People keep talking about Mitch Trubisky and the offense. Nobody is surprised by this. They hold the ticket to whether this team goes to the playoffs or not. The bigger surprise is the general lack of respect the Chicago Bears defense has gotten. Granted, their first two games weren’t always pretty, but this is still a group that has allowed the 3rd-fewest points in the NFL.
Yet from the general reactions of the national media, one would think they’ve reverted to their Marc Trestman days. All one has to do is look at some of the predictions coming down the pipeline ahead of this Sunday. Not only to several experts believe the Bears will lose in Atlanta. They envision the Falcons offense ripping the defense to pieces.
Take former GM Scott Pioli for example. This was his statement on NFL.com.
“The Falcons will bounce back from a very difficult loss in Dallas and find their groove this weekend against Chicago. They will upset the undefeated Bears in Atlanta in a balanced effort. Quarterback Matt Ryan will throw for over 350 yards and Hayden Hurst will have over 100 yards receiving, while the Falcons’ defense will limit Mitchell Trubisky to under 220 passing yards.”
It didn’t stop there though. His colleague former Green Bay Packers receiver James Jones also predicted a big day for Atlanta’s offense.
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https://twitter.com/ChiSportUpdates/status/1309650876550782977
Chicago Bears defense still has plenty to prove
Now is this possible? Of course, it is. Any given Sunday as the saying goes. Still, it’s hard to imagine the Bears defense being that generous. Especially given the state of the Falcons offense. Belief is right tackle Kaleb McGary will miss the game with an MCL injury. Even more troubling is superstar receiver Julio Jones. He hasn’t practiced all week due to a hamstring issue and is considered a game-time decision.
Couple that with the Bears boasting a capable secondary fed by a dynamite pass rush? It feels like 40 points are hard to accept. This defense is too good and too experienced for that. Then again everybody has off days. If nothing else this excessive doubt from the masses should serve as adequate fuel for their fire going into this game.