The Bears’ Week 4 game against the equally winless Broncos is only a couple of days away, and the Chicago faithful are starting to become a bit more optimistic about their chances.
The drubbing the Bears received from the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 3 is in the dark recesses of our memory, and many have concluded that a win would right Chicago’s sinking ship.
Buy Bears TicketsTo pull off the upset win, there are crucial aspects of the game the Bears need to identify and work in their favor. Let’s break down those aspects and go over the three key matchups ahead of Week 4 against the Broncos.
1
QB Justin Fields vs. Broncos secondary
Fields has another crack at taking his play to the next level against a seemingly suspect Denver secondary. The Bears shouldn’t be taking their defense lightly, however, as the group still has skilled defensive backs like Patrick Surtain II and Kareem Jackson.
Fields will need to take a major leap from his minor improvements in last week’s game and keep the chains moving, especially on obvious passing downs. More caution is likely to be used for both Fields and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, as Fields’ eagerness to throw deep in his last game can hurt the Bears if the Broncos defensive backfield can intercept a pass early.
Even though Denver’s defense looks good on paper, there’s no denying the group has not been capitalizing on their talent, much like the Bears. Week 4 is looking like the ultimate “get right” game for Fields and the offense.
2
Bears secondary vs. Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton
Chicago was faced with a similar challenge in last week’s game when they were tasked with limiting Chiefs All-Pro Travis Kelce. It would be an understatement to say they did a poor job of executing that assignment, as he imposed his will on the unit, bringing in seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Stopping the X-factors on opposing offenses was surely a focus for the Bears in practice this week, and hopefully, we’ll see that effort bear fruit as they try to stop the complementary duo of Jeudy and Sutton.
What makes the receivers so dangerous is their differing skillsets. Jeudy is a lightning-in-a-bottle vertical threat that demands the respect of the safeties on any given team, while Sutton is a classic X-receiver who will bring in the tough catches all game and wear cornerbacks out. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, if he plays, will need to be ready to battle with Sutton all game and endure the wear and tear Sutton will surely put him through.
On the other side, rookie defender Tyrique Stevenson may be in for a tough day in keeping up Jeudy, but that’s where the safeties come in. Eddie Jackson, if he plays, will be in charge of keeping the lid on Jeudy vertically if he plays. Otherwise, Jaquan Brisker or Elijah Hicks will be asked to take charge of that operation.
Chicago simply cannot play the same vanilla, soft zones that they used last week. If they do, fantasy managers of Jeudy and Sutton will be overjoyed with all the points they’ll be bringing in.
3
Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy vs. Sean Payton
The unpopular coaching duo of head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will have the spotlight trained solely on them in Week 4. The two are on the hot seat, and failure to bring anything new to the table and fumble a very winnable game to the Broncos could give way to the very rare happening of an in-season firing.
Defensively, Eberflus cannot deploy the same tired base Cover-2 concept as he did in Week 3. Modern offenses have adapted, and they know very well how to rip it apart. While Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson isn’t quite “Mr. Unlimited” like he was in his glory days with the Seattle Seahawks, he’s still an above-average passer who can read right through coverages. With that in mind, Eberflus needs to deploy more bluffs, different looks, and more exotic formations to keep Denver’s offense guessing.
Offensively… I mean, what can be said that hasn’t already been said? Getsy has been downright horrific as a play designer and play-caller through the first three games of the season, and there’s little hope that he can look inward and see he is part of the issue. That being said, Getsy’s scheme last week did manage to get some receivers open downfield, though those plays weren’t executed on offense for various reasons.
If the offense can clean up those mental mistakes, the playcalling may actually produce more yards and points on the board. Perhaps more importantly, however, the O-coordinator needs to string together plays with cohesiveness and rhythm. There have been several instances in the last few games where Getsy brought the offense’s flow to a screeching halt with an incomprehensible playcall that inevitably failed.
When things are clicking, Getsy needs to make sure that momentum is propelled along and not thrown out of alignment. If Getsy and Eberflus can improve on these mistakes, a much-needed win will be within reach.
