Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on October 17, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Well all saw the benefits of having a pass rush when the Chicago Bears defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. The Bears’ defense did a number of Matt Ryan, sacking the Falcons’ quarterback four times while recording seven hits.

In the five games leading up to Atlanta, the Bears’ pass rush had been pretty non-existent, registering just 11 sacks, an average a little above two per game.

With a little confidence in their back pocket, the Bears’ defense now looks to get after Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill when the Dolphins come to town Sunday.

With Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert ailing with an elbow injury, Jared Allen might find himself with an edge come Sunday. There’s even a chance that Albert won’t play, but it’s too soon to tell. Albert was listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday’s injury report.

Albert was asked Wednesday about his status, via Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post, and the left tackle said, “We’ll see.

“The elbow’s fine, it’s something I’m going to have to work through,” he said. “I’m here to fight for this team and that’s what I’m going to do.”

It’s hard to see a scenario where Albert doesn’t play Sunday.

If Albert can’t go, 2014 first-round pick Ja’Wuan James, who is the ‘Fins right tackle, likely will switch sides, which then will free up Willie Young and his league-leading seven sacks to feast on whomever the Dolphins throw out on the right side.

Let’s assume Albert is playing. Allen is coming off one of his best performance of the season. A few days after he told the Chicago media (subscription required) that the sacks will come; his first sack finally came in Atlanta. It could only be the beginning, too.

Now that Jeremiah Ratliff is back healthy and Stephen Paea is getting busy collapsing offensive lines, Allen will be finding himself in a lot of one-on-one battles with Albert. Paea’s three sacks is tied for the league league among defensive tackles. The Dolphins won’t have the luxury of using more than one lineman if the Bears’ line features four guys who can double as pass-rushers and run-blockers.

‘‘Having everybody healthy helps … ,” Allen said Thursday, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun Times. “Having ‘Rat’ [Jeremiah Ratliff] back helps tremendously. And what Stephen’s [Stephen Paea] been doing in the middle from a rush standpoint has been awesome—even [against] the run.”

Pressure is something Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill hasn’t done well with this season. He’s completing passes (63 dropbacks) at a rate of 45.1 percent for a quarterback rating of 67.9 when facing pressure.

One thing Chicago defenders need to watch out for is Tannehill’s ability to move and/or break the pocket. The quarterback has gained 102 yards on 16 runs this season. Of all the quarterbacks the Bears have gone up against this season, Colin Kaepernick most resembles Tannehill’s offerings. Kaepernick ran through the Bears’ defense for 64 yards on nine carries.

Allen discussed the challenges of facing a quarterback like Tannehill, via the Chicago Sun-Times:

This week will be a big test for us — another zone-read-type offense. This is a much better front than we faced last week, so it’s going to be a new challenge. They’ve got the zone-read where Tannehill used to be a receiver. So he’s got receiver-like speed, but he can sit in the pocket and throw the ball where he wants. So it’s not like one of those [situations] where if you just take the zone-read out of the game, we’ve got it made.

How much Tannehill will be running is going to be based on the health of an ankle injury that showed up on this week’s injury report. Tannehill made no mention of an injury during his media availability, via Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.

If Tannehill is restricted to the pocket, it favors the Bears. The former wide receiver turned quarterback hasn’t exactly been very efficient this season. He’s thrown five interceptions in five games and has only completed 60.8 percent of his passes. Only three starting quarterbacks rank lower than Tannehill in completion percentage, which has to be troubling for coach Joe Philbin.

Tannehill will throw the ball to the Bears as long as Mel Tucker puts his defense in position to make plays if or when opportunities present themselves. And there will be opportunities, because Tannehill is just like Jay Cutler, in the sense that both quarterbacks have been known to lock onto a receiver and force a throw that isn’t there. Tannehill’s version of Brandon Marshall is Mike Wallace. Wallace has been targeted 44 times this season, according to ESPN.com, 15 more than the trio of pass-catchers who have anywhere between 25-28 targets. 

Two weeks ago, Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Kyle Fuller shadowed Carolina Panthers top wideout Kelvin Benjamin for the entirety of the game. Last week, Fuller stayed on the right side and saw snaps against both Julio Jones and Roddy White at various points of the game.

It’s unknown if Fuller will be tasked with tacking Wallace. Regardless, you can be sure that he’ll be looking to have a big game at Soldier Field. The last time Fuller played a home game, he struggled against Packers receiver Jordy Nelson, when Aaron Rodgers had a QB rating of 111.8 when Fuller was the primary coverage.

If the Bears can get pressure in the Dolphins’ backfield and force Tannehill to turn the ball over, they will get their first home win of the season. As previously stated: This Bears team won’t be taken seriously until they can win a game at home. If Sunday’s game results in another loss, expect some folks at Halas Hall to be left scratching their heads in disbelief.

*All stats provided by Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted (subscription required for most stats provided)

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