Chicago Bears vs. the Miami Dolphins Game Preview
Published by Bryan Dietzler on November 17, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The 6-3 Chicago Bears, fresh off of a 27-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, will travel to Miami to take on the 5-4 Dolphins, who themselves are coming off of a 29-17 win over the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday.
The Dolphins come into this game banged up quite a bit, with both their No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks out for the season right now (as of this writing, there is still a chance that Chad Henne may be OK, but there is no official word).
They may also be without left tackle Jake Long for this game, as well as one of their top defenders, Cameron Wake.
The Bears enter this game healthy and finding themselves on offense, which is good coming into a game where the turnaround from their last game is short. Chicago and Miami will be tired, but with playoff implications on the line for both teams, you can expect both to be ready to go.
So which team has the edge and why? How should we expect these teams to play after a short week? Will the Dolphins be able to overcome the injuries and beat the Bears? Can the Bears keep playing as they have been in the last two-and-a-half games?
Let’s find out in this extended in-depth preview of the Chicago Bears vs. the Miami Dolphins game on Thursday night football.
When the Bears Have the Ball
The Bears have found a good mix on offense, both running and passing the football. Ever since the second half of their game against the Washington Redskins a few weeks ago, the Bears have had a good mix of running and passing the ball. They are also protecting quarterback Jay Cutler much better now and have only allowed one sack in the last two games. That’s a recipe for success.
So, what do the Bears need to do to win this game? It’s simple. They just need to keep doing what they have been doing. In the passing game, they have been using short drops and rollouts to help keep Cutler moving, and the more he moves the better off he is. They also need to keep using shorter passing routes to help Cutler get rid of the ball faster. They have been doing this successfully lately, so it’s likely they will stick with this same formula.
None of the success that the Bears have had could have come with the problems they once had on the offensive line. Granted, it wasn’t that long ago that the Bears had problems on the offensive line, and things could get tight again anytime with this group. They are looking very good, though, and as long as no one gets hurt, expect this group to continue to play well.
So far this season, the Bears have been averaging around 202 yards of passing per game (this number is skewed thanks to such poor passing games as the Giants game and the Panthers game), and that number should increase as the season goes forward. The Dolphins are allowing opponents to gain around 203 yards per game, so the Bears should be right where they need to be in the passing game.
We have seen the Bears running game start to get going as well, and that has contributed to the success of the team’s offense in the last couple of games. They will seek to get that working again in Miami. The Bears rushing offense has been averaging 95 yards a game, which has been steadily increasing as the team runs the ball more. Look for Chicago to use a good mix of both Matt Forte and Chester Taylor in this game against a Dolphins defense that has been allowing opponents to rush for 110 yards per game.
Chicago should find some success running the ball in this game.
Look for Cutler to get the ball out to his most reliable receivers, Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett, early on short passes. The Bears will try to get the ball down the field quickly to score fast so that they can build a lead and then run the ball for most of the night on what will be a tired and ailing Dolphins defense. If the Bears can build a sizeable lead then run the ball, things should go very well for them in this game.
Before moving on to the Dolphins offense and what the Bears have to do to stop them, let’s take a quick look at the sack numbers the Dolphins are putting up. Through nine games, Miami has sacked opposing quarterbacks 23 times. Their leading sack specialist is Cameron Wake (with 8.5), but it appears as if he’s going to miss this game. That would definitely benefit the Bears, a team that has allowed 33 sacks so far this season.
When the Dolphins Have the Ball
As it stands right now, the Dolphins are going to start third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen in this game. Thigpen has had what some may call a decent career in the NFL because when he has played, he’s done well. His biggest problem is that he hasn’t really played that much and still has a lot to learn. Hopefully he doesn’t learn it all and have a big game against the Bears this Thursday night.
Chicago’s defense has been getting better as the season has gone on, and some of that has to do with the offense’s ability to stay on the field longer and give them some rest. We saw in the Vikings game just how good a well-rested Bears defense is, and if the Bears offense can have a repeat in this game, then things should go very well for the Bears on defense.
The Dolphins quarterback situation clouds things a little bit, but could make things easier for the Bears. The Dolphins coaching staff will surely want to take pressure off Thigpen and one way they can do that is run the football. Miami is averaging 104 yards on the ground, which is pretty respectable. The Bears are only allowing an average of 82 yards on the ground per game, so if the Dolphins plan to run the ball a lot, they will probably lose this game.
The secret to the Bears success in the running game has been the play of linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Both these guys are flying around the field making plays in the running game. They possess the speed to get to the ball carrier quickly and stop him from breaking into the secondary. They also play within the running lanes, which helps take running backs out before the play develops.
The whole defense has freakish speed and swarms to the ball. Doing that, they limit ball carriers from picking up extra yards after a catch or a run. This kind of formula has worked well for the Bears and will continue to work well for them.
