Throughout the NFL season, not many defenses have been able to slow down or stop Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, but the Chicago Bears might be the ones to do it for their Week 6 showdown against each other.
Robinson leads the league in rushing yards with 580, ranks third in yards per carry with 5.7, third in carries with 107, and ties for eighth in touchdowns with four. He has posted 100-yard games in two of his last three and has not had a game with fewer than 72 rushing yards.
That means the Bears are facing a consistent, strong runner who is the focal point of the Falcons' offense. Chicago has a pretty good run defense, though, that could match up well against Robinson.
Bears' run defense is the best Bijan Robinson has faced all season
Yes, the Bears' defense is coming off a pretty bad performance in their 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, but that was more about the secondary. They allowed over 350 passing yards but only 70 rushing yards, for an average of 2.7 yards per carry.
Chicago ranks ninth in run defense, allowing 96 yards per game. They are one of 11 teams that have allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards per game, showing they can still do the job despite a messy secondary.
The Bears will face some defensive challenges in this game, though, that could affect how they stop the run. Chicago won't have Montez Sweat after his two-game suspension, and Dayo Odeyingbo and T.J. Edwards are dealing with injuries that could keep them out after two straight days of no practice.
Even with those guys out, the Bears have demonstrated that their front seven still has everything they need to stop the run. D'Marco Jackson remains a strong run stopper who can fill in for Edwards and join Devin Bush in the lineup. Chicago's defensive tackle position, led by Grady Jarrett and James Lynch, can stuff the middle of the line. Austin Booker, who leads the team in tackles for loss with five, will be the top edge rusher and has done a great job supporting the run.
The Bears' secret weapon, though, is rookie safety Dillon Thieneman, who has been playing in the box as much as dropping back into coverage. Thieneman has been a tackling machine at 37 and can also help stop Robinson.
This isn't to say the Bears will completely contain Robinson, though, since no one has truly been able to. Chicago does match up well against the Falcons' biggest strength, though, and can stop the run.
The Bears need to force the Falcons to throw it, which will put more pressure on the corners to play better. Chicago has a better chance of winning, though, if they can stop Robinson from doing anything on the ground.
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It will be defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's biggest challenge of the season, with multiple starters potentially out, and creating a game plan to stop Robinson. This is the game, though, that actually works to the Bears' biggest strength on defense, so they should take advantage of that.
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