I didn’t see last night’s monster performance from Jared Goff (26/33, 465 yards, 5 TD, 158.3 rating) coming, but I’m glad it did because it helped knock the Vikings to 1-2-1. As a Bears fan, I’ll take it. As a fantasy football player, I just wish Goff was on my team last night.
The Mack Channel? I’d watch it:
Think about it: Red Zone Channel, but with pass-rushers pinning their ears back and going after the quarterback in obvious passing situations. That would totally be worth watching, especially during the high-leverage moments of a game when you know a sack could be a game-changer. Seriously, who can I pitch this idea to? This could totally be a thing.
Khalil Mack is a major factor behind the Bears defense playing with a tremendous amount of swagger through three games, but this group is about to be challenged by a talented Buccaneers offense. And while we still don’t know whether Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jameis Winston is starting, the Bears have to be prepared for whatever (or whomever) is thrown their way. “Man, that’s the whole point in playing in the NFL – you have to be prepared,” Mack said, via Mark Potash of the Sun-Times. “You get paid to go out and … no matter who it is, you’ve got to be prepared. That’s going to be a challenge.”
How can you not love the direction of this Bears defense? Even before the Mack addition, you could see where something special was brewing. Take the emergence of safety Eddie Jackson as an example. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune shares the vision of Jackson being a talent on the rise. The Bears’ revolving door of underwhelming safeties has left much to be desired over the years, but the team appears to have knocked it out of the park with Jackson. A first-round talent at Alabama who dropped to the fourth round because of injury concerns, Jackson has exceeded early expectations by out-performing his draft spot with stellar coverage and a knack for coming up with a game-breaking turnover.
While Jackson has stepped up into a role as the quarterback-of-the-defense type, the Bears are still waiting for their actual quarterback (you know, the one who runs the offense) to get it into gear. Mitch Trubisky’s demeanor matters to Head Coach Matt Nagy, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Trubisky is dealing through some tough times right now as he has struggled with accuracy and consistency, two things he showed he had during his one year as a starter at North Carolina. This is probably the first time in a long time in which Trubisky hasn’t had full command of what’s going on in an offense, so that he is able to persevere through his struggles is a testament to his will to work. It shouldn’t be too long before Trubisky’s hard work pays off.
Let the record show that not everyone has given up hope on Trubisky’s upside:
I think Fritzy came away with the best draft here. To get the top three quarterbacks from the 2017 class and two of the top signal callers of the 2018 crop feels like such a steal. There is a ton of upside with Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Josh Rosen, and even Josh Allen. If I’m going to roll the dice at that position, I’m going to bank on upside and potential and hope someone hits their ceiling.
Something I’ve been trying to find an answer to, but has eluded me to this point: has any team ever gained a significant strategic advantage by playing the games the Bucs are playing? I would understand it if Fitzpatrick and Winston were stylistically different, but both quarterbacks have similar skill sets.
At least we know Winston is officially on the Bucs 53-man roster after the team released wide receiver Freddie Martino to clear up a roster spot. Martino spent more time on special teams (56 snaps) than he did on offense (24), but he did play in all three games this season.
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