The Chicago Bears need to win Sunday. People will argue it’s not time to hit the panic button yet. Except this is the NFL. There are only 16 games and all of them matter. After dropping their last two, the Bears are 5-3 and in serious danger of watching their playoff hopes slip away. Beating the Tennessee Titans would steady the ship. However, to do that they must accomplish a monstrous task. Stopping Derrick Henry.
The Pro Bowl running back is fresh off a career year in 2019, rushing for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns. This season has gone pretty much the exact same way. Through seven games he has 775 yards and seven touchdowns. The man is a behemoth with a dangerous mixture of power and speed. If he gets lanes, he eats defenses up.
This is why the Bears are in danger.
Their run defense can best be called average this season. They rank 16th in the NFL at stopping it. Part of the problem has been the absence of their star nose tackle Eddie Goldman. His decision to opt out left a huge void in the middle of their defensive line they just haven’t been able to fill all year. This in turn has exposed their undersized inside linebackers.
Now stopping Henry became even harder. Not only is Goldman not walking through that door, but the Bears will be without Roy Robertson-Harris as well. The big defensive end came out of last Sunday with a shoulder injury. One that has rendered him unable to go Sunday in Tennessee. Rivers McCown of ESPN recently labeled his contract with Chicago the biggest bargain on the team. In part because of his standout ability as a run defender.
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“The Bears have not done a great job of nurturing young UDFA talent under Ryan Pace, but Robertson-Harris stands out as a player in the Michael Pierce mold, combating that perception. Robertson-Harris has accumulated 58 hurries in 667 pass-rush snaps, per Sports Info Solutions, while playing stellar run defense.”
#Bears Friday Injury Report/Roster Move:
We have placed OL Cody Whitehair on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. pic.twitter.com/7DJiSuG9wF
— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) November 6, 2020
Derrick Henry is going to get the ball. Ready or not.
Make no mistake. The Titans aren’t going to deviate from their gameplan. Henry gets the ball 20-25 times per game on average. He is their focal point and they’re going to feed him. Chicago better get ready. Akiem Hicks must lead the charge with guys like Bilal Nichols and Mario Edwards Jr. stepping up to fill the voids. It will also fall on Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan to do some of their best tackling of the season.
Stopping a guy like Henry requires a complete defensive effort. Of course, the burden on them could be eased if the Bears offense somehow found a way to contribute. It’s no secret they’ve struggled this season to function with any degree of consistency. It is a story when they manage to top 20 points in a game. Never a fun reality.
Can they do it Sunday?
It won’t be easy. Their offensive line is a mess. James Daniels, Cody Whitehair, and Bobby Massie will all miss the game with injuries. Rookie Arlington Hambright and second-year man Alex Bars will both be making their first career starts. Each at a position they’ve never played before. Hambright at left guard and Bars at center. Nevermind having to put Rashaad Coward, who has struggled, outside at right tackle.
If the Bears want to ease the damage from Derrick Henry, their best option is to score points. That might be asking too much of that offense in its current state.