(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago Bears will face the Cincinnati Bengals during Sunday's home opener at Soldier Field. WBBM Newsradio's Jeff Joniak breaks it down.
OFFENSE
Expect a completely different look to the Bears' passing game from Andy Dalton against his old Bengals teammates. The cautious short game approach against the Los Angeles Rams moved the chains but did not result in explosive plays. Look for Head Coach Matt Nagy to get back to trying to stretch the field horizontally and vertically.
The tug of war begins in the run game. Cincinnati is big up front with one of the better run-stuffing nose tackles in the league in Clemson’s D.J. Reader, listed at 347 pounds, and his backup, Josh Tupou, 345-pounds. They made Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook work for every inch and held him to 61 yards. Running up the middle will be a challenge, but it doesn’t mean the Bears can’t do it.
David Montgomery picked up where he left off in the final six games, with a brilliant effort against the Rams. His foot quickness, vision, patience, and contact balance will come in handy against the Bengals, hopefully setting up the play-action game and some explosive pass plays.
Allen Robinson working out of the slot will have a size advantage on 5’9” Mike Hilton, the nickel cornerback for the Bengals, which could open up some good opportunities for 50-50 victories and yards after the catch for a guy who invested a lot of time on improving his speed on his cuts before and after the catch.
The expectation is that Jason Peters will start at left tackle after leaving the Rams game with a quad injury, but veteran Elijah Wilkinson must be ready in relief at any point in the game. The Rams invested $100 million in defensive ends Sam Hubbard and Trey Hendrickson, and both can get to the passer.
The safety tandem of Jesse Bates III and Vonn Bell is as good a duo as there is in the NFL. Bates is regarded as the best player on the unit, with Bell lining up as a wildcard across the defense. He’s an outstanding box safety defending the run, and while he can get exposed in coverage, he is tough and physical, with a skill for blitzing the quarterback.
Overall, a balanced attack that leads to points by finishing drives and not turning the ball over to a potentially explosive Bengals offense remain the critical keys to success.
DEFENSE
Jaylon Johnson said it best: It’s another opportunity to get better for a Bears defense that did not play up to its standard in Los Angeles.
Until the Bears' secondary proves the mental mistakes and breakdowns were a one-off, teams will test them deep to make sure they can’t strike it rich. Bengals QB Joe Burrow is certainly going to give it a test drive.
The Bears' defensive front needs to play with ferocity and reckless abandon against an offensive line that can be pushed around. With fans back in the stands creating a roar and the defense getting its stinger back, the noise and pressure can be married to create a difficult environment on Burrow and the Bengals.
Now healthy after a week-10 knee tear, Burrow was sacked 37 times last season averaging 41 pass attempts/game. Last week, Burrow only threw it 27 times and relied on the powerful running of underrated Joe Mixon. I would imagine the Bengals will try to start in the same fashion against the Bears.
Mixson’s excellence resides in his speed and size, which he used last week to create 81 yards after contact. Tackling the former AFC rushing champion and keeping him under control is job one for the Bears' front seven. He is also an outstanding pass catcher out of the backfield, so the Bears linebackers must have their radar up on the screen game.
Burrow trusts his arm. He is smart. He is mature. He has elite anticipation and accuracy. A coach's son, the second-year quarterback understands the “why” in attacking defenses. The Bears have to make him feel uncomfortable, because given time to throw he will do some damage.
You can make a case that the Bengals have as dangerous a trio of receivers as there is in the NFL. Rookie Ja’Marr Chase is not a typical rookie getting to know his quarterback and vice-versa, given the amount of reps he and Burrow have already invested during their years at LSU. The kid can fly with elite route quickness and ability to get behind the defense.
The Bears had their hands full with Rams' slot receiver Cooper Kupp in week one, and the same situation presents itself in week two with sixth-year veteran Tyler Boyd. The former second-round pick out of Pittsburgh is outstanding. He is gritty, sudden and elusive, and while he doesn’t possess blazing speed, he gets open. Boyd has 70+ catches in each of the last three seasons on 366 targets.
The chess piece for the Bengals is Tee Higgins. The second-year receiver out of Clemson owns a large catch radius, with outstanding hands and a physical mentality. This group is also outstanding blocking for Mixon in the run game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
There is significant familiarity between Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor and Bengals coordinator Darrin Simmons. They have squared off repeatedly over the years, and by my count this is the 16th meeting in their careers. They know each other well and there is great mutual respect.
Winning this battle will require smart play, no penalties and success in the kicking game by the Bears. Simmons has guided the Bengals to the No. 7, No. 1 and No. 9 special teams units over the last three years. The coverage units have to be on point because Brandon Wilson is an outstanding return man, No. 1 in the NFL in 2019 (31.9) with touchdowns the last two seasons.
INTANGIBLES
Justin Fields provides more opportunities as a wildcard weapon for the Bears. He will get snaps again. How and when he’s deployed could mean the difference in a win or a loss, if the timing and the matchup is right at any given moment in the game.
Overall, the Bears have to keep their crowd engaged by giving the fans a lot to cheer about, and not a lot to boo about.
Jeff Joniak is the play-by-play announcer for the Bears broadcasts on WBBM Newsradio 780. Follow him on Twitter here: @JeffJoniak.
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