Chicago Bears Week 6: Takeaways

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7.) Willie Young and the Bears defensive line deserve the game ball

After a few weeks of incompetence the Bears defensive line had possibly their best game of the season. DE Willie Young led the charge with 2 sacks and 2 QB hits and now leads the NFL with 7 sacks. Jared Allen pitched in with a sack and forced 2 holding calls, DT Stephen Paea had a sack and continues to play better since rookie Ego Ferguson made a push for his job, and even Lamarr Houston had 2 QB hits, a pass deflection and a couple of QB hurries. The return of DT Jeremiah Ratliff made a difference and the rookie DTs (Sutton, Ferguson) both played well. Everyone pitched in for the best overall game the defensive line has played this season (maybe since 2012).

8.) The Bears need to throw deep more often

The short passing game worked well today as did the running game (110 yards), but the Bears have possibly the tallest WR combo in the league and the Falcons have only 1 DB over 6 feet tall. The size mismatch alone should warrant a deep ball or two on every drive. I’m not complaining too much because the Bears went deep a couple of times and obviously won, but I feel like the Bears are missing out on an option that could put teams away. The Bears had almost a half foot height advantage on both sides and didn’t take advantage of it. The worst thing that could happen is an INT, but on a deep ball it’s basically a 40-50 yard punt. More likely it’s incomplete or the Bears either get a long completion or a pass interference call. It’s a weapon that the Bears haven’t been taking advantage of enough and they will need to against better teams.

9.) Ryan Mundy set the tone in the secondary

I haven’t seen a Bears safety laying the wood like Mundy did Sunday since Mark Carrier in the early 90s. After Mundy rocked Roddy White it looked to me like Falcons receivers were hearing footsteps the rest of the game. Maybe it’s a coincidence that the Falcons dropped 7 passes, but I don’t think so.

10.) Michael Ola should take over for Jordan Mills at RT

Mills gave up 1 sack, at least 2 QB hits, 3 QB hurries and had a false start on a key 3rd & 2. It was a good story when Mills earned a starting job last year as a 5th round pick and he played very well in the Bears week 1 victory last season. Unfortunately, Mills struggled in pretty much every other game last year and hasn’t been much better this season. Rookie Michael Ola had two excellent games at LG this season taking over for injured Matt Slauson and played a respectable game at LT this week. Mills has struggled in pass protection for most of his career and he was clearly the week link Sunday against the Falcons. Once LT Jermon Bushrod is back, I think it’s time to give Ola a shot at RT. Ola has proven so far this year that he is one of the Bears 5 best O-lineman and RT has been a weak spot all season.

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11.) The Bears search for a slot corner may be over

I have been pushing for Demontre Hurst to get a chance since his solid preseason performance. Hurst was the Bears most aggressive corner during the preseason against both the run and the pass. He’s an instinctive player and a gambler which will lead to some big plays like his interception of Matt Ryan to seal the game but will also lead to some mistakes. I think Hurst is a definite upgrade over Isaiah Frey and will improve the run defense while forcing more turnovers. Considering that Frey forced 1 turnover in 18 games, it would be hard to have less of an impact.  Hurst is off to a good start with an INT in his first NFL game and hopefully the Bears will leave him in the slot for a few weeks to see what he can do.  Sherrick McManis is ahead of Hurst on the depth chart, but has been injured and doesn’t have much experience in the slot. If McManis, who also had a strong preseason, is healthy next week the Bears may put him outside and move Tim Jennings into the slot, but I hope they give Hurst at least 1 more week to earn the job long-term.

12.) The Bears run defense is no longer a joke

The Bears held the Falcons to 42 yards rushing. That is about what teams were gaining on the ground per drive on the Bears defense last year. The Bears have held opponents under 100 yards rushing for 3 weeks in a row now which is a big enough sample for me to think it isn’t a fluke. The Bears started 3 new linebackers today and they played a big part in holding the Falcons to just 42 yards rushing. The Bears run defense was faster, hit harder, pushed piles backwards, and swarmed to the ball like I haven’t seen all season.