The Chicago Bears are looking to bounce back from their Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers with a win over the Atlanta Falcons.
As the season begins, questions remain about whether Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will play for Chicago. The Bears will be without four key starters: Kyle Monangai, T.J. Edwards, Montez Sweat, and Dayo Odeyingbo.
With those guys out, six Bears players will be the biggest X-factors going into the Falcons game. Here are the six that will make the difference for Chicago.
X-factors for Bears ahead of Falcons Week 6 showdown
Austin Booker, EDGE
Booker is coming off a Packers game in which he got back-to-back sacks before halftime. He leads the Bears in sacks, with four in five games. Without Sweat and Odeyingbo, Booker must step up on the edges and pressure Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Kalif Raymond, WR
Raymond leads the Bears in receptions with 24 and has caught 27 of his targets, showing how reliable of a receiver he is. Williams showed in the first two weeks that he has a lot of trust in Raymond, so he could end up being the guy in the passing game for the Bears early and often.
Dillon Thieneman, S
Thieneman has been a tackling machine all season for the Bears, as he leads with 37. He will need to step up in the box with Edwards not in the game and play the run tough. Chicago's secondary has been a mess and Thieneman is one of the few bright spots to the group, so he has to find a way to use his versatility as a strength and create big plays in multiple different ways.
Zavion Thomas, WR/Returner
Thomas has not been as much of a factor on offense, but he is coming off a game where he had a 61-yard kickoff return. The Bears are finally starting to work through their special teams issues and see what kind of returner Thomas can be for this team. If he can break out another massive return, that might make a significant difference for Chicago.
D'Andre Swift, RB
Swift is coming off a season-low 43 rushing yards in Week 5 without having Monangai there to support him. It'll be the same situation for the Falcons game, leaving Swift to carry the load in the backfield once again. The Bears need to get more production out of their backfield if they want to win this game.
Read more: 5 bold Bears predictions to watch out for in Week 6 vs. Falcons
Caleb Williams, QB
If Williams indeed is back, it is going to be a massive boost for this offense in the passing and running game. The hope is without Monangai that Williams will be willing to run the ball as often as he was before the injury. Even if Williams stays in the pocket, he has been more accurate with the football and the arm talent is still there, so expect some big plays to come off the hand of Williams all game long.
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