DBB is currently on a short 40th birthday vacation in Atlantic City, NJ. If news breaks on the GM/coach front, we will break that sabbatical and have commentary right here.
All lines are from DraftKings Sportsbook.
For me, Cardinals at Rams is a gambling stay away. I don’t particularly trust either team. But the guide needs to have some action.
The Raiders are 3-1. But they’ve beaten two teams in overtime – including a bad Dolphins side – and the struggling Steelers. When they faced a good Chargers team, they were thoroughly outmatched. And with their next four opponents being the Bears, Broncos, Eagles and Giants, they could easily be 6-2 while not particularly good.
This is not a game the Bears should win. But it is certainly a game they can win.
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71.92%
Half of Chicago is currently in that weird Blackhawks bar at O’Hare, waiting for flights to Vegas. This will feel like a Bears home game and moves the meter a bit lower.
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What Must the Bears Do on Offense:
Stop the rush. That’s it. That’s the story.
The Raiders don’t have a premiere pass rusher, although one could argue Yannick Ngakoue can return to that form at any moment. But Maxx Crosby has had a brilliant first month and he’s well-complemented by Carl Nassib, Darius Philon and even the much-maligned Solomon Thomas. The Raiders have the bodies to exploit this weak Bears offensive line, especially on the edges.
But if that rush is neutralized, the secondary is beatable, mostly due to injury. (Their numbers are actually quite good, while their passing opponents have not been.) And with Justin Fields now the starting quarterback moving forward, expect the Bears to continue stretching the field. There will be mistakes; certainly an unnecessary sack or two; probably an avoidable interception; but the days of the dink and the dunk are behind us.
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What Must the Bears Do on Defense:
Rush. That’s it. That’s the story.
They have to hit Derek Carr and hit him often or he’s going to torch this secondary for 400+ yards. How do we know?
If the Bears are going to win this game, Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn have to shut him down. Because they can’t stop Ruggs, Renfrow and Waller on the backend.
2003 is one of those Bears seasons I barely remember. I watched every game at Josie Woods but most of them were through the haze of a hangover, with this being my first fall in NYC at 21 years old. The team wasn’t even particularly bad. They finished 7-9. But they just created very few memorable moments.
This game, with highlights provided by the great NFL Primetime, provides more of those fun elements that seemed to define the era.
It’s very hard to analyze a game from inside the building. You really have no idea what’s going on. But here are a few points:
3-2. One game back of Green Bay. In position to have a season but with A LOT of improvement needed. The bye week comes at a perfect time.
The George Inn. My favorite pub in London.
I always like the Chicago Bears.
And they are not losing in London, with Reverend Dave and I in the building, all hopped up on bitter ale.
Data had a stream of Tweets early in the week but I fear they were lost in the Monday excitement. He is one of the best follows on Bears Twitter and I recommend you give him a follow. Here are his thoughts:
I found this story incredibly moving.
Thirteen children of firefighters who died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and six whose fathers died of 9/11-related illnesses, graduated from the city’s fire department during an emotional ceremony. https://t.co/cG5uJtbt4d
— CNN (@CNN) September 25, 2019
“London Snow”
She broke my heart,
in London,
in the lobby of the Bridewell Theatre.
It was snowing outside and
Brits do silly things in the snow.
Grown men in Savile Row slacks become
children on a Swindon schoolyard,
tossing snow balls and giggling,
and saying things like “jolly”.
She regretted that decision,
she would tell me later.
Maybe she was afraid.
Or maybe
it was just the snow.