Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on October 16, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins could be headed in very different directions come Sunday afternoon when the game clock strikes zero.

Chicago currently sits with a 3-3 record through six games. The Bears are 3-1 on the road, and somehow winless at home.

Coach Marc Trestman’s team is coming off a huge 27-13 road win over the Atlanta Falcons. It’s the first game of the season in which the Bears played well in all three phases—offense, defense and special teams.

Miami, however, is coming off an excruciating last-second 27-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Dolphins were leading until the waning seconds of the game before Aaron Rodgers hit tight end Andrew Quarless for a four-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left on the clock.

Coach Joe Philbin currently is under fire in Miami for how the loss came to be. The coach made multiple game-management blunders throughout the game, many of which were well documented by Surya Fernandez of FOX Sports Florida.

So, yeah, these two teams couldn’t be headed in more different directions at this stage. The Bears need to prove they can win a game at home before re-entering the conversation of the league’s best teams; whereas the Dolphins need to bounce back quickly so the noise from the Green Bay loss will die down and Philbin can take a breath.

Miami’s pass-rushing prowess

What could turn this game in Miami’s favor is its pass rush, featuring Cameron Wake from the left side and Olivier Vernon from the right. You won’t find a better pair of ends in the NFL. Vernon can double as a coverage linebacker, too, extending the possibility of the offense being confused as to whether he’s going to rush, stay at home or drop back.

The Dolphins as a team rank fifth in the league at rushing the quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Run-stuffer Randy Starks, Jared Odrick and Earl Mitchell have been more than formidable at getting in the backfield and disrupting a thing or two.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle likely will try a variation of combinations against the Bears’ offensive line. Coyle uses the versatility and athleticism of his linemen to run a hybrid scheme, which allows for a variation in their alignments, too.

Trouble for Chicago at the ends of the line

Bears right tackle Jordan Mills is coming off a very rough outing last week against the Falcons, allowing six quarterback hurries, one sack and credited with two false start penalties. His struggles go beyond last week, though, as PFF rated Mills as the 52nd-best tackle in the league on a list of 55. Mills’ saving grace is his ability to run block, where he’s middle of the pack.

Unfortunately for Jay Cutler, Mills will be up against Wake, in a matchup that does not in the least favor the Bears’ right tackle. Wake has the moves and the speed to beat Mills all day on Sunday.

Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer might be wise to throw reserve guard Eben Britton or a tight end on the right edge to provide Mills with some support in more crucial passing situations.

Something else to watch is the health status of left tackle Jermon Bushrod, who missed his second-consecutive game last week due to injury.

“I’m doing everything I can,” Bushrod said Monday on 670 The Score. “I’m doing everything I can, and hopefully over the next couple of days, we’ll have a better gauge to see where I’m at. But I’m excited about the opportunity.”

If Bushrod can’t go, Michael Ola will once again start on the left side. Ola struggled in his first start two weeks ago against the Carolina Panthers, but the eye test will tell you he seemed more comfortable last week in pass protection.

The matchup that is most critical, though, is Mills against Wake. For the Bears’ offense to continue where it left off last week, Mills needs to just be average and not make any mistakes. If you don’t hear Mills’ name during the broadcast, then he’s likely doing his job.

Get the ball to Marshall and Jeffery (obviously, right?)

Cutler and the Bears found great success last week in the vertical game, because he had two healthy receivers and time to heave it downfield. Cutler had a 47-yard completion to Brandon Marshall and a 74-yarder to Alshon Jeffery. Arguably the top-receiving tandem in the league, Marshall and Jeffery hold large size advantages over every member of the ‘Fins secondary.

Marshall, who stands at 6’4″, likely will be seeing a lot of 5’10” cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who has allowed 17 receptions on 24 targets for 183 yards and 92.9 quarterback rating against. For comparison’s sake, Bears rookie corner Kyle Fuller sports a QB-rating against of 50.5, good for fourth-best in the league.

Finnegan and Brent Grimes have plenty of experience to handle a pair of savvy receivers like the Bears’ top two pass-catchers. The question is whether or not Finnegan and Grimes can play physical enough to disrupt routes or tackle in space. Jeffery can get deep at a moment’s notice, evident by his 74-yard hookup last week, and he ranks eighth in the league in yards after catch with 201 of his 495 total.

The same things can be said about Marshall, who finally looked near 100 percent last week in Atlanta. Marshall had been battling an ankle injury suffered the first week of the season. The receiver’s ankle didn’t appear to be hampering his mobility in the least. He was a beast, gaining 48 of his 113 yards after the catch. He also broke two tackles, one of them in the most epic of ways (above).

Marshall and Jeffery both went for 100-plus receiving yards last week, and having another big game for their quarterback might not be a bad idea. Cutler is going to need them to make big plays when the pocket collapses and he just throws one up. Marshall and Jeffery win those battles when they’re healthy.

Only Good Jay on Sunday, please

Let’s keep this really simple: The Chicago Bears are 3-0 when Cutler doesn’t throw an interception, and they are 0-3 when Cutler does throw an interception.

No real need to dig into the numbers for this one. It’s pretty cut and dry, don’t you think?

Prediction: Bears 28, Dolphins 17

*All stats provided by Pro Football Focus (links provided above)

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