The Chicago Bears should’ve beaten the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. Everybody knows it. In the end, their own mistakes led to a painful collapse and a 24-23 loss. At the same time, the game was a revelation. This is not the same Bears team from the past few years. It’s young, it’s talented and it played with serious energy. The only obstacle in their way is learning how to finish.
They’ll get another chance in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks who are coming off a tough road loss of their own in Denver. It was clear it was no longer the Seahawks of yesteryear with that ferocious defense and power running game. It looked like a team struggling to stay relevant.
Outside of their quarterback and a couple studs on defense, they don’t look nearly as formidable as they once were. That’s why the Bears can and probably should beat them on Monday Night Football. Here are a few key reasons why.
Vic Fangio haunts Wilson
The Bears already have somebody on their team who knows Seattle well. Vic Fangio has coached again them, and especially quarterback Russell Wilson many times. He was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, so he witnessed the rise of the Seahawks star first hand, and got to see him multiple times a year. Wilson likely remembers Fangio too, and not in a fond way.
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Vic Fangio gives Russell Wilson problems. In 8 meetings:
1,488 yards (186 per game)
10 TDs
5 INTs
6 Fumbles
26 Sacks#Bears— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 12, 2018
Wilson has rarely played his best against Fangio. Four of those 10 touchdowns he threw came in one game. Take that away and it looks even worse. Fangio knows how to force the quarterback into mistakes and knows how to get him on the ground, averaging 3.25 sacks across those meetings. Speaking of.
Mack vs. Ifedi
The Seahawks offensive line is and has been notorious for its problems protecting Wilson over the past few years. The season opener in Denver showed there was no sign of big improvements. Wilson was sacked six times on the afternoon. His right tackle, Germain Ifedi, was responsible for giving up two of them. That has to frighten Seattle.
Why?
Khalil Mack is one of the best pass rushers in football. The Bears were rewarded in their trade to get him right away as he devastated the Packers offensive line for the first half in Green Bay with multiple pressures, a sack, a forced fumble, and a pick-six. Considering he did that having missed all of training camp and preseason with only one week of practice? Wilson is in trouble.
There’s also one other note. The last time Mack played against Wilson was as a rookie in 2014. He pressured the QB eight times in that game, hitting him twice. Wilson completed less than half his passes for 179 yards. Mack must be licking his chops.
WR Baldwin is out with a knee injury
Making matters worse is the fact that Wilson won’t have his best passing target Monday night. Doug Baldwin left the season opener against Denver with a knee injury. It was later revealed he had a Grade 2 MCL tear. This means he’s likely to miss a couple weeks of action. If so, it will mark the first time since 2012 that Wilson won’t have his best wide receiver on the field with him.
Seahawks’ WR Doug Baldwin has a Grade 2 partial MCL tear, per source. Team still trying to figure out how much time he will miss.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 10, 2018
The question is can a 34-year old Brandon Marshall and primarily special teams threat Tyler Lockett carry the load in the passing game without him. They did fine in Denver but much of the success that day was thanks to tight end Will Dissly and the screen game to the running backs. One can bet the Bears will be ready for that. It’s worth noting that the Seahawks are 11-7 in games where Baldwin registers one catch or fewer.
The Seahawks run defense
This might be the one people have missed. People have talked about the Legion of Boom’s demise and all that, but amidst that talk is the reality that their run defense has steadily deteriorated since the beginning of last season. Seattle ranked 19th last year stopping the run and they didn’t get off to a good start in Denver where the Broncos piled up 146 yards on them.
That’s not good news with Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen looming up next. Those two combined for 107 yards on just 20 carries in Green Bay, averaging 5.35 yards a pop. That was with a strong defensive line, something Seattle doesn’t have. Also, Howard was better at home than he was on the road last season.
It’s worth noting the Bears are 5-2 when Howard rushes for 100 yards or more at Soldier Field. Something to keep an eye on.
