Chicago Bears: Eddie Goldman in position for breakout game
Eddie Goldman does not get much recognition but is in line for an impactful game when the Chicago Bears head to Miami
A lot of people are seeing the Miami Dolphins fall off in the past two weeks as a team revealing themselves as a fraud. While that may be true, it is fair to mention that is Week Two they lost Josh Sitton for the season, and in Week Four, they lost their starting center, Daniel Kilgore.
Over that span, the team has relied on Ted Larsen and Travis Swanson on the inside. This has not gone favorably for the group. In his limited time at guard, Larsen ranks 59th on PFF grading scale.
Swanson had some snap issues affect the Patriot game as he was called on off of the bench. His first start was not pretty, either. Geno Atkins and the Bengals had their way with the offensive line, amounting to three sacks in total.
Now, the banged-up Miami Dolphins host the Chicago Bears wrecking crew off of their bye week. The Bears have been able to get pressure with four rushers better than any other team in the NFL. Considering the duo in the inside, the Bears should get pressure with four again this week.
This could call for the rare Eddie Goldman game. Goldman has been great this year, but it typically goes unnoticed thanks to his job. His job generally is to eat blockers and free things up for the other three rushers who are faster at getting upfield. This gets him praise in the locker room but does not get him noticed publicly.
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However, this is an excellent opportunity for him not only to eat blockers, but dominate them. Last season was the start of him frequently playing on nickel downs, becoming a three-down weapon. It helped in earning him a contract extension. This year, to grow off of that would be performances in which he takes advantage of weaker foes and makes plays that go above and beyond expectations.
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