Windy City Gridiron
Two bad defenses enter. One explosive offense. Only one will come out victorious.
But will it be the Chicago Bears?
The Dallas Cowboys present a unique opportunity for the offense to get right. But we’ve seen so many Bears teams in the past not be able to get right. Ever.
I have some faith it will be different this time, with Ben Johnson at the helm. Last week Rome Odunze got going as his connection with Caleb Williams continues to click.
Here is what our writers think the Bears need to do to get in the win column.
Sam: On paper, this is going to be a shootout. Two bad defenses through two weeks. The defense will have its hands full with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Get after Dak Prescott with any means necessary and help out a woeful secondary. For the offense, move the ball, put up multiple first-half touchdown drives and keep the home crowd on your side. The Cowboys have struggled to rush the passer. Caleb should have time to find his weapons. Let’s see the tight ends and DJ more than we have.
And low-key don’t say much to Tom Brady during the broadcast meeting.
Gooch: Stop the bleeding. With Smith, Gordon, JJ, and now Jaylon Jones out, and Tyrique Stevenson forgetting how to play football, the Bears have to scheme up pressure to protect the back end, or Pickens and Lamb will gash them all game. Caleb needs to continue to improve in structure and cut down on the “bad” misses by cleaning up his footwork. Key matchup in the game will be Dalman vs Kenny Clark – Clark has wrecked the Bears in the running game and with interior pressure in the past. Speaking of the running game, Kyle Monangai is averaging 4 yards a carry – need to feature him on early downs. Let Swift feature more in the passing game and outside zone runs. Did I mention the Bears need to somehow find a pass rush? Oh, and finally, the Bears need a pass rush.
Jack R Salo: Through two games, the Cowboys have thrown the ball almost twice as much as they’ve run it, yet they’re in the top half of the league in rushing yards and have the third most rushing touchdowns. Small sample size, yes, but they’ve run the ball efficiently, thanks in large part to 5th-year running back Javonte Williams. The Bears, meanwhile, just got consistently gashed by (everybody on the Lions, including) Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Plug up the running lanes, win the turnover battle, and put your first tally in the W column.
Lester: Chicago’s corners have been bad, so if the pass rush isn’t getting home, Dak Prescott is going to go for 350 yards. Dennis Allen may still be feeling out what he can and can’t do with his talent, but on Sunday, he needs to be aggressive. With his front four not doing it on their own, he has to blitz....
