Chicago Bears Vs Washington Redskins: Previewing Next Sunday's Matchup
The Bears fell to the Seattle Seahawks at home in a game they should have won. But that's old news and hey, despite the loss, the Bears are still in first place. All of which makes the game against the Redskins not only important but dangerous.
Dangerous in the sense that Washington is coming off a near-victory against the Colts, and beat Green Bay in OT the week before, so this is a good team. Not only that, but the Bears need to figure out a way to protect Jay Cutler if they are going to insist on rushing the ball so little.
Washington is also desperate for a win. They sit at 3-3, one game behind two teams in the NFC East, whereas the Bears can still lose on Sunday since the worst they would be is tied for first place with a game up on the Packers.
Washington also has a win on the road this season, at Philadelphia, so they have demonstrated that they can win in hostile environments.
So let's take a look at the Donovan McNabb-led Skins and see if we can't figure this thing out a little better than last week, when I predicted an easy win for Chicago.
When The Bears Have the Ball...
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This Washington defense stinks, at least statistically. They rank 24th against the rush and a miserable 31st against the pass. Of course, the Seahawks also came into town with bad stats against the pass and look how that went for the Bears.
Look, no matter what the stats say, the opposing defensive coordinators see the same things everyone else does. That the Bears offensive line is weak and Mike Martz's schemes are susceptible to the edge rush. Unless free agent bust (so far) Brandon Manumaleuna and the other "helpers" can get a block down, Cutler will be on his back a lot in this game.
Meanwhile, I don't care how stubborn Martz can be, he'd better throw a few more running plays into the mix against the Redskins. The Colts are not a great running team, but Joseph Addai had 17 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Now, the Skins were missing starting linebacker Rocky McIntosh and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and both could be back this week against the Bears and that will help the Skins. But you have to take a chance after seeing what Addai did to them last week.
Of course, it will be tempting, especially for an offensive coordinator who loves to throw the ball, to try and take advantage of a suspect Washington secondary.
The Bears have got to figure out some way to improve on third down. They rank, by far, as the worst team in the NFL in third down efficiency at 17.6 percent.
But watch out for Brian Orakpo, who could have a big day against the Bears' line. Orakpo had a sack and a forced fumble Sunday and could have a few more sacks this weekend.
LeRon Landry leads the league in tackles with 63. London Fletcher is second. I wonder how much of that is due to all the plays the opposing offenses are running against them.
When The Redskins Have the Ball...
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Washington ranks eighth in the NFL in passing yardage. They haven't been very accurate in the passing game, as they rank only 25th in completion percentage, but have a very respectable 7.3 yards per catch. But they have only a one-to-one TD to interception ratio.
McNabb has a history of struggling with a hurry-up offense (the two minute drill) but he will pick apart a Bears defense that is not great against the pass.
Running the ball, Ryan Torain had the best game of his career against the Colts with 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Bears run defense has been staunch, however.
One setback is that tight end Chris Cooley suffered a concussion and is questionable for Sunday's game. He had developed a nice rapport with McNabb, so he will have to throw the ball more to Fred Davis.
The Bears generated good pressure from both Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije against Carolina, but both were nonexistent against Seattle. The Redskins offensive line lacks a player as capable as Russell Okung, though if the Bears don't generate a rush, it will be a long day.
While the Bears are the worst in the NFL on third down, Washington isn't too much better, ranking 30th at 27 percent.
This Washington offense won't blow a good Bears defense away by any means. But it will be good enough to keep them in the game.
Examing the Special Teams
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This is the third phase of every team...the special teams can win or lose a game for you. The Bears' special teams almost won the game for them last week, as Devin Hester returned a punt for a late TD.
And field goals are almost a lock for the Bears with Robbie "good as" Gould, although he missed a 54-yard field goal attempt late in last Sunday's game against Seattle.
Though his net average is one of the worst in the NFL, Bears punter Brad Maynard is great at putting the ball inside the 20. Meanwhile, Washington's punter is also bad in net average and while he's not as good as Maynard inside the 20, he is one of the better punters in that regard. Hey, maybe there is a correlation there?
Returning the ball, Washington ranks seventh in the NFL in return yards, though the Bears, who are ranked only 17th, have a higher average. Chicago and Washington rank one and two in punt return average, but the big difference is that the Bears have returned two for TDs while the Redskins have no TDs.
In terms of special teams defense, teams have been able to return punts much better against the Redskins than the Bears.
That bodes well for Hester.
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Coaching
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The Bears' coaches, and there are plenty of former head coaches around, have shown a propensity to adjust this year a bit better than in previous years, though a lot of that is based largely on the Dallas game.
Coming out after half time, the Bears have not scored any points in the third quarter. Is that an indication that Lovie Smith and his crew are being out-coached?
Washington's head coach Mike Shanahan is one of the best, and he has changed the culture of this organization. Meanwhile, Lovie has been more adamant at holding players accountable this season.
Tommie Harris has been invisible since coming back from a one-game suspension. And where is the accountability for Mike Martz, who continues to insist on five- and seven-step drops even in their own end zone?
The edge here goes to Washington.
Prediction: Washington 24, Bears 21
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Okay Bears fans, I predicted an easy win for the Bears last Sunday but this game is one that I picked the team to lose even in my preseason evaluations. It just seems like a team that is confident and desperate because they are in a division with two 4-2 teams while the Bears are less confident and know they will be in first place even with a loss.
That said, this will not be a blowout by any means and could the Bears win this game? Absolutely. But to do that, they will need to have some success running the ball, and they will need a couple of turnovers.
When the Bears defense fails to take the ball away, they generally do not do well.
I predict the Redskins will win in a close, hard-fought, down-to-the-wire game at Soldier Field.
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