• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Sports
    • Baseball Not By The Numbers
    • Chicago Bears
    • Chicago Cubs
    • Chicago White Sox
  • Entertainment
    • Booth Reviews – About Us
    • Booth Reviews – Our Ratings
  • Home Improvement USA Radio
  • About Us
    • Business Services
    • Paid Content Guidelines
    • Hoops, Hops, and Hopes: 1982 in Chapel Hill
    • Email Sign Ups
SRN Broadcasting

SRN Broadcasting

Sports, Talk Radio, and more

You are here: Home / Sports / Chicago Bears / 2019 Wild Card preview: Bears vs Eagles

2019 Wild Card preview: Bears vs Eagles

January 4, 2019 by SRN

The NFL playoffs are upon us, and for the first time since 2010, the Chicago Bears are among the 12 teams still standing. They will cap off Wild Card weekend with a faceoff against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a tough card to draw, but as the saying goes, to be the best, you have to beat the best.

A test on the secondary

Related image

The Philadelphia Eagles pose a number of problems for the Bears’ pass-rush, starting first and foremost with their rock-solid offensive line. Khalil Mack will have his hands full with Lane Johnson and Jason Peters and Lane Johnson bookending the Eagles’ line, so inside pressure from Akiem Hicks, and linebackers Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith will be of even further importance.

A second pass-rushing issue comes to the surface with Nick Foles at the helm, however, and that is his time to release. The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia outlined Nick Foles’s recent adjustment to getting the ball out quicker, nothing that he has gotten the ball out in 2.46 seconds on average, a stark contrast to his 2.75 second average in last year’s Super Bowl run. Not only will Foles be protected by one of the NFL’s most well-constructed offensive lines, but he will likely have gotten rid of the ball by the time any rush got home.

“This is the best line we’ve faced lately,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “They’re a very good offensive line. Both tackles are good. They’ve got good interior people, you know, with (Jason) Kelce setting it up there. So, it’ll be a challenge for our front guys to play these guys vs the run and the pass.”

Nick Foles’s release time and a quick glance at his passing chart reveal that most of his success comes in the short to intermediate game, working off play-action, crossing routes and RPOs. This means the Bears will have to fly to the football and prevent any chunk yardage after the catch. Their safeties will have to patrol the middle of the field and limit the effectiveness of the crossing routes that Foles excels at, and Chicago’s cornerbacks will be tasked with owning the short game while still respecting the deep-ball threat that Foles presents.

“We can’t let them get behind us,” Fangio said. “Cause this guy does have a big arm. And he does like to throw the deep ball. So if there’s a chance that he can throw a deep ball and he sees it, he will throw it. And that’s his mentality. That’s Doug (Pederson)’s mentality. So they will do it. And a big part of this game will be how we defend the deep balls.”

A good pass-rush and a good secondary often go hand-in-hand, one often covering for the other. The sign of a truly elite defense is whether or not those units can work independently of one another. This is a game in which the Bears may not be able to lean on the pass-rush, so the secondary will have to step up and keep the Eagles air attack at bay. The Bears have done an excellent job at rallying to the ball this season, making plays in space preventing teams from nickel-and-diming them. That success will have to continue. Chicago’s heir pass-rush has a higher chance of getting into the backfield, the longer Foles holds the ball, and the secondary can do that by taking away his passing options. Marrying the pass-rush to the secondary will be crucial in defeating the Eagles and Nick Foles, but the Bears’ secondary is a unit that is more than capable of doing so. It is now a matter of doing it when the stakes are the highest they’ve been.

Tarik Cohen’s impact

Bears coach Matt Nagy: SRN Broadcasting

The Eagles’ defense is strong in many areas, but one of their biggest vulnerabilities is their struggles against pass-catching running backs. Saquon Barkley had 99 receiving yards against them, Christian McCaffery had 57 yards and Todd Gurley notched 76.

The Bears feature one of the league’s best backfield receiving threats in Tarik Cohen. He is second on their team in receiving at 725 yards. His speed and suddenness make him a matchup problem for nearly any opposing defense, and the Eagles are no exception.

The Eagles tend to match linebackers with opposing running backs, and there isn’t much reason to think that won’t continue this week. Tarik Cohen obviously gives up size to opposing linebackers, but his long speed and suddenness give him an enormous advantage. Matt Nagy has had no problem turning to Cohen when he has an advantage (See the Giants game), and he will probably go to him both in the short game to get Trubisky going and in the deep game on wheel routes to gain chunk yardage.

