After taking the week off in Detroit, the Chicago Bears are facing some stiff competition this Sunday in the form of the resurgent Atlanta Falcons. Each team sits at 3-2, but while Atlanta is looking up at Carolina in the standings, Chicago is perched alone at the top of their division. Both are coming off of impressive victories against NFC North opponents and need to continue building momentum towards successful seasons.
Lovie Smith and his staff can be proud of their game plan against Detroit; they just shouldn’t be too smug about it. Detroit is the punching bag of the NFC, along with the St. Louis Rams. The Falcons are a joke no longer, boasting the second ranked running game in the NFL with running back Michael “the Burner” Turner ranking first in yards rushing. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan is making enough plays to win, finding receiver Roddy White with great effect. Atlanta hungers for respect throughout the league and plays fast and aggressive on offense as well as defense. It will certainly be a test for a Bears team who has openly stated their intent to remain in the driver’s seat of the NFC North. That’s a bold claim for a team known for collapsing in the second half.
In terms of their offense, Chicago will have its hands full. Atlanta has produced a solid nine sacks and five interceptions through their five games so far. The scary part? Veteran defensive end John Abraham has seven of those nine sacks. This is an experienced unit at every level, featuring Abraham on the line, Keith Brooking at the linebacker position, and safety Lawyer Milloy still going strong in the secondary. Those three are surrounded by skilled young players who are good fits for the defensive scheme brought in by new head coach Mike Smith. Kyle Orton will need to pick his spots in the passing attack, as he’ll no doubt be under pressure from Abraham all day. The Falcons run defense is solid, so Matt Forte looks to have another rough outing. If he can break through early, then Kyle can expose the pass defense late. While the pass rush of Abraham is excellent, the pass defense is average after the trade of DeAngelo Hall to the Raiders. The short, quick routes that the passing game is known for should be a focus of Ron Tuner and the offensive staff this Sunday. Brandon Lloyd is still questionable, so Devin Hester needs to make plays at the wide-out spot for the second straight week. Rashied Davis must build off of his 6 catch-97 yard performance last week to solidify himself in the Bears receiver rotation. Against a stingy defense, points will be at a premium, so don’t expect another 34 point day from the Bears offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, Chicago may have problems. They’ve played the run well as of late, but they haven’t run into a team that’s this good at it. Michael Turner will be playing angry, wanting to make the Bears pay for not signing him during free agency. His performance will be key, as it directly plays into the success of Matt Ryan and the passing game. It’s the same strategy for both offenses. Whoever establishes the run and frees up the passing game will prevail. It will be a nice set-up for Chicago, who will face Minnesota in week seven. If the Bears defense is to rise to glory this season, this is the moment to start. Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman both practiced in full pads yesterday, so at least the Bears will have options in covering Roddy White downfield. After White, there’s a significant drop-off in talent for the Falcons at wide receiver, so the Bears shouldn’t have anything more than single coverage on their other wide-outs. If I were the Bears I’d be wary of stacking too many men in the box to stop Turner, as the Falcons have proven they can go deep, so look for a lot of two-deep safety coverage.
The Bears desperately want this win, as it will put them at 4-2 heading against the Vikings next week. They’ll need this separation from the Vikings and Packers to become the frontrunners to take this division, and with a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way, getting to 4-2 can give them room to maneuver. Even though I’m looking ahead in the season, I’m not looking past the Falcons. They have the weapons to send the Bears right back down to 3-3, let’ just hope the Bears aren’t looking past them either.
Keywords: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, John Abraham, Matt Forte, Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, NFL, Roddy White
