3 years ago
338
(CBS Chicago) — Aaron Rodgers inactive owns the Chicago Bears. He said arsenic overmuch to the assemblage astatine Soldier Field Sunday afternoon, aft erstwhile again proving it connected the field. The Green Bay Packers backmost torched the Bears for 2 touchdown passes, portion going 17-23 for 195 yards. He ran successful different touchdown, arsenic the Packers topped the Bears, 24-14. Rodgers’ counterpart Justin Fields’ numbers weren’t that overmuch worse — 16-27 for 174 yards, with 1 TD and 1 interception — but determination was nary confusing the promising rookie with the Hall of Fame-worthy veteran.
Fields volition conscionable different fable this Sunday, erstwhile the 3-3 Bears caput to Tampa Bay to look Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. Brady and the Bucs dispensed with Philadelphia Eagles and their young QB Jalen Hurts, 28-22, successful Week 6’s Thursday nighttime crippled to propulsion their grounds to 5-1. The 44-year-old wasn’t arsenic ascendant arsenic he’s seemed astatine times this season. But helium made plays erstwhile helium had to, including a third-down walk to Antonio Brown precocious successful the 4th fourth to prolong a thrust and unafraid the win. The Bucs defence truthful thoroughly smothered Hurts that giving the shot backmost whitethorn not person mattered. But wherefore instrumentality the chance?
The Bears vanilla discourtesy hasn’t truly moved the shot overmuch this season, mostly due to the fact that of the passing game. And that is by design. Fields volition look for betterment erstwhile helium faces Tampa’s top-10 defense.
“They’re being precise astute successful however they usage Justin Fields,” said Phil Simms, workplace expert connected The NFL Today. “It’s conservative. Let’s tally the ball. Let’s shorten the game. And erstwhile they propulsion the ball, it’s down the field. And wherefore bash they propulsion it down the tract truthful much? Because that’s the easiest happening for a young backmost to do. When you propulsion it down the field, you fto him get heavy drops truthful helium tin spot what’s down there. But besides the defence spreads out. It’s easier to work who’s unfastened and who’s not. The speedy passing crippled is sometimes wherever you get successful occupation arsenic a quarterback. So I truly similar what the Bears person done. The borderline of mistake is simply a batch slimmer with the mode they’re playing. But they’re doing a truly bully happening with a rookie quarterback. Let’s don’t fto the rookie backmost bushed us. Let’s spell retired determination and prolong games and spot what we tin do. And it’s worked good for them the past mates of weeks.”
Fields has topped 200 yards done the aerial conscionable erstwhile truthful far, and that happened against the winless Detroit Lions.
“It instrumentality subject to bash what they’ve done, and it’s fixed their squad the champion accidental to win,” Simms elaborated. “Yes, helium is not throwing to the close feline sometimes. He has missed throws down the tract too. But that’s going to close itself. His size, his quality to run, which we truly haven’t seen them instrumentality vantage of. It’s each astir him scrambling. The beardown limb has decidedly shown up erstwhile I’ve watched him this year. I deliberation that’s 1 of the reasons wherefore they’re designing a batch of plays wherever the throws are 15 to 20 yards. And helium lets it go. I deliberation that’s 1 of his large strengths. Over time, and it won’t instrumentality long, he’ll larn touch, however to propulsion it astatine antithetic levels. And they’ll unfastened this discourtesy dilatory arsenic they spell along.”
In the meantime, the Bears person to trust heavy connected the tally game. But erstwhile it stalls and Fields indispensable transportation much of the load, the discourtesy doesn’t spell anywhere. The Cleveland Browns held the Bears to a paltry 46 yards connected the ground, and Fields managed lone 68 much yards done the aerial connected 6-20 passing. David Montgomery’s genu wounded hasn’t helped the rushing attack. But Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams person proved productive successful his absence.
READ MORE: Fantasy Football Start Or Sit Week 7: Can Matt Ryan Take Advantage Of The Dolphins' Defense?
Can the Bears discourtesy get going against the ascendant Bucs defense? This portion allows 335.7 yards and 24 points per game, arsenic compared to the Packers’ 315 yards and 22.7 points. Most of that is done the air. Their tally defence gives up 55.7 yards per crippled connected the ground, the lowest successful the league. The Bucs walk defence is susceptible to giving up yards though. And with the injuries piling up successful the secondary, a competent backmost should beryllium capable to determination the ball. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting are connected injured reserve, portion Richard Sherman suffered a hamstring wounded aboriginal successful past week’s game. Safety Antoine Winfield started disconnected the week successful concussion protocol. And the walk unreserved has lone sacked the backmost 12 times connected the season, among the bottommost fractional of NFL teams.
The Bucs defence doesn’t person to beryllium ascendant to triumph games. It simply needs to bounds opportunities and enactment the shot backmost successful Brady’s hands. “Since Tom Brady has been down there, this discourtesy has changed,” Simms noted. “They made it little predictable, that’s for sure. More abbreviated passes, much things to it. Tom Brady’s brought his power to it. With Byron Leftwich and Bruce Arians and what they judge in. Put that each together, we conscionable spot a large NFL offense.”
The Bucs discourtesy is averaging a steadfast 426 yards and 32.5 points per game, some 3rd champion successful the NFL. Most of that has travel done the air, wherever Brady is putting up a league-leading 344 yards per game. He has completed 68.5 percent of his passes, including 17 TDs against conscionable 3 interceptions. His completions thin to beryllium dispersed evenly among his trio of dynamic wideouts. Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, and Chris Godwin each person implicit 40 catches and 400 yards. Tight extremity Rob Gronkowski, a long-time favourite of Brady, has been retired since Week 3, but Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard person seen much enactment of late. And moving backmost Leonard Fournette remains a utile limb connected the crushed and done the air.
“I deliberation each squad needs that benignant of runner,” Simms said of Fournette. “Having a large moving backmost who tin get each those yards and interruption tackles successful definite situations that we spot each squad successful a batch successful this NFL season. Every clip you crook around, it’s 3rd and two, 4th and one. What are we going to do? When you person a pulling defender backmost determination moving the shot similar Leonard Fournette, it truly helps. And helium seems to beryllium highly motivated. You tin spot he’s pouring everything into each run.”
That’s a batch for the Bears defence (or immoderate defense) to contend with. Still, the portion has been coagulated this play nether caller antiaircraft coordinator Sean Desai, an accomplishment considering their offense’s difficulties sustaining drives and staying connected the field. The Bears defence gives up conscionable 218.7 yards per crippled against the pass, bully capable for apical 10 successful the league. Linebacker Roquan Smith has piled up 62 tackles. Linebacker Khalil Mack has six of the team’s NFL-leading 21 sacks (along with the Minnesota Vikings).
Mack and institution volition request to support bringing that unit against the Bucs. That’s easier said than done against Tampa’s violative line. “It’s a big, diversion run-blocking pass-blocking violative line,” Simms said. “It’s a top-five enactment I guess, conscionable disconnected the apical of my head. So for the Bears defense, that’s the large question. How tin you lucifer it? Can you tin you get to the backmost somehow? So galore answers to it. Hard to get to the backmost erstwhile helium has truthful galore weapons too.”
The Bears play the Buccaneers Sunday, October 24 @ 4:25 p.m. ET connected CBS.
English (US) ·