In Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, some Chicago Bears fans were quite surprised not to see rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas out there at least a few times on offense.
No, instead, Thomas played exactly zero offensive snaps and was out there a bit on special teams.
In Week 2, though, that might have to change.
The Bears take on the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field and are getting set for a Brian Flores-led defense that will surely try and blitz the stockings off Ben Johnson's offense.
Against the Packers in Week 1, Flores' defense blitzed Jordan Love nearly 80 percent of the time he dropped back to pass, good for the highest percentage in the league with the next closest being about 50 percent.
How do you beat a defense that blitzes nonstop? There are a couple of key pillars, including quick passes and big gains in the passing game, sometimes using play-action as well.
This is where Thomas comes into play.
Now is the time for Ben Johnson to deploy rookie WR Zavion Thomas
This is not to say training camp or preseason are indicative of regular season success, but it is one of those rare instances where the experiment needs to at least be made. We saw Thomas' 4.28 speed on full display against the Tennessee Titans in the preseason.
Remember that 96-yard touchdown reception he made look way too easy with a double move?
With Flores opting to crowd the box and make life hard on Caleb Williams, the offense is going to need to do a couple of things, but that includes getting Thomas out there and trying a couple of these big plays.
Thomas is faster than any defensive back Minnesota could put out there, and if he wins on just one of these moves, it could be a game-changing type of play.
The Bears are going to utilize far more protection in this one, putting multiple tight ends out on the field regularly. In Week 1, Chicago used 12 personnel on 30 percent of plays while using 13 personnel (3-tight end sets) on 16 percent of plays vs. Carolina.
It is more than safe to say the Bears are going to use more of these formations against Minnesota, but it's also safe to say Flores is going to be expecting this.
In summation, we can expect a chess match.
Johnson was asked during his Wednesday media availability if there's ever a sense of trying not to overthink things when he plays against a Flores-led defense, to which he simply responded with a smile:
"Yes, yes there is."
In six career matchups with Flores, Johnson is 5-1. He knows this scheme well.
"This game will end up being some adjustments going on over the course of it... that's how these ones have tended to go in the past," he said.
So, Flores will expect Johnson to utilize more protection. At some point, it's going to end up being which team executes better. Which fronts hold their own?
But, there is also going to come a time where Johnson needs to deploy his rookie wide receiver.
If ever there was a matchup for Thomas to let loose a little bit, this is the perfect opportunity. It is his speed that could break a game open, but it'll be Johnson's play design that allows for it to happen.
A big criticism on Matt LaFleur, after Week 1, was not having adjusted well -- and this is a common criticism from Packers fans over the years.
In my humble, yet biased opinion, Johnson does a better job at adjustments throughout a game. Heck, you can't argue with his record against Flores. He's no stranger to this type of game plan.
Going from zero offensive snaps in Week 1 to a few against the Vikings would make all the sense in the world for Thomas. When all is said and done, I believe we'll see him get out there between five to 10 snaps and, as a bold prediction, I think he ends up coming home with a significant chunk play.
Read more: Cam Lewis could surprisingly become Bears' key to fixing their CB woes
Unleash the rookie, Ben. Now is the time.
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