Chicago Bears Week 8: What To Look For

Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

 Bears secondary must get the job done. 

The Chicago Bears’ secondary made Ryan Tannehill look like…well, Tom Brady. This week, they face the real thing. If there are holes in that secondary, Brady will find it.

The secondary needs to play well on Sunday. The defensive line did a very good job last week, getting four sacks (though 3.5 of them came from Jeremiah Ratliff), and holding Lamar Miller to 3.3 yards per carry.

The secondary, again, looked lost. They were missing tackles and allowing Tannehill to complete his first 14 passes and 19 of his first 20. If they don’t tighten up, Brady will really embarrass them.

Cornerback Kyle Fuller, who has arguably been the Bears’ best secondary player, had a hip pointer and a broken hand in the Dolphins game. His broken hand will not need surgery, thankfully, and he is listed as day-to-day. It remains to be seen how he plays with that hand. He led the league in interceptions and forced fumbles before the injury, but how confident will he be in his hand now?

I have no explanation for the missed tackles. This is basic stuff that is gone over in Pee Wee football, yet the Chicago Bears defenders have trouble with tackling. It is crucial, because a play that should go for two or three yards can end up going twenty or thirty on a missed tackle.

At safety, the Bears should use Brock Vereen more. He will have a family reunion with his brother Shane Vereen. Brock started last week and had five tackles.

I have been a critic of Chris Conte. I don’t see how he still has a job, even when last year he was rated as one of the worst safeties in the NFL. He takes bad angles, and misses too many tackles.

Even his staunchest supporters have to agree that Vereen is the future for the Bears. He should be getting more time on the field. We will see how it goes in that shaky secondary.