Windy City Gridiron
The Chicago Bears’ defense has STUNK so far (5th worst in yards allowed). The Dallas Cowboys’ offense has not stunk (3rd best in total yards). On paper, this is a very bad matchup for the Bears.
To this point, the Bears’ defense hasn’t done much of anything well.
With the Dallas Cowboys coming to town, a team that is even more reliant on their offense after the addition of George Pickens and the loss of Micah Parsons, the Bears’ defense has to figure it out fast.
That is why it is essential that the Bears establish themselves in the trenches against a backup center.
Now, you could choose any one of the Bears’ top interior defensive linemen (Dexter, Jarrett included), but big Bill is my choice for the most important of the three this week.
When the trio of Dak Prescott, George Pickens, and Ceedee Lamb are the heart of the Cowboys, wouldn’t you want Dexter and Jarrett to be the focal point in an interior pass rush?
Yes, that’s important.
However, I think it is even more critical for Andrew Billings to shut down Javonte Williams and the Cowboys’ rushing attack.
Through two games, Dallas is 8th in the league with 121 yards passing on play-action pass plays, suggesting that the running game has done well to set up these attempts. Meanwhile, their rushing attack has been super efficient by racking up 5.1 yards per attempt on the ground against two very strong defensive fronts in the Eagles and Giants.
This is why Andrew Billings needs to clog up the interior and stop Javonte Williams in his tracks. To this point, the Cowboys’ 2nd year pro Cooper Beebe has been strong at Center. But after suffering an injury in Week 2, they have to turn to their backup, Brock Hoffman.
With only 9 starts in his career, Hoffman doesn’t have a long track record, but so far this season, his 58.6 run blocking grade suggests he could struggle in opening up holes for Williams.
It is paramount that the Bears do not get gashed on the ground for 5+ yards per carry, otherwise you can expect Prescott, Pickens, and Lamb to unload huge gains on play-action later in the game.
It’s time for the defense to step up, and Billings will be critical to their turnaround on Sunday.