The passing defense has struggled a little bit from time to time, but they have been getting some pressure on the quarterback (not necessarily sacks) and have had some good moments of coverage in the secondary. Right now, the Bears defense is allowing an average of 219 yards passing per game and, while this isn’t bad, the Bears would like to keep opponents from gaining a lot of yards through the air.
The Dolphins have been averaging around 239 yards per game through the air, but that was with their starting quarterback Henne at the helm, for the most part. How well they will do with Thigpen in there is clearly not known.
Pass pressure is always the best thing to have when defending against the pass. Chicago did have it last week when they played the Vikings, but they didn’t get any sacks. What they did get was a fumble by quarterback Brett Favre, as well as three interceptions.
The key to getting pass pressure is to take advantage of anything that Julius Peppers does, such as take on double teams or get the attention of a running back. We saw the rest of the defensive line get some pressure on Favre last week thanks to the effort that Peppers put on. Guys like defensive tackles Matt Toeaina and Henry Melton had very good games. Hopefully Chicago will be able to repeat that success.
The secondary also played a pretty nice game against the Vikings as well. Not only did they pick Favre off twice (linebacker Lance Briggs had the other interception), but they kept plays in front of them and didn’t allow a lot of yards after the catch. They do need to watch their mistakes, though, as they had some pass interference penalties called against them. They cannot afford to do that in this game.
Special Teams
We all know what the Bears special teams can do and they should continue to have success against the Dolphins if things go the way that the Bears hope that they will. The big question here is, will the Dolphins kick to Devin Hester? The Vikings did it several times, much to their detriment, so will the Dolphins learn from the mistakes of others or will they allow Hester some big returns in this game?
What happens here could go a long way in determining the outcome of the game. If Hester breaks a few and gives the Bears great field position or scores, the Bears will win this game.
Injury Report
We have talked a lot about injuries, particularly for the Dolphins. The following is a look at each team’s injury report as it stands today.
Miami Dolphins
QB Chad Henne: Knee—Doubtful; OT Jake Long: Shoulder—Doubtful; S Chris Clemons: Hamstring—Doubtful; C Joe Burger: Knee—Questionable; OT Vernon Carey: Knee—Questionable; S Yeremiah Bell: Toe—Questionable; WR Roberto Wallace: Knee—Questionable; S Tyrone Culver: Ankle—Questionable; LB Channing Crowder: Ribs—Probable; LB Cameron Wake: Hip—Probable; LB Karlos Dansby: Elbow—Questionable; DE Kendall Langford: Ankle—Probable; LB Tim Dobbins: Ankle—Probable.
Chicago Bears
WR/KR Devin Hester: Shoulder—Probable; WR Rashied Davis: Quad—Probable; CB Zachary Bowman: Foot—Probable; C Olin Kreutz: Hamstring—Probable; LB Pisa Tinoisamoa: Knee—Probable; WR Johnny Knox: Ankle—Probable.
As you can see by the injury report, the Dolphins are in much worse shape than the Bears are at this time. Chicago is one of the healthiest teams in the NFL and it shows by their injury report. Hopefully both Hester and wide receiver Johnny Knox will be fully healed and ready to go this Thursday night.
Analysis
The Bears will be at a slight disadvantage for this game because they have to travel to Miami to play, losing a day of practice and preparation. The Dolphins, playing at home, won’t have to worry about that, so they will have a day’s advantage over the Bears. This is one factor that could hurt the Bears.
Miami has been saying all week that they have certain players who are injured and may not play. Then, as the week has progressed, they back off those statements and state that these players will play. The consensus is (as of this writing) that Long will play, Wake will play and Henne will be available. There is talk the Dolphins center won’t play in this game, and that will have a significant effect on the offense.
The Bears need to treat this game like it’s a must-win and do everything possible to ensure that they win it. They need to keep moving Cutler around, especially since the Dolphins have such a strong pass rush. Miami may even do what other teams have done well against the Bears and blitz them. If they do blitz the Bears, how well will Chicago handle it?
The running game will once again need to be featured, and the Bears have two capable running backs who can do the job. Running the ball will help keep the defense guessing and make it much easier for the Bears to run their offense.
The defense will have its hands full with the Dolphins running backs, but have the speed to contain both and keep them from tearing things up on the ground. The quarterback situation in Miami dictates that the Bears need to do whatever it takes to get pressure on the quarterback, and they can do that with Peppers and the rest of the defensive line making an attempt to get to the quarterback consistently. Just the threat of Peppers is enough to do some damage, but the rest of the line has to step up and help.
Special teams may end up playing a big role in this game and, if it does, the Bears clearly have the advantage. Whether Miami decides to kick the ball to or away from Hester, it will work to the Bears’ advantage either way.
Prediction
This game may be a little bit poorly played because both teams are coming off a short week of rest. The Bears have to want to win this game bad and they should. If they can do all the things that they have managed to do in the last two-and-a-half games, they will.
Chicago 24, Miami 13
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