Chicago Bears need Allen Robinson to step up to win Week 5
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may follow Chicago Bears receiver with Carlton Davis
Carlton Davis has been an excellent breakout player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. By all indications, he is going to follow Allen Robinson when they take on the Chicago Bears on Thursday.
Davis has typically been following receivers this year and has posted some of the best numbers in the NFL right now. However, while he has excelled, there are still questions about his ceiling that could be answered against Allen Robinson.
In Week One, Carlton Davis effectively shut down Michael Thomas to just three catches for 17 yards. However, Thomas has not played since that game with an ankle injury. How much did that impact things?
In Week 2, the Panthers moved D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson around and he saw bits and pieces of both. He held his own but did allow a big catch to both. In Week 3, he shut down Tim Patrick, which should be expected.
Lastly, in week four, Keenan Allen caught eight passes for just 62 yards. However, Allen was able to sneak into the slot and take advantage of Sean Murphy-Bunting at times as well. He struggled against Davis on the outside.
So, Davis has excelled. However, the Chargers moved Allen away from him, Michael Thomas was hurt, and Tim Patrick was not a true test.
No one is disparaging Davis, but this may be his best test yet. On the other hand, Robinson has just as much to prove.
Sure, Robinson has statistically been on fire for the Bears since Nick Foles entered the lineup. Still, five catches for 69 yards on Sunday came with the game out of balance late. He effectively had two catches for 32 yards when things mattered. A 37-yard score down two scores to Atlanta also helped his stats. Sure, the Bears came back and won that game, but he also lost an interception in the end zone that made the comeback tougher.
We will not even get into his struggles against James Bradberry. Robinson is great for fantasy football but needs to impact games early on when things matter.
Bradberry bullied Robinson and used his size and length to push him at the catch point. Carlton Davis wins in the exact same manner as a physical, bully style cornerback. Allen Robinson needs to come out swinging. He needs to put Davis in his place and ensure that he can impact this game before the Bears are down two scores.