Last Week's Review & This Week's Preview: Bears @ Panthers
- nolanbul2
- Oct 17, 2020
- 9 min read
After going winless on five meetings spanning over his illustrious two-decade career, the Chicago Bears finally knew what it was like to defeat QB Tom Brady in a Thursday night victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since I was six years old, I have been desperately waiting to know what it would feel like for my team to conquer the renowned "GOAT." In 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018, the final results were either ugly losses or one-score games with him and the New England Patriots, no in-between. Now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at age 43, last Thursday could very well likely have been the final chance the Bears would get a chance to defeat Brady. Fortunately, they took their potential final opportunity and came away on top in close fashion, and it feels fabulous.
In this article, I will discuss my review and reaction from the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and preview the upcoming match v.s. the Carolina Panthers.
If you haven't already, please feel free to check out my introduction article, I had a blast putting it together. You will get to know more about me, my background, and my plans for this website here:
My Early Week Prediction For Game: Bears Win 24-21
Actual Score: Bears Win 20-19
Finally! We Beat A Team That Is Not Awful!
As we know, the 2020 Chicago Bears are a rather interesting yet deceiving team. Starting the year off 3-0 while providing fans with a mix of epic shock, happiness, and surprise. However, they were against teams with a now combined 1-13 record. Then the team loses to an established club with a formidable defense in the Indianapolis Colts, leaving the Bears as one of the most confusing 4-1 teams we could witness. Fans were going berzerk, acting like the sky was falling and wondering if we were truly good enough to beat a team that, well, not awful.
Me Looking For All Of The Fans That Overreacted And Thought The Team Was Done-Zo After Last Week
Our worries in those regards were finally answered by beating Tom Brady and the Buc's. While they are not the most dominant team in the world, they look like greek gods when compared to any of the other teams we previously beat. The Bears, yet again, are still a team with a lot to prove and still need to solidify who they genuinely are, but beating a team such as Tampa certainly helped their cause. I believed Head Coach Matt Nagy put it perfectly by saying that (and I am paraphrasing, here) the team has an excellent record of 4-1, but they know they could be playing a LOT better. No matter how you may judge the team, Nagy is correct given the team's sloppy, inconsistent play so far. Nothing is guaranteed, but if the team can correct a handful of their glaring issues and click together, we could be seeing a much more functional football team. Given their current record and that potential scenario, I cannot help but be cautious yet excited about what could come.
A Phenomenal Pass Defense, Subpar Rush Defense Effort Yet Again
Whether it was terrible tackling by the Bears or not, Buc's Running Back Ronald Jones came to play. Jones ran through the field exceptionally in the first 35 minutes of the game, embarrassing players (specifically Linebacker Roquan Smith) on numerous occasions. No matter how great the Bears pass defense has been, their weakest link has been their rush defense. While that portion of the unit could be much worse, it has not been pleasant given our expectations of them heading into the year. I will say it again and again, losing Nose Tackle Eddie Goldman was a substantial blow, but they simply could, and should be, doing better against opposing Running Backs.
But let us look at the bright side: the pass defense. First and foremost, Linebacker Khalil Mack led the pass rush by finally racking up a multi-sack effort (had two, should have had three), showing a nationwide audience that the Mack attack was finally back in full force. Just ask Buc's rookie Offensive Tackle Tristian Wirfs how he felt facing Mack last week.
Khalil Mack Throwing Tristian Wirfs Down On The Field Last Thursday (Credit: NFL.com)
Not only do you need a good pass rush to stop the GOAT on the opposite side, but you need a solid secondary, too. Thankfully, Cornerbacks Kyle Fuller, Jaylon Johnson, and Safety Eddie Jackson led the way by not allowing an opposing receiver reel in over 61 yards and held strong from preventing Brady from carving up their defense. Fuller made what would eventually be realized as the game-changing play while down 13-7. With under two minutes left in the first half, the corner absolutely popped Buc's rookie Running Back KeShawn Vaughn, causing him to fumble and then have the Bears offense take the lead, 14-13, heading into halftime. Without that play, there likely would have been no victory for the Bears.
Cairo Santos, Take A Bow
Kickers in Chicago have such a rough gig. The trust in them over recent years have been low and will always be in the shadow of the incident that shall not be named in January of 2019.
With original starter, Eddy Pinero, on Injured Reserve, the Bears brought in Cairo Santos to replace him. Before Sunday, Santos has had a decent season by only missing two field goals, but by no means was considered safe to trust. Come this past Thursday, Santos was put in two difficult positions in the fourth quarter: kicking a 48-yard field goal to take the lead with ten minutes remaining and kicking what could be a 38-yard game-winner with precisely 1:13 left. Nervousness arose in my body for both kicks, especially the last one, but Santos made both with ease. He would indeed kick what would be the game-winning field goal and give the Bears and the fanbase a rare positive note from their kicking game. Sure, he only made two kicks, but their significance and the ever-lasting nature of the Bears kicking game reputation made it feel like Santos should have been NFC Special teams Player of the Week.
We will still witness inconsistency and uncertainty with the position this year, as the team did sign Kai Forbath to the practice squad. However, for now, let us appreciate what Santos has done for becoming an unlikely crucial component of last week's victory.
The State Of The Opponent: Carolina Panthers
Please take a moment to give the Panthers a boatload of credit for their start to the season.
