The Chicago Bears know the job ahead of them. If they want to overcome one of the most deflating losing streaks in franchise history to make the playoffs, they must take care of business by winning their final two games. It starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. One thing about this game? It’s wise to not make assumptions.
Don’t forget the Bears played this team back in 2016 and ended up losing 17-16 at Soldier Field. Blake Bortles was their quarterback. Simply assuming this game will be won because the Jaguars are bad didn’t prevent disappointment from happening before. Admittedly this Bears team is significantly better from four years ago but still.
What should people expect from this unusual Week 16 matchup?
Chicago Bears at Jacksonville Jaguars is about motivations
Storylines:
Mike Glennon revenge – The NFL world has a particular fondness for revenge opportunities. They’ll get one on Sunday as the Jaguars declared Mike Glennon would start over Gardner Minshew for Jacksonville. The question is whether it’s the QB who deserves revenge or the team who paid him millions in guaranteed money for essentially four miserable starts in 2017.
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Bad interception here from Glennon.#Jaguars had a chance to add on to their 9-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/5KSY3HVQ9X
— The Jet Press (@TheJetPress) December 6, 2020
Dangers of the trap – For a team like Chicago who is 7-7, it’s hard to call any game they play an “easy win” by any stretch. Yet this is the reality of how bad Jacksonville is. They’re 1-13 and close to locking up the #1 pick. They’re starting their backup QB and their star running back won’t play. The reasons are piling up for the Bears to struggle taking this game seriously. Especially with Green Bay on deck.
Injuries:
James Robinson (ankle) – One of the few bright spots in 2020 for the Jaguars has been the undrafted rookie running back. He ranks third in the NFL in rushing and has proven to be a legitimate weapon. With the season pretty much over though and eyes on the future, it appears they’re playing it safe by sitting him against the Bears with an ankle injury he suffered last week.
Jaylon Johnson (shoulder) – Chicago’s terrific rookie corner missed last week with a shoulder issue and it appears the injury hasn’t improved enough. He’s been declared out for the second-straight game. While Jacksonville isn’t a dangerous offense, they do have a weapon in D.J. Chark at wide receiver. It will be interesting to see if the Bears can contain him without Johnson.
Key matchups:
Cody Whitehair vs. Daniel Ekuale – The Chicago Bears offensive line has really come on lately since finding their new configuration. Nobody has looked better in that time than Whitehair at left guard. He’s been overpowering defenders as a run blocker. If the Jaguars don’t want David Montgomery trampling them as he has others this past month? They need nose tackle Ekuale to have a good game.
D.J. Chark vs. Kindle Vildor – With Johnson being out, the Bears are forced to go with fellow rookie Vildor, their 5th round pick back in April. Thus far he’s been a mixed bag since getting on the field. He hasn’t missed a tackle yet but has given up five catches on six targets including a touchdown. One can bet the Jaguars will look to get their best receiver Chark matched up on him.
X-factors:
Darnell Mooney – The Jaguars defense has a lot of problems but one thing they’ve really struggled with most of the season is with speed over the top. They’ve allowed at least one catch of 35 yards or more in each of their past three games. So it doesn’t bode well that Mooney is up next. The Bears rookie is a legit vertical threat who is also dangerous after the catch. They better not ignore him.
Dawuane Smoot – Jacksonville isn’t entirely without teeth on defense. One guy who has really blossomed lately is Smoot. The defensive end leads his team with 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He has 16 hits on the quarterback this year. While no Joey Bosa, the Bears have to know Trubisky is susceptible to losing the football on sacks. So they better be prepared to block him.
Prediction: Bears win 27-10
There really isn’t any advantage the Jaguars can hang their hat on in this game. The Chicago Bears are the better team, have loads more momentum, and loads more to play for. It may take a quarter or so for them to get into the rhythm of the game but sooner or later the differences in talent will start to show. The defense should take care of the limited Glennon while the offense puts up another solid day.
