Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on October 24, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The 4-2 Chicago Bears, fresh off of a 23-20 loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field last Sunday will host the 3-3 Washington Redskins.  The Redskins lost to the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 on Sunday Night Football.

This game features two teams that are much closer to one another than many people think. Both of them have great quarterbacks, a decent defense and good special teams.  The Redskins have played most every opponent close this season and are starting to look better. The Bears have played their opponents close as well but seem to be going backwards on both sides of the ball.

So which team will come out ahead in this game? Will the Bears be able to get things together and have some success or will Washington give them two losses in a row and make the Bears head into their bye week with a loss on their minds?

Let’s find out in this in-depth preview of the Bears-Redskins game this Sunday.

When the Bears have the Ball

Want to hear something that you have heard time and time again? There are definitely issues on the Bear’s offensive line. Fans know it, the media knows it and even others in the NFL know it, but the Bears are pretty much afraid to admit it. We have seen what kind of damage the lack of a good offensive line can do. We have already seen quarterback Jay Cutler knocked out of a game (and then miss another) due to a concussion. We have seen him get hurried into throwing bad passes and we have seen him get sacked.

We have talked about how the Bears can fix their problems on the offensive line as well as their passing game and hopefully they will be able get things together this week and play much better. They will be starting the same line combination from last week, so perhaps a second start with the same group will help solidify this unit and help prevent it from making so many mistakes.

The thing that will really help the Bears this Sunday is running the football. Washington is allowing an average of 121 yards per game and the Bears need to take advantage of this. Through six games, Chicago is averaging 92 yards on the ground per game, but most of their yardage came in their game against the Panthers.

What does establishing the running game do for the Bears?  First, it helps to take some of the pressure off of Cutler who has been under a lot of it lately. It also keeps the defense off balance because they cannot key in on the Bears just passing the ball. It helps take away the pass rush and gives Cutler more time to throw the ball. The Bears have to do this in order to get the ball down the field and protect their quarterback.

Using the tight end more would really help Chicago out. Remember when they had success throwing to tight end Greg Olsen over the middle early on in the season?  Olsen has great speed and can outrun a lot of center field defenders, so throwing him the ball in the middle would be a great option.

Using running back Chester Taylor more, especially on third downs and passing downs, would help out. The Bears signed him for a reason this offseason and they need to utilize him. Taylor is the better blocker (between himself and Matt Forte) and having him in on third downs (or any passing down) would benefit the Bears. Look for the Bears to possibly use him more in this capacity.

On defense, the Redskins have been allowing 298 yards per game through the air, while the Bears have been getting about 192 yards per game through the air. If Chicago can protect Cutler and help set up the passing game with the running game, then they should be able to gain some yards on the Redskins’ passing defense. They will have to keep their eye on a couple of players in particular to make sure that they don’t give the offensive line (and Cutler) fits.

One of those players on the Redskins is defensive end/outside linebacker Brian Orakpo.  As a rookie last season, Orakpo took the league by storm going to the Pro Bowl and causing all kinds of problems for opposing quarterbacks. The Bears will have their hands full trying to make sure that he doesn’t get to Cutler and disrupt the Bears passing game. What can they do to keep Orakpo off of Cutler? The Bears will need to use a tight end or a running back to help the tackle on whatever side Orakpo is coming from to help keep him from making passing difficult.  If they can successfully block him, then the Bears should have quite a bit of success passing the ball.

Another player that the Bears have to be concerned about is cornerback Carlos Rodgers. Rodgers is the kind of player that makes plays and looks to make one at every opportunity, so look for Chicago to play extra close attention to him and take him out of plays often.

When the Redskins have the Ball

Washington has had some success running the ball lately with running back Ryan Torian. So far this season, the Redskins are averaging right around 92 yards per game, but Torian is the kind of player that is always a threat to break loose for a long run, so the Bears will have to be sure that they keep containment on him and don’t let him get past the line of scrimmage, where he can break into the secondary and cause them problems.

Chicago has been allowing an average of 84 yards per game, but has given up a lot of yards in the last three games (to the Seahawks and the Giants). Chicago should have linebacker Lance Briggs back for this game (after he had been out last week due to an ankle injury) and it’s important that he’s in the lineup when the Bears are trying to defend against the run. Both he and middle linebacker Brian Urlacher team up together to defend against the run and together, they do a very good job of it.

The Bears need to make the Redskins one dimensional (much like the Bears already are) and take away the run and force quarterback Donavan McNabb to pass the ball more.  Allowing the Redskins to run the ball allows them to control the ball and the clock and gives the Bears’ offense less of an opportunity to score.

The leading receiver for the Redskins is wide receiver Santa Moss.  The Bears will need to make sure that Moss isn’t catching those intermediate passes (these were the same range of passes that Seattle’s Mike Williams caught over and over again for the Seahawks last week and ended up killing the Bears with). Chicago must also be aware of where tight end Chris Cooley is. He’s starting to become one of McNabb’s favorite pass receivers.

The Bears need to get pressure on McNabb and it all starts up front with the pass rush.  We have seen what happens when the Bears pass is non-existent, (see last week’s game) so Chicago will want to get their pass rush going in this game. Peppers will face rookie left tackle Trent Williams who has been playing very well lately.  And, if we remember what Seattle’s rookie Russell Okung did to Peppers last week, it’s possible Williams could present a problem for one of the best defensive ends in the NFL much as Okung did.

