Chicago Bears Week 11: What To Look For
Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears defense must get to Teddy Bridgewater early and often.
Yes, the Bears got embarrassed in their last two games, giving up over 50 points in each. To be fair, this is a bad defense, but they went up against two of the top offenses, led by two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
In the Minnesota Vikings and Teddy Bridgewater, the Bears are not facing that. They do not have a high-powered offense to say the least.
The Vikings rank 27th in total yards per game, and 26th in points per game. They struggle to move the ball, and they struggle putting points up on the board.
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One important thing that is great news for the Bears is the Vikings offensive line. They rank 28th in the league in sacks allowed. This should be good for the Bears’ pass rushers. They should be able to put some pressure on the rookie Bridgewater.
It will be interesting to see if Jared Allen can get on track against his former team. After getting 11 1/2 sacks last year with the Vikings, he has just 1 1/2 with the Bears this season.
The Bears need to put immense pressure on Bridgewater. They need to force him to make quick decisions before he wants to. Rookies do not respond to pressure like established veterans do, especially veterans like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
If Allen and the rest of the Bears defensive line can have a big game, not just getting sacks, but just putting a lot of pressure on Bridgewater, the secondary can get a break, and the defense can get some turnovers, giving the Bears offense a short field a few times. That would make it easier on the struggling offense to score.
Bridgewater has shown some poise, so if the Bears cannot put the pressure on him, he may be able to join the growing list of quarterbacks burning their defense.
Next: The Bears cannot get into an early hole.