Da Dos

Tag: Giants

  • Packers@Bears III. Playoffs, baby!

    Packers@Bears III. Playoffs, baby!

    So I got a little busy this week, but couldn’t think of anything awe-inspiring to write about the matchup.

    A major part of that is because this is the THIRD time the Bears have faced Green Bay this season.

    Divisional games are always a toss-up. That’s how you end up with Commanders defeating the Eagles last week, or the Bears prevailing against the Packers’ in the ’24 finale. Then you add this is the 3rd time [in 5 weeks] playing against one another in the same season, and voila, near coin-flip.

    As they say, familiarity breeds contempt, and you know the Packers are still fuming over the dramatic loss, so they are going to come out brawling.

    An interesting factoid though which caught my eye.

    How many points have the Bears scored against the Packers in the first half this season?

    If your answer is 3, you are sadly correct.

    Clearly, the Bears can NOT sputter out of the gate this time around.

    We saw what a slow start does to the crowd in the final Lions’ game; it totally nullifies the homefield advantage, NVM breaking any offensive rhythm while exhausting the D and sapping any psychological mojo.

    Bears are not a juggernaut. Regardless of record, they are the underdogs [Vegas agrees: Pack are -1.5 road favorites]. They are young with little to no playoff experience. Difference makers like Rome, Gordon and Ozzy will be playing through INJs.

    Soldier Field forecast predicts 9°F, snow and possibly 39 MPH wind!

    Halas has heavily invested in transforming the Bears into a modern offensive-minded team. Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and crew simply cannot afford to cede an entire first half or else “The Iceman” is going to mean starting cold.

    The Chicago media-machine has conjectured what has gone wrong early. Some surmise it is BJ’s initial opening script, specifically that the NFL has figured it out. Some theorize Caleb is too unfocused and erratic when the game is not on the line. Clay Harbor pushes that it simply comes down to execution and eliminating mistakes, especially on 3rd down; he further elaborates the defense “bending” but not breaking for 8 minutes straight ices the offense. It is going to be hard to get into any sort of rhythm if Caleb, Swift and Burden are thawing in their snowy trench coats through two commercial breaks.

    Whatever the issue for slow first halves, the Bears MUST solve it, PRONTO.

    The easiest solution would be for the Bears’ oline to open up lanes for Swift and Monangai to win TOP and keep a shaky D off the field.

    No reason Bears can not start hot either. The Packers’ D in the past 4 games[w/out Parsons] has imploded:

    Which brings me to why I struggled a bit with a preview since I am going to sound cliche:

    The team that wins the trenches, turnover and redzone battle will likely prevail.

    This applies to the defense as well. They cannot for the life of them get off on 3rd down, which allows for QTR long, soul-sucking drives.

    They began [up to Nov] the season top 6ish in opponent third-down conversion. They finished like 22nd [allowing around 40.8% success], and we have witnessed this downward trend in the two losses against SF and DET.

    It does not even seem to matter what Dennis Allen calls either. He mostly played zone vs SF, and they lit that D up for 42 points.

    He mostly played man vs DET, and they lost the TOP battle (19:12-10:48) while their WRs abused Wright, CJ and JJ to 7.7 yards per attempt.

    So what is the answer?

    Well, again, this is going to sound trite.

    Bear players must rise to occasion. The roster must overperform. Sweat, Booker, Jarrett, Brisker, Wright…gotta play out of their minds.

    An interviewer [Manziel] once tried to blame Rex Grossman for the SB loss, but Urlacher was having none of it. Urlacher pointed out that the Colts racked up 250 yards passing and a mind-boggling 190 yards rushing when season long that ’06 D gave up 300 TOTAL. Fans often forget that part.

    In other words: The ’06 Bears’ SB D underperformed.

    [Granted, no MB or Tharris hurt]

    That cannot happen this time around. The Bears must not just meet but SURPASS their potential.

    Since this is a trilogy, think Rocky.

    I compared the ’25 Bears to the both the SB winning ’08 Giants and ’10 Saints.

    In short, both teams “overachieved”.

    Racking up key TOs, clutch moments, and bold decisions. That is how a team overcomes a talent deficit.

    Much like in life, the Bears gotta be the BEST versions of themselves on this unexpected playoff run because as Urlacher relayed, nothing is guaranteed going forward.

    So Godspeed, Chicago Bears.

    For once in 40 years shatter our cynical ‘same ole Bears‘ mantra.

    Rewire the Favre-Rodgers trauma and make us once again BEARLIEVE.

    Bear Down and FTP!

