Bears vs. Dolphins
Bears
Will the offensive explosion resume against Miami?
Week 4 was basically a dream scenario for Bears fans. Mitch Trubisky threw for 300+ yards and 6 touchdowns in what was the greatest day I’ve ever seen a Bears quarterback have. Sorry Rex Grossman and Jay Cutler: you are officially forgotten. So, can the Bears keep this up against the Dolphins? What I expect is for the Bears to set things up with their rushing attack. The Dolphins are giving up 100+ rushing yards and nearly 300 passing yards per game. However, they have pulled in 10 interceptions already including 2 from Tom Brady in week 4. Personally, I don’t want to see Trubisky take that challenge head on quite yet. I would rather pound away with Jordan Howard early and often while allowing Trubisky to throw in good situations–like 2nd and short–as well as behind the threat of play action. I think things will come back to earth, but I still expect a good day from the offense under Matt Nagy’s plan.
Will we see a return to form for Jordan Howard?
After a week of Tarik Cohen, people have gone off the deep end with more Jordan Howard trade rumors. I wouldn’t call it impossible, but the price would certainly have to be good for me to want to make a move. Let’s say a 2nd round pick from the Eagles (a rumored suitor), and I’m all in for the trade. Anything less, and I’d rather just keep the star running back here. Let’s assume for the moment that Howard stays though. I think he gets back to work this week against the Dolphins. I think Nagy likes to play matchups, and I think he will be happy to dust off Howard now that people are expecting Cohen. Still, last week’s usage would make me nervous if I owned Howard in fantasy. How could it not? That being said, I’d start Howard and bench Cohen against the Dolphins.
How will the defense show against the Dolphins’ offense?
The Dolphins offensive line was down two members (left guard Josh Sitton and center Daniel Kilgore) before last week’s game against the Bengals. Well, left tackle Laremy Tunsil left last week’s game with a concussion and might not play in week 6. I’d imagine Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and the other big guys up front are licking their chops at the thought of facing a bunch of backups. Tunsil’s importance to the Dolphins was obvious last week. Once he left, the Bengals successfully brought pressure resulting in 3 sacks, an interception returned for a touchdown, and a Ryan Tannehill fumble returned for another touchdown. If Tunsil is out, I would expect 4+ sacks and at least a couple turnovers.
Boom: Bears D/ST
Bust: Tarik Cohen
Sleeper: Anthony Miller
-Mike Miklius
Dolphins
Will they Move the Ball on the Ground Against Chicago?
Last week, it was safe to say that Frank Gore was the starting running back for the Dolphins. While the game was in reach, Gore was the 1st and 2nd down back and he actually had some good running against a decent Bengals defense. The Bears are not the Bengals. Chicago has put together one of its strongest defenses in the past two decades (which is saying a lot). Led by Akiem Hicks, the Bears have been a formidable opponent to rush against. Miami has had a lot of trouble run-blocking for their backs, so expect a lot of tackles for a loss on Sunday. The better Miami running back, Kenyan Drake, might see some positive yardage, but likely only when split out wide or used to pass block and then release. If you look at last week as an up arrow for this team on the ground, don’t let the Bears dissuade you as they bottle up the Dolphins run game.
Tannehill Will be Under Siege and that Won’t End Well
The Miami Dolphins offensive line versus possible Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack has the potential to be a bloodbath for the Dolphins. One thing we can take from last week is that Ryan Tannehill under pressure isn’t going to positively affect the game. Like last week, I would expect several turnovers in the Bears favor against Tannehill, putting the Dolphins into a hole. Prince Amukamara has been great for the Bears in coverage and will likely see a lot of Kenny Stills (if DeVante Parker doesn’t play). One potential spot for momentum for Miami will be their usage of Drake, Albert Wilson, and Jakeem Grant, since all three players are elusive and fast and should be able to turn short passes into larger plays.
Can the Defense Hold the Bears While Exhausted
The Dolphins defense looks like it will be without CB Bobby McCain, LB Chase Allen, and DE Cameron Wake, but that was true last week as well. The Bengals had been hot on offense and the Dolphins defense was in control until Tannehill handed the Bengals 14 of their 27 unanswered points. No matter your opinion of Andy Dalton, he still has a lot more polish than Mitchell Trubisky. If the offense doesn’t continually suffer three-and-outs, Miami’s defense should be able to keep the Bears at bay.
BOOM: Miami DST
BUST: Kenny Stills
SLEEPER: Jakeem Grant
-David Fenko
Nice work once again by Mattie Bevins…this will be a fantastic matchup, for fantasy and reality…