We’ve reached the “moral victory” part of the season. So that begs the question…
Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?
I.
Always.
Like.
THE.
Chicago.
Bears.
Thoughts: Commanders vs. Titans
This was a tough watch, but it provided something of a preview for Thursday night. Here are some things that stood out.
- Washington’s center Nick Barton had a nightmare, rolling several shotgun snaps to the feet of Carson Wentz. He also hit the motion man once. How are those mistakes still happening in the fifth week of the season?
- Both Washington and Tennessee consistently buried themselves beyond the chains with penalties and that allowed both pass rushes to essentially control the action. If the Bears find themselves in obvious passing situations, the Commanders will find themselves in the backfield quite a bit.
- While I have been as critical of Wentz as anyone, he threw a gorgeous deep ball in this game. He still makes 3-5 throws a game that make no logical sense but his touch down the field was there Sunday.
- Derrick Henry earned every yard against the Washington defense. It takes hard running to find success against this group. (Generally came away impressed with the unit from the TV broadcast tape.)
- Curtis Samuel is hell to deal with right now, and it’ll be surprising if the Bears don’t struggle containing him on third down.
Three Stats with Potential Value
- This is the first matchup for the Bears where the two teams have a significant gap in turnover differential. The Bears are at 0. The Commanders are at -7. If the Bears win the turnover battle, they’ll win this game.
- The Commanders allow opposing QBs a passer rating of 103.7. Justin Fields is going to have another opportunity for success in that category because Washington will gladly allow him the underneath completions to protect against the deep shot. Fields needs to take them.
- The most boring stat you’ll ever read: both the Bears and Commanders have a season-long punt return of 19 yards.
Video of the Week
Recently, I launched the Cinema tab above, where I’ll be storing the academic work I do over the next several years. (If I’m still running this site in several years.) The first essay is about a little-known Alfred Hitchcock silent film, Downhill. The film is now in the public domain, so it’s posted below in its entirety, and it’s well worth the watch.
The essay is here: Framing the Fall_Hitchcock’s Camera and the Journey Downhill.
Game Prediction
This will be an ugly game for three quarters because (a) neither team is good and (b) Thursday night is the canvas on which terrible football is drawn. The difference in the game? Fields’ legs. A few drive extending runs in the fourth quarter lead the Bears back to .500.
Chicago Bears 24, Washington Commanders 16