Look for Peppers to move around (from the right side to the left size) to see which side he gets the best results from. Then once he finds that “side,” he will take advantage of it and make some plays. He will also be a huge part of stopping the run.

As mentioned, the Bears should have Briggs back for this game and that’s not only going to help them out in the running game but also in the passing game.  The Bears rely on Briggs to help them defend against the pass so their defense will be happy to have him there.

In the secondary, it’s likely that they will be without cornerback Zach Bowman this week, who is out with a foot injury and they may have to wait until after the bye to see safety Major Wright in games. This means that cornerback Tim Jennings, who hasn’t been playing too bad, will get the start and quite honestly, the Bears won’t miss much with him in the lineup. He’s a pretty solid player at the position.

The Bears’ secondary cannot allow the Redskins to complete those intermediate passes like they allowed Seattle to do last week. Coupled with some pass pressure, the cornerbacks and safeties have to get in front of the receivers to tip the ball away or better yet, intercept the ball. That is one thing that the Bears’ defense failed to do in their last game, creating turnovers. If the secondary can get some in this game, then the Bears should win.

Special Teams

For the second week in a row, the Bears will face another team with a pretty solid special teams unit. The Redskins feature Brandon Banks as their punt and kick return specialist and he hasn’t been doing too bad with his average, but hasn’t produced too many big plays so far this season. Hopefully the Bears’ coverage units will be able to keep him contained and not allow him to break out and give the Redskins good field position or even get into the end zone for a touchdown.

The Bears’ special teams have been solid as usual and Devin Hester is really making things happen on punt returns. It’s extremely likely that the Redskins will kick away from Hester in this game, allowing for the Bears to have great field position thanks to the poor punting that is sure to happen. Watch out for the Bears’ kick returns as well.  Danieal Manning has been close to returning some kicks (he would have had one last week but a holding call negated it) for touchdowns. Is this finally going to be the game where he gets that elusive kick return?

Injury Update

The Bears and the Redskins list the following players as injured this week:

Chicago Bears

C-Zachary Bowman-Foot-Out; OLB-Lance Briggs-Ankle-Questionable; OG-Roberto Garza-Knee-Out; S-Danieal Manning-Back-Will play; S-Major Wright-Hamstring-Probable; LB-Brian Urlacher-Groin-Will play; S-Chris Harris-Knee-Will play.

Washington Redskins

S-LaRon Landry-Achilles-Questionable; RB-Chad Simpson-Hamstring-Questionable; CB-Carlos Rodgers-Shoulder-Will play; RB-Clinton Portis-Groin-Out; OT-Trent Williams-Knee-Will play; TE-Chris Cooley-Head-Will play-CB-DeAngelo Hall-CB-Will play; LB-Rocky McIntosh-Head-Will Play; RB-Mike Sellers-Heel-Questionable.

The Bears won’t have Bowman in this game or Garza and that shouldn’t have too much of an impact in this game. The Redskins will be missing Portis, but Portis hasn’t been that effective as it is anyway and Torian is turning into a much better back now. Both Hall and Rodgers will play, leaving the Redskins’ secondary very much intact for this game.

Analysis

Protection is the key and the Bears absolutely need to protect Cutler in order for them to win this game. Along with that, the Bears have to run the ball in order to keep Cutler protected, move the ball, set up the pass and keep their defense off the field. The coaching staff claims that the team has realized that they need to do these things, but do they really mean to do it?

If they want to win, they have to.  

The Bears will try to do all of the things that they didn’t against the Seahawks, including running the football, getting pressure on McNabb as well as forcing turnovers. If Chicago can do these things, they will win this game. If they allow their quarterback to get sacked several times and passes fall incomplete, it’s going to be a long day for the Bears.

Short passes and quick drops will help bail Cutler out of trouble as will good blocking by the running backs and tight ends. It’s a lot to ask for this team, (but really not for another team) so if the Bears can manage to do it, then they will easily win this game.

On defense, the Bears should get Briggs back, so that will help them out against both the pass and the run. The secondary may be a little challenged, especially with the injury at the cornerback position, but as long as the Bears can get pass pressure up front, things will be ok there.

Peppers and Idonije need to have a big game up front. The Redskins’ offensive line is a middle of the road line, but Williams is playing well.  If they can work around him and get to McNabb, the Bears will have a good day on defense.

Stopping the run will also be very important and Torian is quietly having a pretty good season. As long as the Bears can contain him and keep from racking up the yards, they should have a lot of success Sunday.

With these two teams so evenly matched, this game may come down to which team makes a bigger play on special teams. You have to give this advantage to the Bears.  Look for them to get great field position as Washington is forced to kick away from Hester and perhaps we will finally see Manning return a kickoff for a touchdown.

Prediction

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Bears could go into the bye week with a win? Sure, it would be.  The team would feel a lot better about being 5-2 than 4-3 and it would really help them get through the next two weeks without football. They have to win this game.

Protection will be the key and running the ball will be the vehicle that takes them to a win. If they can do both things, the Bears will win this game.

Chicago 24 Washington 17

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