  • Bear-lieve!

    Bear-lieve!

    I was going to write up another in-depth Packer Preview, but the Bears just played them not two weeks ago, so nothing much has changed statistically.

    That being said, much has changed personnel-wise, specifically, the INJ report.

    As of Thurs night, here’s the Packers-Bears’ INJ report:

    Packers Final Injury Report
    Out: RB MarShawn Lloyd (calf/hamstring), TE Josh Whyle (concussion), G John Williams (back).[Parsons – OUT OUT]

    Questionable: RB Chris Brooks (chest), DE Brenton Cox (groin), DE Kingsley Enagbare (illness), RB Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle), T/G Darian Kinnard (neck), DE Collin Oliver (hamstring), RT Zach Tom (knee/back), WR Christian Watson (chest/shoulder), WR Dontayvion Wicks (ankle), S Evan Williams (knee).

    Note: Oliver, Cox and John Williams have been designated for return from injured reserve and are within their 21-day practice windows.

    Bears Final Injury Report
    Out: WR Luther Burden III (ankle), WR Rome Odunze (foot), LB Amen Ogbongbemiga (hamstring).

    Questionable: DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (personal), LB Tremaine Edmunds (groin), TE Cole Kmet (ankle/knee), RB D’Andre Swift (groin).

    Note: Edmunds has been designated for return from injured reserve and is within his 21-day practice window

    Naturally, Micah Parsons [ACL tear, 9 month recovery] out plus Christian Watson and Josh Jacobs as Questionable are tremendous losses. Even if Jacobs and Watson suit up, they can’t possibly be anywhere close to 100%.

    Bears without Rome/Burden sucks as well, but Bears are a run first, 12 personnel team at heart, so all Zaccheus, Duvernay and Walker have to do is stay upright, block, and catch occasionally.

    I think BJ will be smart enough to target DJ, Loveland and Kmet on key downs.

    What I really want to write about though is that for the first time since maaaybe ’18, I believe the Bears can finish – not just with a winning record, or Wild Card appearance – but with a SB. The ’25 Bears can win it all.

    Yes – all. The whole enchilada. The whole 9 yards. The entire shebang or whatever other phrases exist for them winning a SB.

    It’s a confluence of many factors.

    1. No real super-team this season.
    Week in, week out, I have witnessed playoff teams ‘upset’. Whether it’s Pats losing to Raiders, Pack losing to Browns, Rams losing to Panthers, Bills losing to Dolphins, Broncos losing to Chargers, etc it’s one of those years where seemingly any team can indeed beat any favorite any given Sunday. So why not us?

    2. Bears find different ways to win in crunch time.

    Whether it’s a QB scramble, a big KR, a blocked FG, a forced fumble, an incredible INT, improbable throw/catch, or bruising runs to close, the Bears just get ‘er done. By now, they simply BELIEVE they will win. How barely matters. They’ve essentially been in playoff mode since week 3 [Cowboys], so a little pressure isn’t going to phase them.

    3. Bears’ formula wins late season.

    Don’t know if you noticed, but it’s getting pretty freaking freezing out there.
    Luckily, the Bears are a run first team. The 1-2 punch of Swift-Monangai is now spoken in the same breath as Gibbs-Monty, Kyle Williams-Corum while The Oline ranks top 5 on many sites. And, oh yeah, they have two great blocking TEs in Kmet/Loveland.

    Caleb Williams is arguably the best scrambler too which I appreciate even more after watching Stafford-v-Darnold on TNF.

    Another part of the Bears’ formula is they don’t turn it over much.

    Caleb rarely throws INTs, actually breaking the record for fewest INTs through the first 1K passing attempts. Unlike his predecessors , [looking at you Smoking Jay], he rarely gets strip-sacked [or even sacked].

    Swift also doesn’t fumble much while Monangai at Rutgers attempted 669 rushes with ZERO fumbles.

    So Bears don’t give away many freebies.

    Which dovetails well with CREATING defensive TOs. #1 in NFL with 20, and #2 Texans aren’t even close with 14.

    I, like many, was initially skeptical about Bears’ D keeping it up. As they say, TOs are unpredictable – not a good bet; nevertheless, Dennis Allen has made it just that – bankable. Somehow, someway, that D forces INTs/Fumbles, and they create momentum to win especially in hostile environments.

    So, Bears…

    Run fiercely+ block well+ limit TOs+ Force TOs= Wins

    Oh, and they’re clutch!

    4. Bears have elite coaching.

    Wow. Can’t believe I just typed that. I’m having an out of body experience just reading that aloud.

