The Chicago Bears know what’s at stake today. Going into Denver to beat the Broncos is never easy. Especially early in the season where the Broncos haven’t lost in the first two weeks of a season in over a decade. That said, nothing lasts forever. The Bears are a team coming in with plenty of urgency. They’re 0-1 and know they can’t afford to fall too far behind Green Bay and Minnesota in the divisional race.
It’s no going to be easy. Denver has arguably the best pass rush tandem in the NFL in Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. Countering that defense is a chore, especially when it’s coached by Vic Fangio. Luckily the Bears may have caught themselves a big break. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network revealed that two key members of the Denver defense have already been declared out for the game today. Both of whom play pivotal roles.
One is Todd Davis. He is the best inside linebacker the Broncos have and a key run defender. He had 114 tackles in 2018 but will miss the game. The other is Bryce Callahan. Denver signed the former Bear in the offseason in hopes of him fixing their struggling slot corner position. Unfortunately he’s not been able to stay on the field. An all-too-familiar reality Chicago faced with him.
Chicago Bears offense has a chance to take advantage
With Callahan out, the Broncos will once again have to rely on young corner Isaac Yiadom in the slot. This is not ideal after he was thoroughly abused in the opener by Oakland, allowing nine catches for 123 yards. He also missed two tackles. If Matt Nagy is smart, he’ll look to go after the youngster early to see if the Bears can take similar advantage. Anthony Miller was invisible last week so this sounds like a prime opportunity for him.
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As for Davis, this is tough because their interior run defense was already something questionable. Not having him in the middle may open up some opportunities for rookie running back David Montgomery whom the Bears hinted they’d like to get more involved this week. Much depends on what Nagy has planned. He’s been known to not exactly follow convention before.
