• 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 / Tuesday thoughts from 2018 Bears’ win over Seahawks

Tuesday thoughts from 2018 Bears’ win over Seahawks

September 18, 2018 by SRN

The Chicago Bears rode a dominant defensive performance en route to defeating the Seattle Seahawks in their 2018 home opener. The defense was lights out, but there are other stories beyond their showing.

Defensive domination

The Bears’ defense was downright dominant against the Seahawks, and that dominance begins and ends with Khalil Mack. Germain Ifedi barely belonged on the same field as Mack. Mack simply owned him at the line of scrimmage, requiring chip blocks from the tight end and more help in any way it could come. None of it mattered, as Mack was a force all night, collapsing the pocket and making life miserable for Russell Wilson.

Mack, who finished with a sack, four tackles and a fumble, may not have stacked the stat sheet the way he did against Green Bay. But his mere presence opened up so much for the Bears’ pass-rush. A case in point was Bryce Callahan, a criminally underrated cog in the Bears’ defense. He lined up in the “nickel” behind Mack and had a straight shot at Wilson to force an incompletion. Another example came on a first and ten in the second quarter, when Wilson rolled out on play-action. Mack maintained the edge, forced Wilson to step back inside and Eddie Jackson cleaned it up for the first sack of his career. Heck, even newly enshrined Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher had words of praise for Mack.

“I talked to him two days after he was traded, I spoke to him a little bit. My agent Bill Johnson gave me his number and I reached out to him. He’s a bad dude, man. I don’t understand how you give up a guy who’s that good. I’m still baffled that we got him. I’m glad that Ryan (Pace) made it happen and he’s a great addition to our team. He fits in perfectly with our history here.”

 

Bears defensive end Khalil Mack: SRN Broadcasting

The defense finished the night with six sacks and allowed 80 net yards. The Seahawks appeared to have a chance at tying the game at 17-10 in the fourth quarter, but Prince Amukamara, playing soft zone coverage, read Raashad Penny’s hitch route like a book. He sat on the route and with a perfectly timed break, stepped in front of Wilson’s pass for a pick-six to seal the win. Seattle tacked on a garbage time touchdown at the end, but it was too little too late and the Bears walked out of Soldier Field as winners.. Danny Trevathan put on a show, racking up six tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He was key in containing Russell Wilson, and he commented on that aspect of their win, saying, “The key to playing them is never letting him get comfortable and scramble around and use his legs like that. [We needed to] create havoc for him and we did that today. He still found a way to make some plays but I think we held our ground this week.” The Bears’ defense did something they did not last week; the closed it out. The unit has quickly come together and they have a chance to be special.

Allen Robinson’s unsung performance

Lost in the shuffle of their defensive outpour was Allen Robinson’s performance. Often lined up in a solid corner in Shaquille Griffin, Robinson and Mitch Trubisky appeared to be in rhythm. He was constantly open underneath and was Trubisky’s go-to pass-catcher. He finished his night with 10 receptions for 83 yards, but he would have had more if Trubisky had put more on his streak up the sideline. He had a solid three yards of separation between himself and Shaquille Griffin, and if that ball is on target it probably goes for a long touchdown. He was there when Trubisky needed an easy third-down completion and clearly demonstrated he’s more than just a “go up and get it” receiver. Robinson will be crucial to this offense moving forward, and he’s looked the part, especially after Monday.

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky: SRN Broadcasting

Earl Thomas’s impact on the offensive approach

There has been some criticism of Mitch Trubisky’s performance, some of which is justified. But it is important to remember who is playing safety for the Seahawks. When at the top of his game, Earl Thomas is the best cover safety in the NFL. Offenses have to respect him, and that respect often manifests itself in simply not throwing near him. When he is in the deep middle, any deep throw is begging for an interception. Trubisky’s passing chart shows that he attempted very few passes downfield and kept most throws within ten yards. Such may be largely by design, as Thomas is so rangey as a “center fielder” and can make a break on any throw in his vicinity. Additionally, Seattle was missing its two starting linebackers, K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner, which meant that the underneath part of the field could be exploited. At its core, the West Coast offense works by short completions underneath that bring the defense up. When that happens, the deep throws over open up. But Thomas can play the deep middle, taking away any deep shots, and still make plays underneath, effectively eliminating much of what the West Coast offense wants to do. At that point, Nagy is better off chipping away at the defense with short routes away from Thomas.

Twitter: @crbevins11

Hear audio from Brian Urlacher, Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky

https://internetfm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Bears-vs-Seahawks_mixdown.mp3

Filed Under: Chicago Bears, Featured Sports, NFL, Sports Tagged With: Bears, Brian Urlacher, Chicago, Chicago Bears, Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Primary Sidebar

Hoops, Hops, and Hopes: 1982 in Chapel Hill

A narrative memoir by Steven Leventhal - coming soon. Sign up for the mailing list to get updates. I am working feverishly on my forthcoming memoir. This is the story of a pivotal year in my life. I had a front seat for one of the most … 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

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

  • February 2023
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • 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 © 2023 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in