Chicago Bears, Darnell Mooney should highlight Sean Murphy-Bunting
One of the most anticipated matchups of this coming season will be the rematch between the Bears and reigning champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last year, the Bears beat Tampa Bay in dramatic fashion, with the game coming down to a final drive for the Bucs. We all remember Tom Brady forgetting what down it was, ultimately sealing the deal for a Bears win.
But, Tampa got the last laugh as they are now the Super Bowl champs. Murphy-Bunting also became a huge part of the Bucs’ playoff run, picking off three passes in a single postseason. He got much better as the year went on, so Mooney won’t be taking on a slouch by any means.
In that prime time contest last year, Mooney saw a lot of Sean Murphy-Bunting. Between Murphy-Bunting and his teammate Jamel Dean, Mooney was held in check in last season’s matchup between the Bears and Bucs. He finished with two catches (on five targets) for just 15 yards.
Part of the reason he was held down was because of the inept quarterback play from Nick Foles — the time to throw also wasn’t up to par, but Mooney didn’t see a lot of timely passes anyways.
With the Bears’ line looking much better this year and rookie Justin Fields probably starting by the time these two teams square off in Week 7, Mooney will have a much easier time securing targets.