After heading into the season as one of the potential favorites to land the #1 overall draft pick in 2021 amidst a full-blown rebuild, Rookie Head Coach Matt Rhule has led his new team to exceed expectations significantly and have a 3-2 start through five games. New QB Teddy Bridgewater is proving to play like the true starter many hoped he would. New Wide Receiver Robby Anderson has exploded and is on track to finally put together a full breakout season.
A Potential Mike Davis Revenge Game Is Upon Us
Remember when the Bears signed Running Back Mike Davis in the 2019 offseason to become a third-string player at the position? I do; the team had high hopes for him coming from the Seattle Seahawks. Once the season progressed, Davis was hardly utilized by only having 11 total carries and would be cut mid-season. The Panthers would immediately scoop him up to serve as the backup to the almighty RB Christian McCaffery.
The following year (2020), McCaffery would land himself on Injured Reserve and hand over the keys to Davis. We knew Davis would have a huge role to fill, but what we did not see coming at all was exactly how great he would fill that role. As of now, Davis has averaged 4.8 YPC and racked up 426 scrimmage yards in just four total games. McCaffery will not be activated off IR for this week, meaning Davis will have the backfield for himself as he stares ahead at a matchup against his former team.
Mike Davis Exiting The Field v.s. The Atlanta Falcons (Credit: Cat Scratch Reader)
You know the saying, "revenge is a dish best served cold." Revenge games are legit and an added boost of drive and motivation to play better than you currently were. Davis is no McCaffery and is not an elite player by any means, but he is red-hot and proving to the world how he can play. More importantly, he is proving to the Bears front office and coaching staff just precisely what they are missing out on. Given the Bears run defense issues, I am worried about their upcoming battle against Davis.
State Of The Bears
4-1 feels fantastic, but there is much more to prove. Also, the outcome against Tampa Bay was not all sunshine and rainbows, as our already-iffy Offensive Line lost a rising star in Left Guard James Daniels to a pec injury for the remainder of the season.
Is it me, or has this situation been wholly thrown under the rug by Bears fans and media alike? We lost one of our only complementary pieces on our front line that was already inconsistent and mediocre as a unit in the first place. There has hardly been ANY coverage of this and the significance of it. We may not have lost an elite player, but we lost another body that would protect Nick Foles and pave the way for David Montgomery to run the ball. The team will see young backups Rashaad Cowherd and Alex Bars attempt to replace Daniels up front for the remainder of the season. Cowherd has more starting experience after filling in for the injured Kyle Long last year, while Bars is a 2019 undrafted free agent that many believed would have been drafted if not for an injury at Notre Dame (Go Irish)
Two Words: Unleash Monty
If there is any way you try to beat the Carolina Panthers, it is to smother them with a potent rushing attack.
I have repeatedly pleaded that I believe David Montgomery has the talent to become a workhorse Running Back in this league. After the season-ending injury of Tarik Cohen, Montgomery has not been the most effective player but has gotten the workload to hope for improvements.
Nick Foles will, surprisingly, have a tough contest against the Panthers pass defense, who are ranked towards the top in the league this year. Success through the air does not seem entirely likely for the Bears this week. With that being said, the Bears must do anything in their power to have Montgomery go crazy. Losing Linebacker Luke Kuechly was an extremely tough blow to the Panthers, as their run defense is nothing but laughable. If there was ever a game for Montgomery to break out and shine, this is it. You simply will not get a better matchup than what is currently ahead.
My Preseason Prediction For This Game: Bears win
My Pick Now: Bears still win
Final Score: Bears 23 - Panthers 20
Oh look, another tightly contested game, what a surprise.
I was confident in a Bears win for this game heading into the season, but given the surprise of where Carolina is at, I am at crossroads. Both teams have one major factor in common: They likely should not be where they are at and are difficult to judge. The Bears are 4-1 despite being a few plays away from having that record be flipped. The Panthers were a team that was undergoing a complete rebuild and are thriving without their best player.
Luck will run out for one of these teams this weekend; the question is, who will it be? As difficult of a call as this was, I will still pick the Bears.
I will not take the Panthers lightly, unlike a healthy majority of our fanbase. But I worry that this could be a game where the team and fanbase alike do not take the opposition seriously and lose in rough fashion. The outlook of this game certainly has that feel to me. Could the Bears truly go 5-1 and beat yet another above .500 team? I believe they have the capabilities and will pick them to do so, but I am not as confident as most fans are.
Both rushing attacks seem poised for a great game against each other, so I believe the game will all come down to who breaks first in the passing game. Both Foles and Bridgewater have tough matchups in front of them; they can rely on their run game as much as they want but cannot hide from the passing game for too long. We have no clue what type of Foles we are getting, but will his ceiling be high enough to keep a lead when the clock strikes 0:00? Will Bridgewater be able to find his receivers consistently against undoubtedly his most formidable opponent yet? Time will tell once Sunday hits.
Coach Matt Nagy, Looking Sternly Onto The Field (Credit: Bears Wire - USA Today)
After this week, the Bears play a three-game stretch consisting of matchups against the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans. The Rams did not crumble like I thought they would, as all three teams have realistic playoff aspirations as of now. If you are asking me, this is a must-win game for the Bears. Losing against the Panthers and then going against a tough three-game slate of opponents will look troubling for their potential playoff aspirations.
Please take the Panthers and this matchup more seriously. The impact of this game is more extensive than you may think.
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