The Giveaway!
Thanks to Del Reid and Dan Gigante – the fine folks at 26Shirts – we’ll be giving away our collaborative Darnell “Money” Mooney shirt this week. (The shirt is pictured above and you can read all about it by CLICKING HERE.)
The Contest.
- Guess the total yards from scrimmage for Mooney this Sunday in the comments section below. Receiving yards. Rushing yards. And if he throws a pass, that counts too. Total yards.
- Do not put the guess in the body of a larger comment. I’m not wading through your thoughts on the electoral college to find it.
- Make sure you don’t replicate someone else’s guess. First time the number appears, it’s locked in.
- If nobody nails the number, or gets super close, we’ll swing this contest to next week’s game. But that’s unlikely.
Good luck!
Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?
I always like the Chicago Bears.
And I think something clicked for this group in the second half against Tampa.
Panthers Game Tape
- 10,11,12.
- The engine of the Carolina offense lately has been former-Bear Mike Davis. But the fuel is a trio of speedsters they utilize in a variety of ways. They spread ’em out. They isolate defenders.
- Curtis Samuel (10) has assumed an almost Tarik Cohen-like role for Matt Rhule and Joe Brady, spelling Davis in the backfield and becoming a weapon in the screen game.
- Robby Anderson (11) has been among the best receivers in the sport this season and the Panthers are utilizing him to perfection. He’s a threat to score on every slant and if a corner is sleeping he’ll burn them over the top with his speed. For my money, he’s been a borderline All Pro through five weeks.
- D.J. Moore (12) is a damn good player and hell to deal with on crossing routes.
- The engine of the Carolina offense lately has been former-Bear Mike Davis. But the fuel is a trio of speedsters they utilize in a variety of ways. They spread ’em out. They isolate defenders.
- Steady Teddy.
- Will he take a shot or two each week? Yea. But Bridgewater’s game is think quickly, throw quickly and get the ball to the playmakers.
- Attack the Interior.
- Teddy handles pressure from the edge okay but he struggles mightily when that pressure comes up the middle and the Panthers have clear vulnerabilities when it comes to handling delayed blitzes and stunts, especially in the A gaps. This feels like a good opportunity to get Danny Trevathan into the flow of the season by sending him on a quarterback hunt.
- Potential Game Wrecker.
- Bears better pay attention to #53, Brian Burns. He spends most of his time harassing the right tackle and he’s been all over the quarterback the last two weeks. Expect Bobby Massie to get help. (If the Bears use Cole Kmet to provide that help, it could open up some plays for him in the passing game.)
- A Tweet.
You can run on the Panthers but their pass defense is start to get better.
Yards per attempt allowed the last three weeks:
Justin Herbert – 6.7
Kyler Murray – 4.3
Matt Ryan – 6.1Combined 4:2 TD to INT ratio allowed.
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) October 11, 2020
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- Here’s what I see when I look at that defense. They like to rush four and sit back deep. The entire system seems predicated upon not allowing the opposing quarterback to attack over the top. And their secondary closes very well on the football, making the underneath stuff difficult to consistently hit. This a smart, disciplined group.
The 5 Best Teddies, Bridges and Water in Movie History
(#5) The Bridge on the River Kwai
The most important bridge in cinematic history.
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(#4) Teddy Roosevelt, The Wind and the Lion
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(#3) The Cups of Water, Jurassic Park
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(#2) The Sea, Jaws
I don’t think there’s ever been more interesting camera work than Spielberg’s brilliant work on the water.
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(#1) The Bridge of Death, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Haiku
The panther stands tall.
The hungry bear approaches.
Run fast, kitty cat.
Worth the Gamble
Three bets I like this week.
- Total touchdown under 2.5 for Carolina (-129). The Bears just don’t allow many touchdowns and this doesn’t feel like the offense that will change that.
- First team to score: Bears (+100). This has only happened once this season so law of averages says it has to hit again soon. Bears get ball to start the game and kick a field goal.
- Total points: Even (+106). Four of the five Bears games have come in even and that’s a lot to do with the number of field goals that occur in their games. This one feels similar.
Game Prediction
Bears force Bridgewater and the Panthers into long drives and, more importantly, force them to settle for field goals. Nick Foles starts slow but gets hot coming out the locker room, leading the Bears to another ugly victory.
Chicago Bears 20, Carolina Panthers 16