Working the deep game

Chicago Bears DC Vic Fangio – photo by SRN Broadcasting

Coach Matt Nagy emphasizes staying aggressive with deep shots, but the Bears have struggled to execute said deep shots. The Eagles’ secondary is massively depleted though, with three cornerbacks listed on IR and two more marked as questionable, meaning Nagy may have a little more reason to go long.

“It’s all predicated on what the defense gives us,” Nagy said of the deep game. “We’re always in attack mode. We want to be aggressive. I think people could see that throughout the beginning of the year. We had some opportunities. Teams had decided to try to take some of that away and now we got to be able to take advantage of other things because of that.”

The Eagles have allowed the third-most receiving yards in the NFL, and much of that is due to their struggles with allowing chunk yardage through the air to which they have been made vulnerable by their injuries. The Bears have the personnel to take advantage of that, particularly with Taylor Gabriel and Allen Robinson, but it is a matter of Trubisky executing his throws.

“We played in a lot of big games this year,” Robinson said of why he is confident in Trubisky. “You know so throughout four quarters, you know, we’ve always been in a position to win the game. You know and that’s the thing, I’ve never seen him flustered one time at all this season. You know, we’ve always been able to bounce back and make plays and most of those plays translate to a lot of wins.”

Trubisky’s 2018 passing chart reveals that he is below the league average in passer rating on throws 20 yards or further. The Bears are good enough to beat the Eagles without hitting their deep throws, but that doesn’t erase the fact that there is a clear area of weakness the Bears can exploit. The Eagles’ rush defense is seventh in the league, so if the Bears can’t slow down their offense, Trubisky will have to step up in a big way.

Follow on Twitter: @crbevins 11 @radiomogul

Hear audio from Matt Nagy, Vic Fangio, Akiem Hicks, Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller

Filed Under: Chicago Bears, Featured Sports, NFL, Sports Tagged With: 2018 Postseason, Bears, Matt Nagy, NFC Wild Card, Philadelphia Eagles, Playoffs

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Hoops, Hops, and Hopes: 1982 in Chapel Hill

A memoir by Steven Leventhal - coming soon. I am working feverishly on my forthcoming memoir. This is the story of a pivotal year in my life. In 1978 I graduated in a class of 225 from a small town in North Carolina, and entered college that … Read more about Hoops, Hops, and Hopes: 1982 in Chapel Hill

Our Radio Partner

Acid Flashback Radio logo
HTML5 RADIO PLAYER PLUGIN WITH REAL VISUALIZER powered by Sodah Webdesign Dexheim

Recent Posts

  • FIFA ANNOUNCES CITIES TO HOST 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP 
  • 2022 Chicago Bears OTA, Part 1
  • 2022 Bears Rookie Minicamp
  • Chicago Bears Select 11 Players in 2022 NFL Draft
  • Chicago Bears announce Piccolo Winners, Prepare for 2022 NFL Draft

Featured Story

Meet Spencer West – Incredible and Inspiring!

In October 2019, at the Ensemble Travel conference in Seattle, I got to hear and talk to one of the most incredible individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The theme of the annual travel agent convention was "Travel With Purpose." Spencer West lost his legs below his pelvis at age … [Read More...] about Meet Spencer West – Incredible and Inspiring!

The Hunt for Venture Capital – Our First Success

It really isn’t a stretch to use the well worn Grateful Dead quote, “What a long strange trip it’s been.” Two years ago Eric Leventhal and I stood up in front of a group of entrepreneurs, investors, and other invited guests as part of a pitch contest at the Chicago chapter of StartUp Grind. It […]

Entertaiment

Why “Red Notice” Is More Relevant Than Ever

There was a story in The Washington Post about Ivan Gulanov, a Russian investigative reporter on alleged drug possession charges. Some of the circumstances were eerily similar to the book Red Notice, I had just finished reading. This 2015 book is the true story about a lawyer who took on corruption in corporate Russia. It […]

Home Improvement

Home Improvement USA – July 2021

with David Rusch and Steve Leventhal On the July 2021 edition of the Home Improvement USA program, Dave and Steve discuss reasons, other than investment purposes, to buy a home instead of renting a … [Read More...] about Home Improvement USA – July 2021

Footer

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Information
  • Our Core Values
  • Privacy
  • Business Services
  • Email Sign Ups
  • Paid Content Guidelines

Archives

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • December 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Copyright © 2022 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in