Chicago Bears: 3 Keys to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons
The Chicago Bears defense must find a way to stop Matt Ryan
Have you seen the Atlanta Falcons injury report? It is almost as long as the 49ers. The team will for sure be without defensive backs, Kendall Sheffield and Ricardo Allen. Five other players are questionable for the game tomorrow and some of those include big names like Julio Jones, Dante Fowler, Jr. and Takkarist McKinley. Jones has not practiced this week and is dealing with a hamstring issue, McKinley also has not practiced this week while dealing with a groin injury.
Fowler was a limited participant in Friday’s practice but did not participate on Wednesday or Thursday. The team looks to be getting offensive tackle Jake Matthews back, but might still be without Kaleb McGary. Needless to say, the Chicago Bears should not have many excuses when it comes to the outcome of this game.
If the Falcons are without Julio Jones and either one or both of its offensive tackles, it might make this game slightly easier for the Chicago Bears defense. That said, the team can never underestimate the likes of Matt Ryan. Ryan is elite. Yes, I said it. He is an elite thrower of the pigskin and can dismantle a defense quite easily. Even without Jones, the team has the better, more talented of the Ridley brothers in Calvin Ridley. The defense must find a way to get stops.
The big factor will be getting off the field on third down. Despite being 0-2 on the season, Atlanta is 10th in the NFL in third-down conversion rate (as a comparison the Chicago Bears offense is 20th). When it comes to stops, the Bears are 10th in the NFL in preventing third downs, but the defense has not gone up against an offense like the Falcons. The Falcons are fifth in the NFL with an average of 32 points per game. This will be the biggest test for the defense even without Jones.
The defensive backs will need to continue their top play and the defensive front will need to bring a pass rush similar to what the team did in Week 2 versus the Giants. Khalil Mack is listed as questionable with a knee injury. John Jenkins was put on injured reserve with a thumb injury too. The hope is Mack plays. If he can, the front seven should be able to wreak havoc.
They need to be quick though because Matt Ryan can get rid of the ball rather quickly similarly to Matthew Stafford did in Week 1. A strong interior push will be needed as the outside linebackers bend the corners. Chuck Pagano might need to get creative with some of his blitzes too. No matter what, they need to bring the pressure to make Ryan uneasy and miss throws or make bad reads.
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Final Thoughts:
Right now I have the Chicago Bears winning this game. Losing Khalil Mack could make me think twice, but even then the team is not as banged up as the Falcons. Remember, I said no excuses. Many see this game as a high scoring one and if the Bears want to win it will need to be. I am predicting the Bears win 31-24.