The Game Haiku
The lights, they shine bright
On Mitch. On Matt. On these Bears.
In the light is truth.
Tomorrow, the game prediction!
Week 11: Vikings at Bears Game Preview, Volume Two
The Game Haiku
Tomorrow, the game prediction!
I’m traveling on the continent this week so my content will be abbreviated.
I always like the Chicago Bears…
…and I better like them because the game won’t kick-off in Paris until 2:30 AM. And I will be watching.
AP Photo (Edited) / Nam Y. Huh
It felt way closer than it ever was, this Bears v. Lions game. And there was one reason for that. Rapid fire is coming!
Matt Nagy on if the #Bears will look at other kickers this week: “Oh no. There’s zero chance of that.”
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) November 11, 2018
On this episode of DaBearsPod:
Detroit has for years been a difficult team to root against. They’ve sort of been lovable losers. But then…they hired…this prick.
I always like the Chicago Bears…
…and it’s time for this team to play like they are top of the NFC North table. That means burying the Lions at home. Thanksgiving, in their building, is always a difficult game. This is at Soldier Field, with Detroit coming off two miserable performances. Good teams don’t lose this game. Hell, mediocre teams don’t lose this game either.
In football exists a team called ‘da Bears
Who play beside the greatest of great lakes
Those who do not love them are hapless squares
Mindless joy killers in sea of flakes
Their quarterback is a vigorous stag
Born in an Ohio town called Mentor
He’s more than half human and no part nag
But he plays with the zeal of a centaur
Cometh the Lions to challenge these Bears
Their ill-bearded, unkempt leader in tow
Sweet, sweet victory will never be theirs
One must wonder how it is they don’t know
Oh! To be a fan of the pride and joy
Serving with grace the folk of Illinois
The Bears are 5-3. They lead the NFC North at the halfway point. Let’s take stock of how the units have performed through eight games.
Blurb: The Bears have a real, professional, exciting offense and a play-caller getting more comfortable each and every week. That they’re scoring the way they are while bringing along *essentially* a rookie quarterback is the most impressive thing about this unit.
Key Stat: Jordan Howard is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry, a significant drop from the previous two seasons. But the Bears are 7th in rushing yards per game, primarily due to Mitch Trubisky.
Grade: The Bears are still leaving big plays out there because of a young, developing quarterback. But the overall numbers are good and the arrow is now pointing decidedly up. B
Blurb: The Bears defense has played two poor games and it’s not coincidence that both of those games featured Khalil Mack on the field, on one leg. When the team has either (a) had Mack at full strength or (b) prepared to play without him, they’ve been the league’s best defense. Mack was the MVP of September. Bryce Callahan has been the breakout star. Kyle Fuller has been the unit’s best player for the duration.
Key Stat: Bears rush defense is allowing 3.7 yards per carry (5th), 84.9 yards per game (3rd), have allowed just 1 rushing touchdown (1st) and recovered 5 fumbles in the run game (1st).
Grade: I’ll give them a mulligan for Edith Wharton’s The Osweiler Affair. They’re dominant against the run. They turn opponents over. They score. They’re a great unit. A
Blurb: They had a nightmare against the New England Patriots, allowing two touchdowns, and Cody Parkey missed his biggest kick of the season against Miami. Pat O’Donnell is inconsistent in the punt game but Tarik Cohen is absolutely electric in the punt return game.
Strange game. From the moment Eddie Jackson returned a Roquan Smith-forced fumble for a touchdown with 7:07 remaining in the first half, the entire building knew the game was over. Here are six specific, in-building thoughts from Bears 41, Bills 9.
(1) That was one of the loudest stadiums I’ve ever heard to start the game. The crowd noise was absolutely deafening when the Bears had the ball for the first quarter plus. The false starts upfront were completely understandable. Offensive line miscommunication should have been expected. (I could barely hear a friend two seats away from me.) There is no chance a Soldier Field crowd, with the team at 2-6 and starting a dead weight quarterback, would be anywhere near that enthused at kickoff. Impressive showing from Bills fans, in and around the ballpark.
(2) Good to see Jordan Howard running with some anger. Again, don’t look at the overall numbers. They’re mostly meaningless in a game like this. But Matt Nagy is finally starting to understand how to use Howard, especially down in the red zone. The Andy Reid offense like to throw to score. The Bears are built to ride Howard into the end zone.
(3) Two defenders stood out to me: Roquan Smith and Eddie Jackson. Smith is going to be a star in the league for a long, long time but that is expected from a top draft pick. Jackson is an incredible player. He closes on the football as good as any Bears safety since Mike Brown. He’s the rare back end guy comfortable with the football in the air and tackling in the open field. He’s got great, natural instincts.
(4) The Bears were clearly uncomfortable with the amount of running Mitch Trubisky did against the Jets last week because there were times Sunday Trubisky had acres of space in front of him. If this WAS a coaching decision, I applaud it. Trubisky knows he can run. That’ll be there as long as his legs are. But this season has to be more about processing information, stepping into the pocket and delivering the football. And in a game like Sunday’s there’s no reason for the young quarterback to take any unnecessary punishment.
Full recap will be on-site tomorrow AM.