    Bears have elite coaching for the first time since Zubas were cool; I TRUST our brains outsmarting theirs.

    The easy example is Ben Johnson which doesn’t need much explaining, but Dennis Allen may actually be doing a superior job at DC given what he has.

    It’s not just them either. Look at the incredible turnaround of the Oline in just one season. Gotta give props to Dan Roushar for that.

    The secondary is playing out of its mind, big pat of the back [to future HC] Al Harris.

    Def Line coach Jeremy Garrett may even be sneaky good.
    Sweat has quietly notched 8.5 sacks, Booker in 7 games has 3 sacks, while the run D has recovered from being a sieve early season.

    via Matt Marton/Imagn
    I don’t really believe in ‘moral losses’, but sometimes, they do happen. After Philly, many still claimed Bears were “fun frauds”. However, after nearly stealing a win at Lambeau, the league no longer scoffs.

    I compared this team to both the SB winning Saints and Gmen; the Gmen in their finale took the Pats to the limit, ultimately losing 38-35.

    Now you figure, ‘wow, tough loss. Gut punch and no way to lurch into the playoffs’, but it was quite the opposite.

    “I know what everybody wrote and what everybody said we should do (against the Pats) and all the experts. Well, these are the same people that said we weren’t going to be in this position (10-6) and be in the playoffs, so we really don’t care what they say…[Antonio] Pierce [continued]. “All the experts supposedly said we were going to get beat by 20 or 30 points or whatever it was. That came down to the last couple minutes of the game.”

    “With that mentality, again we are going into a place where our backs are going to be against the wall, where we play our best. And I hope we can go out there and show it off.”

    Sound familiar?
    Let’s hope history repeats. No reason it can’t.

    Bearlieve.

    and FGB.

  • Overtime Giants

    Overtime Giants

    Update. Bears are now tied for #1 with the Lions in the NFCN!

    Few additional take-aways from Sunday.

    1. Bears seemingly always get shafted with penalties.

    The refs didn’t hesitate to throw a roughing passer on Sewell when it was basically against the laws of physics for him to avoid the hit.

    Yet same refs, same games, didn’t throw the flag on Giants’ defender doing his best Sagat Tiger Knee to Caleb’s head.

    The crowd let the refs know it too. Think it was collectively getting the red-headed step child treatment for seemingly forever. I don’t know what Ben Johnson can do without getting fined, but SOMETHING must be done about this apparent unfavorable treatment. This game was relatively flag-less for Bears, but history says It could cost the Bears a playoff spot, or even a WC win down the line.

    2. Caleb scrambled more

    Cbear said he’d like to see Caleb run it more when it’s not there [+ to get down quickly], and BJ must’ve heard as Caleb seemed to scramble more.

    It wasn’t accidental either.

    Courtney Cronin
    DJ Moore on why the Bears are seeing an increase of critical scrambles from Caleb Williams: “I think he got the green light to go ahead and use his legs more because teams are playing 2-mans, quarters and man-to-man, so he can just be able to get out with his legs and be another weapon.”

    In other words, unlike Trubisky and Fields, Caleb‘s arm is forcing Ds off the LOS which opens up runlanes for him and the HBs. It’s also worth noting that they’re scrambles not designed Dart-runs which gets him killed every week. Caleb seems to only really resort to scrambles when absolutely necessary [unlike Fields].

    3. BJ needs to cut Olamide Zacchaeus‘ snaps and give them to Burden and Loveland.

    • Find some alternative to Sewell. Teams are just gonna keep attacking him in the pass which also stresses the run D
    • Jarrett snaps also need to be reduced. Seems like every time he’s in, a big play pops. Problem is Chris Williams ain’t it either. Bears may just be stuck here.
    • More run por favor, BJ

    Game balls.

    1. Caleb Offense
    2. CJ Gardner-Johnson Defense

    Shot out to Montez Sweat for his 4.5 sack in last 4 games; he’s absolutely not Dayoing it.

    On that note some are saying Ryan Poles needs to revamp the D. I’m not sure he’s CAPABLE of it. Dayo and Jarrett are going to cost the cap in ’26 $20M/$19M respectively.

    The wind was a big factor in the game. It forced both teams to go for it instead of settle for FGs.

    Result? They were a combined 2-8 in successfully converting a 4rth down which I think is least efficient 4rth down conversion rate in a few years. They essentially turned it over a combined 6 times on downs alone.

    Maybe Darnell Wright needs to start a political podcast named, “No Spin Zone”!

