Now that we finally have gotten to see Mitchell Trubisky start and finish a game, the excitement is at various levels for all the fans. Some think he is a savior some think he is one step above Mike Glennon. Regardless of the opinion we can all agree he is at the minimum better than Glennon.
What are the keys to victory as the Chicago Bears travel to take on the Baltimore Ravens.
RUN, RUN, RUN
While the Ravens have a total of 12 takeaways on defense and that is very intimidating when rookie QB is set to start his first road game it’s not the end all. A deeper look into the numbers reveal some big weaknesses. First, the Ravens only rank 22nd against the rush. They were absolutely demolished by the Steelers and the Jaguars. This should give fans some hope that at least the bread and butter of the Bears offense will be able to thrive.
Protect Mitchell
This is not the Ravens defense we knew about 10 years ago. While their secondary is elite their pass rush is about on par with the Bears. They have 12 sacks coming into this game and the Bears have 13. If the offensive line can protect Trubisky and give him some time then maybe he will be able to deliver some strikes downfield.
Get the ‘NEW’ wide receivers involved
Against the Vikings we got to see a glimpse of the rapport with Tre McBride. McBride’s stat line only says 1-18 yards. However, he also caught a 26 yard pass that was nullified by a holding penalty on Cody Whitehair. Also the Bears recently re-promoted Tanner Gentry to the active roster. Both of the aforementioned receivers are big bodied guys who can go up and get the ball. Hopefully they do just that.
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Keep the sacks coming
Joe Flacco has been sacked 9 times this season and has not been having a great season overall so far. Flacco ranks 22nd in pass yards with only 823 while only throwing for 4 TD’s and 6 int’s. Last weeks game he broke a streak of 10 consecutive games with an interception. Flacco is more than ripe for the picking but the Bears need to keep the pressure on him.
Don’t beat yourself
One of the themes we have seen in the road games for the Bears is them digging themselves a big hole early and essentially having the game over by halftime. In the Vikings game penalties took back touchdowns and big plays. The Bears have to get out of the blocks and keep from beating themselves in this game. If they are able to just take their time and then take the shots that Baltimore lets them then they can keep it close and hopefully sneak away with a late victory.
This looks to be a slug fest with neither team fielding a great passing game. A tale of turnovers will be the deciding factor and it may come down to a kicking game. If that is the case should we trust K Connor Barth to make the game winner. We may have no choice.