Chicago Bears: Sunday’s game vs. the Dolphins isn’t a trap game

The Chicago Bears will head to Miami on Sunday to face the 3-2 Dolphins. Some fans believe this is a trap game with a big matchup against the New England Patriots looming in week seven.

The Chicago Bears are atop the NFC North division for the first time in a long time, and things are finally looking up for the Monsters of the Midway. The team features an elite defense and a young quarterback that may have more confidence than ever coming off a big game. The team heads to Miami this week, and many think the Bears will overlook the Dolphins. I believe they won’t.

Six weeks into the season, the Bears are looking more and more like a playoff contender rather than the perennial losers they were accustomed to being in the last few years. They have a huge opportunity to bolster their NFC North lead with the other teams in their division all at .500 or lower. I doubt the Bears will think they have this game in the bag under these circumstances.

The Miami Dolphins started out the season hot at 3-0, but have dropped back-to-back games against the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Dolphins led the Bengals by 17 points in the second half last week and ended up blowing the game. This left fans and analysts obviously frustrated.

The Dolphins defense has performed well to start the season. They were shutting out the Bengals for much of the game last week until the team collapsed and gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter. The Bears have to know this matchup won’t be as easy as the week four game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where quarterback Mitch Trubisky went off with six touchdowns.

There’s definitely a reason for people to consider this matchup a trap game. The Bears will be back in Chicago during week seven for a huge matchup against the defending AFC champion Patriots. With superstar quarterback Tom Brady going up against Khalil Mack and the rest of the Bears defense, it would be a really impressive win if the Bears could get it done.

While I understand the concern of some fans about the Bears only focusing on the Patriots game, I doubt new coach Matt Nagy will have this team underprepared coming off a bye week. It’s important for Nagy to keep improving his play calling on offense and show that he can grow into an elite offensive mind in the NFL. There’s no reason for him to take his foot off the gas now.

Furthermore, It’s not like the Dolphins are 0-5 and the Bears are going into the game thinking they can’t lose. This Miami team is still in second place in the AFC East with a lot to play for. The Dolphins are getting healthier with defensive end Cameron Wake and wide receiver DeVante Parker close to returning from injury. It would be foolish for the Bears to take them lightly.

Dolphins coach Adam Gase was the offensive coordinator for the Bears in the 2015 season. The team had a resurgent offense that year that Bears players loved to play in. Gase may be even more motivated to get his guys back on track against his former team. Hopefully, the Bears realize there are no easy matchups in the NFL, and this is definitely not close to an easy win.

It’s a big week for the Bears, who could improve their record to 4-1 with a key road win. It’s going to be a fight, and I’m confident the Bears know that going into this game. If they pull off the win, they’ll remain alone atop the NFC North coming into a marquee matchup at Soldier Field. Keep checking Da Windy City for pregame and postgame updates.