The Unpredictability of Bears Receivers Makes Them Dangerous and Other Bullets

Sep 22, 2018

Today is one of the few days on the calendar year where I get my hands dirty with some manual labor as I help my pops with a minor construction project. Hopefully, the weather stays good for us into the early afternoon.

I don’t know how often the Cardinals defense will put Patrick Peterson on Anthony Miller, but it sounds like the Bears rookie receiver is ready for the challenge:

"We don't back down from anyone."@AnthonyMiller_3 says he's raised his own expectations and is ready for the challenge of potentially going against one of the best corners in the league this Sunday. #CHIvsAZ pic.twitter.com/obZbTtcBiH
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 21, 2018

Talk is talk, but I can’t help but to love the attitude a lot of these Bears are taking. Good things happen when players express confidence in their abilities and show a willingness to take on major challenges. Go get ’em, tiger.

For what it’s worth, Miller has lined up in the slot on 72 percent of his routes this year and Peterson has covered the slot just 10 percent of the time. Odds are Miller will get his chance against Budda Baker, who was one of the more talented safeties in the 2017 draft class.

That would leave us with the most likely match-up of Allen Robinson going up against Peterson, who lines up as the left cornerback on 57 percent of the routes he has covered. Robinson has lined up as the right wide receiver at a 34 percent clip. Only Taylor Gabriel (42%) has been there more often. Considering Peterson’s excellence and Mitch Trubisky’s tendency to target Robinson, the Bears might be wise to line up Robinson on Jamar Taylor’s side of the field.

I’ll say this for the Bears’ usage of Robinson, it has been far from predictable. In addition to having a diverse route tree, he has been positioned everywhere on the field, which makes him a bigger threat than we originally expected. Robinson has lined up left (35%), right (31%), and slot (34%) at pretty even rates.

Depending on how the Bears line up and use their receivers, there’s a good possibility that Taylor Gabriel has a breakout game against the Cardinals – especially if Patrick Peterson has his focus on shadowing Allen Robinson. Gabriel shares his confidence in his quarterback and his focus entering Week 3:

.@TGdadon1 on @Mtrubisky10: "He’s been focused and been confident in his guys and in himself. That’s a great thing to see out of a young quarterback." #DaBears pic.twitter.com/qSVOfqz7YI
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 21, 2018

Bears receivers might need to be at the top of their game because the Cardinals’ rush defense is no joke:

Cardinals linebacker Josh Bynes is tied with Luke Kuechly for most tackles resulting in a defensive stop against the run among linebackers through two weeks. pic.twitter.com/CR1gjxHjCo
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 21, 2018

We often talk about quarterback showdowns deciding the game, but Sunday’s Beas-Cardinals contest will have two of the game’s best pass-rushers on display:

#CHIvsAZ game will likely come down to both defenses: Chandler Jones (65.0) and Khalil Mack (42.5) have combined for 107.5 career sacks, five #ProBowls and three first team All-Pros. via @AZ_Helm
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) September 21, 2018

Former scout Greg Gabriel believes the Bears’ defense can be “scary good” thanks to a group of linebackers that does everything well that you would expect. It obviously helps having Khalil Mack, but Danny Trevathan is playing at a high level, Roquan Smith shined in his first start, and even the reserves are chipping in with contributions. We have spent a ton of time discussing the player upgrades, but not necessarily the one factor they all have in common – speed. The Bears are faster now than they have been in a few years and it shows in-game and on film. You can’t teach speed … and it certainly helps the Bears that they have it in bunches.

I didn’t get to see/appreciate peak Lawrence Taylor, but the YouTube clips are nothing short of spectacular. That’s why I found myself interested in Dan Pompei’s piece at The Athletic where he checks in with an ex-Giants teammate (QB Phil Simms) and one of the best offensive linemen in Bears history (Jimbo Covert) to discuss similarities between Mack and Taylor. If you’re one of those student-of-the-game types, this is right up your alley.

I mean, who needs blitzes when you have Mack?

These teams are BLITZING the most (and the least) through two weeks in the #NFL!#Browns #BeRedSeeRed #GoPats #GiantsPride #HereWeGo @gregcosell @MattBowen41 pic.twitter.com/X1efV5fRI3
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) September 21, 2018

Close, but no cigar:

"We went pretty hard. We went real hard." — Kyle Shanahan on the degree to which the #49ers looked into a trade for then-Raiders pass rusher Khalil Mack.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 21, 2018

written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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The Unpredictability of Bears Receivers Makes Them Dangerous and Other Bullets

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