful, he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s mentally stable. I guarantee you this week will be better than last week.”
As irritating as Kennedy’s large catch was late within the recreation, Johnson was much more agitated by the hands to the face penalty he drew within the fourth quarter from the jam he placed on receiver Trinity Benson, a penalty the league since has apologized for. That name, although, negated a Jack Sanborn interception, and the Lions scored a landing on the following snap.
When Johnson was requested if there was any teaching level to that sequence, he laughed.
“It was more teach tape than anything,” he stated. “I feel like you should coach others to do what I did. I feel like that was a clean play.”
2. Pressing query
How will the Bears cease Cordarrelle Patterson and the Falcons operating recreation?
Bears followers are conversant in what a particular athlete Patterson is from his two years in Chicago as an All-Pro returner. But during the last two seasons, the Falcons have been in a position to make use of Patterson on offense higher than any crew has throughout his 10-year profession with 5 groups.
He totaled 618 dashing yards and 6 touchdowns and 548 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in 2021 and this yr has 402 dashing yards and 5 touchdowns and 39 receiving yards.
“He’s, respectfully, an alien,” Williams stated. “There aren’t many guys on the planet which can be that large, that quick that may do all that he does.
“You talk about a receiver that has the whole route tree, he’s a running back that has the whole — I’m just making this up — the run tree so to speak, that he runs inside, he runs outside, he runs powers. So it’s not one thing where you say, ‘Hey, when he’s in there, he’s going to be running perimeter runs.’ He runs them all, so you have to defend him like a running back. And then when they put him out wide, you have to defend him like a receiver.”
The Bears have extra to fret about than simply Patterson. The Falcons are averaging 160.4 dashing yards per recreation and 4.89 per play utilizing a number of gamers — Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley, Avery Williams and quarterback Marcus Mariota.
That’s a troublesome check for a Bears run protection that ranks within the backside third of the league.
“They run with a sense of urgency, and that’s what they’re going to try to attack us with,” Bears security Eddie Jackson stated. “We already know that. So we’ve just got to be in our gaps, play our keys and be ready to tackle.”
3. Keep a watch on …
Not lengthy after the Bears’ loss to the Lions, Justin Fields was requested how he was feeling. “I’m hurting pretty bad,” he stated, “not really from hits but just my legs are kind of sore.”
It was a notable admission from a participant who has been carrying the offense for the previous month. The NFL’s sixth main rusher, Fields has carried the ball 104 occasions this season and 62 occasions over the 5 video games. That’s not an unfathomable workload by any means. But for the Bears’ most vital participant, that soreness requires monitoring in addition to changes through the week.
Fields offered an replace on that entrance Wednesday afternoon.
“My legs just felt heavy after the game,” he stated. “The guys on our strength staff said my load has been pretty high. So (we’ve) just been doing a little bit of tapering back this week in practice.”
Coordinator Luke Getsy acknowledged Bears coaches must maintain a pulse on how Fields is feeling and the way a lot he’s taking over. “Definitely,” Getsy stated. “We’re mindful of that for sure.”
Fields’ pace and explosion has been apparent lately. He has 5 landing runs during the last 4 video games, together with a touch of 61 yards towards the Miami Dolphins and one for 67 yards towards the Lions. He has topped 100 yards dashing in every of the previous two video games.
No one is anticipating the Bears to instantly pound the brakes. Still, to maintain Fields’ progress on the upward arc, no measure is simply too small.
4. Settling in
Those hoping for a much bigger dose of broad receiver Chase Claypool in Week 10 had been dissatisfied.
Claypool, whom the Bears acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers by way of commerce on Nov. 1, performed 19 snaps towards the Lions and had one catch for 8 yards in two targets.
Getsy and Fields stated Claypool is working to get settled within the offense.
“He’s having to learn a lot, and he’s done a tremendous job,” Getsy stated. “To pick up as much as he’s done in two weeks is pretty impressive, so the opportunities will just continue to grow. His role continues to grow, and we’re on the right track.”
Wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert stated they’ve a much bigger bundle for Claypool this week, and Fields stated they put in further work each day after follow to get him in control.
This week represents one other alternative to get the passing recreation going. The Falcons have the worst passing protection within the NFL, permitting 280.1 yards per recreation and seven.39 yards per play.
“He’s coming in and having to memorize the offense, memorize the formations and not really having that base or foundation like the other guys on the offense have,” Fields stated. “You have to work him in slowly. Our routes have a lot of details in them, so it’s tough for him to come in and learn every little detail of every route. Just working him in on the plays that he does have and trying to execute the best we can.”
5. Injury report
The Bears shall be with out operating again Khalil Herbert, who went on injured reserve this week with a hip damage. Wide receiver N’Keal Harry (sickness) and security Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) additionally will miss the sport.
Bears proper guard Teven Jenkins (hip), defensive finish Al-Quadin Muhammad (knee) and cornerback Kindle Vildor (ankle) all practiced in full Friday and are listed as questionable.
Jenkins missed the Lions recreation with the damage, which he stated he has been managing since earlier than Week 1.
“I’m just trying to get back to where I can play football and manage it at the same time,” Jenkins stated. “There are certain movements you have to test to make sure you’re able to do game movements, like sit-down bull rushes. There are going to be big guys out there that are going to test your hips.”
Tight finish Cole Kmet is nice to go after struggling a thigh bruise within the Lions recreation.
“Just continue to get in the training room, taking care of my body, eating right, just doing the normal things I usually do,” Kmet stated. “No worries about it. I’ll be full go by Sunday.”
The Falcons dominated out tight finish Felipe Franks (calf). Safety Erik Harris (foot) and cornerback A.J. Terrell (hamstring) are questionable.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (5-5)
In many respects, the Bears and Falcons are mirror photographs, and that has nothing to do with the acquainted faces throughout the Atlanta group. The Bears are No. 1 within the league in dashing and Atlanta is No. 4. The Bears are thirty second in cross makes an attempt and the Falcons are simply forward of them at thirty first as every offense tries to choose and select its spot for play-action and downfield throwing. Both defenses have a tough time towards the run, wrestle to hurry the quarterback and don’t get off the sphere on third down. Losing operating again Khalil Herbert for at least 4 video games can’t be neglected, however this can be a large spot for David Montgomery to showcase himself with seven video games to go till he’s a free agent, and Justin Fields must be amped to return to his house state. As unhealthy because the Bears run protection has been — it ranks twenty eighth — they’ve allowed solely 172 yards on 54 carries (3.19 per try) within the final two weeks. Maybe meaning they will corral ex-Bear Cordarrelle Patterson.
Bears 24, Falcons 20
Colleen Kane (6-4)
After the previous couple of weeks, it’s laborious to believe in a Bears protection that hasn’t stopped anybody, and the Falcons operating recreation goes to be an enormous check. But the Falcons protection is giving up almost 400 yards per recreation, together with 280 passing yards. That ought to assist the Bears and quarterback Justin Fields, taking part in in his house state, put collectively one other spectacular offensive efficiency. Perhaps meaning Fields can take the following step and engineer a clutch fourth-quarter drive. Then Bears followers might rejoice each their quarterback and a win in the identical week. Wouldn’t that be one thing?
Bears 30, Falcons 27
Dan Wiederer (6-4)
It’s solely a matter of time earlier than Justin Fields’ scorching streak ends in an energizing victory. And what higher timing than again in Fields’ house state towards the crew he grew up rooting for. The Falcons simply aren’t excellent. And this appears like a gap, on a quick monitor, for Fields and the Bears offense to proceed showcasing their progress and explosion.
Bears 30, Falcons 27
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Source: www.bostonherald.com