Chicago Bears Week 5: What To Look For
The Chicago Bears got punched in the mouth by their bully tormentors, the Green Bay Packers. They must lick their wounds, get over it and take out their frustrations on a beat-up Carolina Panthers team.
The Bears have suffered through a lot of injuries this season. So have the Panthers, however. Cam Newton had ankle surgery and he suffered a rib injury that has slowed him down.
Also, the Panthers are down THREE RUNNING BACKS. Darrin Reaves will be the starter after being picked off the practice squad two weeks ago. His backup will be Chris Ogbonnaya, who was signed off the street on Monday.
The Panthers should be a team that will help the Bears get back on track and feel good about themselves. Of course, this being the Chicago Bears, nothing is set in stone. Let’s take a look at key matchups in the game:
Bears must get it done in the red zone.
The Panthers rank dead last in red zone defense. They rank 31st in touchdowns allowed in the red zone, allowing 80 percent.
This plays into the Bears’ hands. They rank second in scoring touchdowns in the red zone, scoring on 71.43 percent of their red zone trips. Jay Cutler has a passer rating of 107.4 in the red zone, throwing 10 touchdowns there. The Bears need to take advantage of this.
Of course, the Bears need to get to the red zone. Cutler has to be cool in the pocket like he has been on the road this season. Avoiding costly turnovers will get the Bears into the red zone, where Carolina just won’t be able to stop them.
Conversely, the Chicago Bears red zone defense should feast on the Panthers, who also rank last in red zone offense.
Bears defensive line must get to Cam Newton.
The Bears have had trouble for the most part with mobile quarterbacks who use the read option. This could be used to describe Newton, but with his rib and ankle injuries, he doesn’t like to run like he used to in the past. With the running backs
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being so thin for the Panthers, the offense will be put on Cam’s shoulders.
Therefore, the Bears have to get to him. They have to knock him around.They don’t necessarily need sacks, but knockdowns, rushes, etc. The more uncomfortable they make Newton, the better the results for the Bears.
Newton has had his receivers taken away from him, so the Bears should make him make decisions faster than he wants to, without being completely in sync with his receiving corps.
With the running backs being so thin for the Panthers, the offense will be put on Cam’s shoulders.
The return of Jared Allen should help, but he is coming back from pneumonia, which knocked 15 pounds off of him, so his strength is a question. In any case, he will surely draw attention, and that has helped the line when he is there.
There is no word on whether or not Jay Ratliff will play, but he did start practicing, after dealing with a concussion. The line is different with Ratliff in there, and he could be valuable in putting pressure on Newton and roughing him up a bit.
Brandon Marshall must be Brandon Marshall.
Marshall has not been the same in the last two games dealing with his ankle sprain. He had just one catch for six yards against the New York Jets, and caught two passes for 19 yards and a touchdown against the Packers.
Marshall has to go all out.
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Marshall received some criticism for not talking to the media after the Packers loss last week. He broke his silence on “Inside the NFL” and talked about his lack of words with the media. “When the media asks for your time, you better give it to them,” he said. “They’re killing me right now. But I have to say, these people in Chicago really treated me good. I need to give them more.”
Coach Marc Trestman called out Marshall, saying the second Cutler interception occurred because Marshall ran the wrong route.
I have to say that Marshall should be lauded for his control. With his condition, he processes things differently. In the past, he would go off and then get in trouble. He took his time to be able to get back, and if it took too long for some, that is their problem.
With that being said, Marshall did participate fully in practice, so he may be better. With the bad Panthers defense, Marshall can take advantage of them and have a big day.
A returner must step up and get some yards.
The Bears returning has been horrible for them this season. They rank 28th and 26th in kickoff and punt returns. They are getting practically no returns on a consistent basis.
It is important for an offense to get good starting points when they start a series. On
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kickoff returns, Cutler and company are starting inside the 20 on too many occasions. You cannot expect a team to be able to continue to go on 85 to 90 yard drives and score touchdowns. I’m not asking that the returner put the ball on the opponents’ 10, but is getting to the 25 or 30 too much to ask?
The Bears signed Chris Williams off of the practice squad. Trestman likes Williams, who had success as a returner in the Canadian Football League. The speedster was to be the leading candidate for the returner job, but he hurt his hamstring in the first preseason game, and it hurt his chances going on.
Williams is now fully healthy and will get another chance, this time a baptism by fire. It counts now, so he has to be ready.
The Bears also picked up Teddy Williams, another speedster. Perhaps the two will fight it out, or Williams may be looked at as the punt returner.
Either way, one of these players should make a mark. The Bears offense needs a short field once in awhile. People are looking at what Devin Hester is doing in Atlanta, and may start asking questions.
It should be another exciting game for the Bears. The last time they faced the Panthers, in 2012, they had to use a fourth quarter comeback to steal a victory. Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that in Carolina.