Chicago Bears: Why Jordan Howard is key to a win on Sunday
By Clay Swallow
The Chicago Bears open their season Sunday against their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers, and Jordan Howard is the key to a victory.
With the Chicago Bears opening up their season against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday, there will be a few matchups within the game that will determine the Bears’ success. One of the most important is Jordan Howard vs. the Packers front seven. There are three reasons that Howard can be the determining factor during this Sunday’s game.
The first reason is that if Howard and the offensive line can control the line of scrimmage and get the ground game going, it will open things up immensely for Mitch Trubisky. For a young quarterback, having a solid running game is key for his success, so if Howard is on his game it makes things a lot easier for Trubisky.
Another reason is that if the Bears are running the ball well, it will allow them to control the pace of the game. It is no secret that the Bears probably can’t beat the Packers in a shootout, but a slow-paced ground and pound game will give them a good chance of winning.
Howard and the offensive line can wear down the front seven of the Packers as well as work over the middle in the short passing game. If Howard can get one-on-one matchups with a linebacker, the Bears should feel very good about him being able to create separation on pass routes. Being able to control the pace of the game is key for a Bears win.
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The third, and probably most important reason is that by controlling the pace of the game with Howard, they can limit Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense’s time on the field. If the Bears can win the time of possession battle, they have a better shot at pulling out the win. The Packers defense is the weak point of their team, so by having them on the field more than their offense, you limit how many scoring opportunities they might get.
All in all, if the Bears are going to have a shot this Sunday, they are going to have to heavily rely on Howard to be the key piece in their offensive attack. If Howard ends up with around 150 yards from scrimmage and the Bears win the time of possession battle, they will have a much better chance of winning the game.