  • Bears Escape a Giant Upset: 24-20

    Bears Escape a Giant Upset: 24-20

    Giants were 2-7. They lost like 10 in a row on the road. Skattabo-less, beat-up with a rook QB in a snowy windy Soldier Field and an HC on the hot-seat.

    So naturally, the Bears nearly blew it!

    The key word is “NEARLY.”

    If you missed the game, here’s a concise “Re-Kap.”

    Kap is citing 8 drops, but for what it’s worth, PFF credits 6. Either way, 6 would be the most drops by any team through ten NFL weeks, and that doesn’t even include close misses.

    However, the drops were only part of the offensive disfunction. I have no clue why Ben Johnson went so quick-rhythm passing for the first half. Giants’ D were ranked 31st vs run, and dead last vs defending parameter runs [Swift specialty]. Now maybe he was trying to zig instead of zag, but result?

    7-points.

    Didn’t help that Jaxson Dart was dealing.

    Through 3 QTRs, he looked like the superior QB while Brian Daboll looked like the superior playcaller continually targeting LBs[esp Sewell] as the Gmen bullied the Bears’ Dline.

    Then this happened.

    Up 17-7 and already close to FG range, I wouldn’t doubt if many Bear fans hit the parking lot to beat traffic. The whole game just felt off – not exactly low energy, but like a David Lynch flick that just made the whole experience a little uncomfortable.

    Then the Bears’ D rises to the occasion. Some may have wondered why I didn’t grade the Bears’ D lower. Moments like these are why. Despite getting pawned for most of the game, giving up a bunch of yards, and essentially losing in every metric… they almost always find a way to force a TO or a big stop [see the CJ blitzes, Dexter contain, Sweat sack]. After the Cowboys’ game, I was dubious they could maintain it, but they have, and this is who they are; it’s no small part why the Bears are 6-3. Will they keep forcing TOs against a brutal 2nd half gauntlet? Stay tuned, but relish it and a winning record for the time being.

    Courtney Cronin

    C.J. Gardner–Johnson on what was going through his mind in the 3rd Q when he forced Jaxson Dart to fumble: “I got tired of him running the ball. No disrespect. It’s just aggravating when he breaks for 20, 50 yards and you’re playing great coverage. So I had to find a way to get off the field to get the ball out of his hands eventually.”

    This dude just joined the club! Yet he’s already talking like a Dennis Allen ballhawk.

    This play completely turned the game around particularly since it also knocked out Jaxson Dart. After Dart went out, Daboll turtled with Russ Wilson. He definitely wasn’t going let Russ cook; heck, he wasn’t going to allow Russ to even enter the kitchen.

    Then it was Caleb Clutch time!

    In fact, the Bears scored TOO quickly, and gave what seemed like an eternity back to the Giants.

    Despite the struggling D, they still finished the game with a key CJ Gardner blitz which the Gmen totally blew in blocking [a 2nd time]. Ya know Allen was saving that blitz for a crucial moment, and it was for the final Giants’ drive.

    Bears 24, Giants 20. Fade to black…

    [Fly Eagles, Fly!]

  • Giants@Bears Thread

    Giants@Bears Thread

    So to continue with my mid-term grades, I’ll make it short.

    The D is schizo. Allowing 6.4 YDs per play. Tied for worst with Bengals.

    However, Bears’ D also leads the NFL in TOs! Apparently the last D to allow the most yards per play AND lead in TOs was the 1995 Cardinals [4-12]. It’s unsustainable to say the least.

    Bears Dline lacks a pass rush, and can get gashed on the ground albeit Sweat is starting to heat up, and maybe Austin Booker lives up to the hype. Add in INJs and allowing 28.4 PPG [25th]…

    Defense: C

    As for specials, it’s been up and down year for FGs, and Bears actually haven’t punted much. Regardless, Tori does look better.

    That being said, the KO coverage is straight azz and has allowed teams to keep hanging around; it’s nearly impossible to mess up an onside kick, yet the Bears managed it. Hightower should be fired, and Moody maybe needs to replace Santos.

    Bears Specials: D

    As for the Giants, what’s to say?

    Bo Nix stats vs Gmen:

    Passing: 27-of-50, 279 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 83.7 quarterback rating 

    Rushing: 5 rushes, 48 yards, 2 touchdowns, 21-yard long run 

    Fourth Quarter Performance: In the final quarter, Nix recorded two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns, becoming the first player in NFL history to do so in a single quarter

    Bears SHOULD win the game, esp in “Bear weather” which means they’ll make it much closer than it should be.

    Same as it ever was…