Bear Necessities: How Can the Bears Beat Dallas?
First off, God truly wouldn’t make us all Bears fans if he didn’t think we could handle it. I hope you find solace in that during these trying times.
If the Bears’ 0-2 start has made you want to throw yourself into oncoming traffic, know you’re not alone.
Chicago is 0-2, and I’m 1-1 in my predictions for this series thus far. Words cannot describe how much I wish those records were switched. I would sacrifice so much for them to have made me look silly for doubting them in Detroit. I said they would have to play a near-perfect game to come out with a win.
Alas, it’s safe to say they fell well short of that mark. Unfortunately, they also went 0-for-3 in the “necessities” category
While it’s difficult to fault them for not staying committed to the ground game, the penalties and downright pitiful play along both sides of the line of scrimmage are unacceptable. Consider those two areas as permanent necessities going forward.
Much like we were on to Detroit this time last week, we’re moving on to Dallas now. There are a few exploitable matchups in this one that the Bears can leverage to their advantage. Namely, old friend Matt Eberflus is running the defense in Big D, and he’s doing a pretty terrible job of it. The Cowboys‘ defense effectively allowed Russell Wilson to cook for the first time since his days in Seattle. He was dropping nukes down the seam all day long on their banged-up secondary. Much like the Bears, they are also already down a few key starters early in the season.
It really doesn’t get much more dire than staring down the barrel of 0-3. The Bears absolutely need to come away with a win on Sunday.
What will give them their best chances to get it done?
1) Let Caleb Cook
Either Russell Wilson is back, or the Cowboys are going to have a hard time stopping opposing offenses’ passing games this year. Between you and me, I’m confidently leaning towards the latter. Losing DaRon Bland is a huge blow to the secondary, and that’s especially the case with the way Trevon Diggs has played to begin the year. While it’s not that surprising that he’s taken his bumps considering the fact that he underwent knee surgery in January, it’s still fair to say that he doesn’t look like the same player right now. That’s a matchup that Rome Odunze and DJ Moore both should be able to exploit.
Call me crazy, but I’ve got a lot more confidence in Caleb Williams than I do 2025 Russell Wilson. If the Giants were able to score 37 last week, I think we might be able to get a 50 burger of our own on Sunday. Unfortunately, we might have to if we want to keep up with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense. Williams made major strides against the Lions last week, even with the lopsided score. I think putting the ball in his hands as often as possible gives the Bears their best chance to get into the winning column.
Oh, also, get ready for a tinge of nostalgia on Sunday. Two former Bears are starting for Eberflus’ defense. Jack Sanborn and… 2024 preseason standout Reddy Steward (who will be starting in the slot in place of Bland). The throwing lanes should be ripe for the taking.
2) Get the Rookies Involved
This is a Kyle Monangai tweet. It is also a Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, and Shemar Turner tweet. I know this might not be the most significant key to a victory, but they need to make it a point of emphasis this week. I think the panic over the Bears’ rookie class has been massively overblown to this point (besides when it comes to Trapilo being a healthy scratch; That’s rightfully frustrating), but they still need to get them going sooner than later.
Speaking of frustrating, D’Andre Swift continues to have terrible vision. He can be dynamic with the ball in his hands, but he leaves so many yards on the field by running into linemen or choosing incorrect lanes. It consistently puts them behind the sticks and makes play action significantly less lethal.
In all fairness, we don’t know the blocking scheme or the lanes he’s supposed to be hitting, but I think they need to see if the offense operates better with Kyle Monangai taking the bulk of the work out of the backfield.
Ironically enough, if you told me that Luther Burden III only had two catches for two yards thus far, I would’ve expected the offense to be operating like a high-level machine. I would’ve thought Olamide Zaccheaus to be playing so well that they were in a position where they didn’t need Burden to produce. That hasn’t been the case, though. They could use an offensive spark, and he’s got more than enough juice to provide it.
The same can be said for Colston Loveland. The first play of Caleb Williams’ preseason was a bootleg to Loveland in the flat for 9 yards. It was a confidence builder for both of them, and I don’t know why Johnson has shied away from calling it since.
3) Find a Way to Get After Dak Prescott
Dallas will be without their starting center, Cooper Beebe, for the foreseeable future. It’s a huge blow for their offensive line, as the 2024 third-round pick settled in as a rock-solid starter for them down the stretch last season. Their o-line has otherwise played well thus far, as Javonte Williams has made the most of their good blocking and has strung together two solid performances. They also didn’t allow a single sack to the Eagles’ defense in the opener.
Dennis Allen has his work cut out for him on the defensive side of the ball. He’s earned a reputation as one of the league’s most well-respected defensive coordinators. However, the Bears are severely undermanned there right now. They will not only be missing their best player, Jaylon Johnson, for the foreseeable future, but Kyler Gordon, who has developed into one of the league’s best nickelbacks, and their defensive leader, T.J. Edwards, are also on the mend with hamstring injuries.
Allen has always had a blitz-heavy game plan, and that approach would certainly aid their ability to get after Prescott. However, it’s fair to assume he doesn’t have enough confidence in the secondary’s ability to hold up on the back end with the current state of the injury report. The high-priced defensive front will have to show up if they want to stop the Dallas offense from reaching their second-straight 40-point performance.
I don’t know how much confidence I have in the third necessity here, but my gut says they pull off the first two and come away with the first win of the year.
Prediction: Bears win 38-34
Discover more from Chicago Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Bears