Week Five went about as poorly as possible for the Chicago Bears. The offense struggled to do anything and turned the ball over five times. Jordan Love had an elite performance and seemed to have a wide-open receiver running deep every play. Chicago lost the game 31-7. While they still have a winning record, the NFC North is elite right now, as the Lions and Packers are both 3-2. Minnesota is the surprise of the year, being 5-0. Now, the Bears face the Falcons in Week Six, and their return to the win column could come down to a few key factors.
Make the Pass Game Beat You
Over the last few weeks, the Falcons have proven that their offense can be dangerous. The main reason for this is Bijan Robinson. He has 102 carries, 580 yards, and four touchdowns. Robinson also has 5.7 yards per carry. As a group, Atlanta averages 166.8 yards per game, the second-most in the league, only behind Chicago. Now, the passing game has more holes the Bears could exploit.
Atlanta has talented pass catchers, but the quarterback room is pretty inconsistent. Michael Penix has played solid since making his season debut, but he injured his ribs against the Ravens. It is not known yet how much, if any, time he will miss. If Penix does play, he likely won’t be at his full ability. However, if he can not go, Tua Tagovailoa will get the start. Both quarterbacks can be solid, but it will be easier to win if they have to drive the entire offense. You can not shut down Robinson, but somewhat limiting the run game is the best way to beat the Falcons.
Get the Passing Game in Rhythm
Speaking of limiting the run game, that seems to be the route the Falcons will go. When the Bears get the run game going, they are hard to beat. However, they also may have questions at quarterback. The early sign this week is that Caleb Williams may be able to return. Chicago needs this, as while the backup quarterbacks have been one of the biggest breakout surprises, the game against the Packers showed their limited upside.
The Falcons allow 80.2 rushing yards a game, the fourth-lowest in the league. Chicago's passing attack has been inconsistent this season. Williams needs to work off the rust, which could encourage Atlanta to focus on stopping the run. If this happens, then the passing attack needs to step up. This not only matters this week, but if they can not get in a groove soon, they will become one-dimensional. Chicago needs Williams to spark the passing game to return to the win column in Week Six.
Improve Communication in the Secondary
In Week Five, the Bears secondary struggled to be on the same page. There were far too many times when the Packers got open receivers. It appeared like they always thought someone else would cover the receiver. However, no one actually stuck to the receiver. Every time Love completed a deep pass, it looked like no one was in the area. The defensive line was not awful and got solid pressure at times. It just led to nothing, as the secondary seemed uninterested in covering receivers.
It feels obvious that if this happens again, the Bears likely lose. As previously mentioned, Atlanta has an elite run game. This has to be Chicago's biggest focus, so they have to hope the secondary holds up. It may not be elite, but it has some solid talent. If the secondary is going to play better, they have to communicate better. This is hard to implement in a single week, as it starts with building chemistry. Dennis Allen needs to ensure everyone knows their assignments on every play.
Final Analysis
After a rough Week Five, emotions are low in Chicago. However, the Falcons are a team that Chicago can beat. Atlanta is a good team, but so are the Bears. It will likely be a close game, and both teams need to bring their best. Defensively, they need to step up in coverage and force Atlanta to beat them through the air. Offensively, they need to get the passing game going. Week Six could be a critical game to get the Bears back in the win column and on their way to making a playoff run.
