Chicago Bears Versus the Miami Dolphins: 10 Things We Learned
The Bears went into their game with the Dolphins with a chip on their shoulder. Media experts and even fans felt that the Bears had no chance of winning this game even after that solid victory against the Vikings. Well, those experts and fans were pretty much wrong because the Bears came ready to play and beat the Dolphins 16-0 in Miami.
The Bears' defense looked very good, almost flawless in the win and the offense had a great game as well. But as always, there are some good things that they did and some bad things.
Let’s take a look at ten things that we learned about the Bears in their game against the Dolphins this Thursday night.
It Was a Third String Quarterback, So What?
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Yes, the Bears did play against Tyler Thigpen, the Dolphins' third string quarterback, so they didn’t face the best that the Dolphins had to offer. There were also injuries to Miami’s offensive line that ended up taking their toll so some consider the Bears lucky. But quite honestly, luck didn’t have much to do with it. The Bears displayed a lot of skill and talent on both sides of the ball to win this game. Third string or not, this was a great win.
Devin Hester the All-Around Talent?
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Just when we thought that Devin Hester was going to see his role on offense decrease while his role on special teams increased, we saw him play well in both areas of this game, especially as a receiver. He was red hot catching the ball last night and had a couple of nice returns. He had a great game Thursday night.
The Knox to Cutler Connection Works Great!
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Just like throwing to Hester worked very well for Cutler on Thursday night, his passes to Knox went for first downs and helped the Bears move the ball down the field. While Knox may not be scoring a lot of touchdowns he’s helping the Bears move the ball through the air and being a very reliable target.
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Julius Peppers Has Arrived!
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It’s true, Peppers has finally “arrived” in Chicago after his big three sack performance on Thursday night. He displayed his value by collecting three sacks and tipping a pass by Thigpen. He also showed us his athleticism by handling the run well and even dropping back to cover receivers. This effort should help him out and make him better in future games with the Bears.
The Tight End Position Does Exist!
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It’s true. Even though so many people said (at the beginning of offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s tenure with the Bears) that the tight end position was only used for blocking, we have seen that it’s now a weapon in a Martz offense. Olsen had a solid game catching the football and over the past two games the tight ends have done very well.
The Bears Can Rush with Just the Front Four
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Guess what! The Bears are starting to get a pass rush with just their front four. They didn’t blitz that often against the Dolphins (one blitz did produce a sack by linebacker Brian Urlacher) and the front four got some good pressure. Four sacks coming from that group was very impressive and necessary for the type of defense that the Bears run.
The Coaching Staff Is Learning
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The Bears’ coaching staff called a great game on Thursday night and took advantage of key mismatches where they had them. For example, as the Dolphins' offensive line began to suffer injuries (they lost their second string center and their right tackle) the Bears' defense began to attack those weak areas and exploited them. Thinking on their feet is something that the coaching staff hasn’t done that much of in the past but they are starting to do more of it now.
Cutler Spreads the Ball Around Well
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We saw several different receivers catch passes on Thursday night showing us that Cutler is willing to spread the ball around to different receivers. Not only did this make it difficult for the defense to “key in” on one particular player but it also gave the receivers some additional time to catch passes from Cutler. As we all know, repetition is the best thing that can happen between a quarterback and receiver and the Bears are getting plenty of that.
Rod Marinelli Was the Right Choice
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Many of us scoffed at the choice of Rod Marinelli for defensive coordinator but it looks like it was a great decision on behalf of Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo. Marinelli was very familiar with the defensive system the Bears were running, so they went with him as their defensive coordinator. Sure enough, this has worked out very well as Chicago’s defense is one of the best in the NFL.
The Bears Are Much Better Than Given Credit For
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The Bears went into this game as two point underdogs. They went into their game against the Vikings as underdogs as well. The Bears have never really been favored in too many games this season and this has been because no one was sure what they would get when the Bears played. Now, as we have seen how they play and how they win (during the last three games), we now know that the Bears are for real and should be a team that is favored in a few more games this season.
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