Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in the Bears’ Week 7 Contest with Miami
Published by Matt Eurich on October 14, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Following a 27-13 victory on the road against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6, the Chicago Bears are set to head back home in Week 7 to take on the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field.
The Bears were able to get back in the win column Sunday afternoon following back-to-back losses to the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively. Their victory over Atlanta helped get them back to .500 on the season, but they still sit in third place in the NFC North behind the Packers and Detroit Lions.
In order for the Bears to win Sunday and keep pace in their division, they are going to need to win these crucial one-on-one battles against the Dolphins.
Jordan Mills vs. Cameron Wake
A fifth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2013, Jordan Mills began his rookie training camp behind J’Marcus Webb and Jonathan Scott on the depth chart before beating out both veterans with a strong showing in the preseason.
Mills defied expectations by starting all 16 games last season at right tackle, but he had plenty of struggles along the way.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Mills graded out as the third-worst tackle in the entire NFL with a minus-36.2. While he only gave up three sacks on the season, he allowed a league-worst 62 quarterback hurries.
He missed the entire 2014 preseason but returned to the starting lineup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Even with one full season under his belt, Mills has struggled in all six games this season.
Mills had his worst showing of the season in Week 6 against the Falcons. In addition to giving up a sack and four quarterback hurries, he was also called for two false-start penalties.
Despite Mills’ poor performance against Atlanta, head coach Marc Trestman told the media on Monday he does not believe Mills will be an issue moving forward, via Chicago Bears radio network sideline reporter Zach Zaidman:
Things will not get easier for Mills this week as he is set to go up against Miami’s Cameron Wake.
An undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2005, Wake accumulated 39 total sacks between 2007 and 2008 in the Canadian Football League before getting a shot with the Miami Dolphins back in 2009.
He has 55 sacks since joining the Dolphins and is a three-time Pro Bowler.
Wake is currently Pro Football Focus’ (subscription required) highest-graded 4-3 defensive end with a plus-16.8 overall grade. In five games this season, Wake has four sacks, seven quarterback hits and 12 quarterback hurries.
He is at his best when he is able to utilize both his speed and strength off the edge, particularly against less-athletic right tackles. His speed and strength were on display all afternoon this past Sunday against Green Bay’s Bryan Bulaga.
During a crucial fourth-quarter drive late in Sunday’s game, Wake lined up opposite of Bulaga at the line of scrimmage.
Wake used his tremendous speed to get off the ball, dipped his shoulder to the outside of Bulaga and utilized his strength to rip back to the inside, forcing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to step up in the pocket.
Despite Rodgers’ attempt to step up and evade the rush, Wake’s strength and athleticism were too much for Bulaga to handle and he was able to corral Rodgers for the sack.
If Mills wants to keep Wake at bay on Sunday afternoon, he is going to need to rely on his own athleticism to limit the pass rusher’s impact. If Wake is beating Mills to the outside, the tackle will be best served to work Wake upfield, thereby using the defensive end’s own speed against him and allowing quarterback Jay Cutler to step up in the pocket.
Because of Mills’ struggles this season against pass-rushers, expect the Bears to give him help with an extra blocker—in most cases, tight end Martellus Bennett—or having running back Matt Forte chip Wake on occasion.
Brandon Marshall vs. Cortland Finnegan
After struggling to get healthy following an ankle injury he suffered against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, wide receiver Brandon Marshall finally looked like the Brandon Marshall of old Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Falcons.
The veteran receiver finished Sunday’s game with six catches for 113 yards after accumulating just 117 receiving yards on 11 catches in the previous four games combined.
“Brandon is such a charismatic player,” said head coach Marc Trestman after the game, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “The first catch of the game was big, just the playmaking.”
In order to beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Marshall is going to need to continue to be a playmaker, and he will come face-to-face with a familiar foe in cornerback Cortland Finnegan.
The rivalry began between the two back in 2010 when Marshall was a member of the Miami Dolphins and Finnegan was with the Tennessee Titans.
Marshall finished the game with three catches for 36 yards and was virtually shut down by Finnegan when the two squared off one-on-one.
After the game, Finnegan told the media he knew exactly what routes Marshall was going to be running throughout the game.
“You shouldn’t be able to do that, but I’ve watched every single game Miami’s played this year and the formation doesn’t lie. Formations tell a lot,” Finnegan said after the game, via the Sun-Sentinel’s Omar Kelly. “He didn’t like that.”
The two squared off again in 2012 with Marshall a member of the Bears and Finnegan with the St. Louis Rams. Marshall finished the day with five catches for 71 yards but only one reception came against Finnegan.
While it is unlikely Finnegan shadows Marshall on every snap, the two will likely see each other a lot on Sunday afternoon.
Fortunately for Marshall, Finnegan has had a rough go this season. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Finnegan is currently listed as the site’s 64th-best cornerback with a minus-1.5 grade. He has given up 18 catches on 25 passes thrown his way and opposing quarterbacks have a 95.6 quarterback rating when passing in his direction.
He is still considered one of the league’s best in terms of getting inside an opposing wide receiver’s head, but Marshall has shown a great ability to tune out the noise around him since joining the Bears.
If Marshall can play this Sunday like he did last week against the Falcons, Finnegan may be in for a long afternoon.
Willie Young vs. Ja’Wuan James
Despite the Bears spending big money this offseason on free-agent defensive ends Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston, Willie Young has been the team’s best bargain in 2014.
After collecting just six total sacks in his four-year career with the Detroit Lions, Young currently leads the NFL with seven sacks.
Young was initially signed this offseason to be a starter until the team was able to nab Allen a few weeks into free agency. Despite Young’s demotion following Allen’s signing this offseason, head coach Marc Trestman has been impressed by Young’s attitude, via Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald:
Young has been tenacious as a Bear, using a combination of speed, athleticism and strength to routinely beat offensive linemen.
On Sunday, Young will have the opportunity to go up against Miami’s talented rookie tackle Ja’Wuan James.
The 19th overall pick this past May out of Tennessee, James has held his own at the right tackle position, starting all five games this season for the Dolphins.
“He’s got good poise for a young player,” Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin said of James, via ESPN.com’s James Walker. “I think he’s been good on the sideline. When he comes off the field, I think he can communicate what’s happening. If he did make a mistake, he can fix it.”
In comparison to typical rookies, James has done a good job of limiting his mistakes this season. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), James has allowed only one sack but has given up four quarterback hits and eight quarterback hurries.
James is still raw in some areas, particularly with his footwork, meaning Young should have ample opportunities to beat James with his bull rush and effort.
Because of how Young splits reps with Allen and Houston, he tends to stay fresher throughout the course of the game and is able to put forth the same effort in the fourth quarter that he did in the first.
Head coach Marc Trestman praised Young’s effort and team-first mentality earlier this week, via the team’s official Twitter account:
As long as Young continues to stay fresh because of the defensive end rotation, expect him to have plenty of opportunities to add to his league-leading sack total against James on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
Record/statistical information provided via email from the Chicago Bears or NFL.com.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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