It's kind of nice to know the Green Bay Packers can help the Chicago Bears in so many ways, both physically and mentally, after the Atlanta Falcons took it to the Windy City's biggest rival in Week 3.
Atlanta had 498 total yards of offense and rushed for 242 yards in a 35-14 win over the Green Bay Packers. It was about as bad a defensive display as anyone has seen from the Packers all season. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson ran for 198 yards, giving the Packers plenty of headaches to stop him.
The Packers' rush defense looks pretty bad right now, but it's a good reminder for the Bears heading into their Week 3 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles and Falcons are similar in how they run the football, so the Bears can take notes on what to do better and avoid repeating the Packers' disastrous performance.
Bears defense can learn some lessons from Packers for their Week 3 game
Now, the Falcons and Eagles differ significantly in their running games: Atlanta has been more successful at gaining yards. Philly has been inconsistent this season in football because starting left guard Landon Dickerson's knee injury has kept the running game down.
That said, the Falcons and Eagles love calling their running plays. Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson are at their best when they run zone plays on the outside and get a lane to showcase their breakaway speed.
Chicago needs to be ready for that from the Eagles, whether that's from shotgun or under center. That means T.J. Edwards and Devin Bush need to be ready to stuff the Eagles' backs at the line.
Edwards played much better in Week 2, but he is still not getting tackles against the run. Bush has shown explosive speed from the linebacker position, but his performance has been pretty quiet.
It could be a great opportunity for rookie defensive back Dillon Thieneman to show off why the Bears drafted him in the first round. Expect him to play more in the box and contain the outside to keep Barkley from breaking loose.
That's where the Packers really struggled on defense against the Falcons. Even with enough in the box, from the blocking to the outside containment, Green Bay's defense didn't have the answers to stop Robinson.
Read more: Updated predictions on Bears' next 3 games (if Caleb Williams doesn't play)
This won't be an easy game for the Bears against a strong Eagles offense, but if they can do the opposite of what the Packers did with their run defense, they should be competitive.
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