Steven Jackson could have solid day against Chicago Bears

Atlanta Falcons running back Steven Jackson is nearing the end of the line at the age of 31, but the once-overused veteran RB could have a vintage performance against the Chicago Bears if the team’s “next men up” at the linebacker position can’t step up. With Lance Briggs and Shea McClellin ruled out, the Bears already looked precariously thin at LB heading into this afternoon’s showdown, but they could be in dire straits. Not only is second-year pro Jon Bostic listed questionable, but the Bears also announced that they downgraded D.J. Williams from probable to questionable and promoted a linebacker from their practice squad as insurance. Williams still has a shot at playing, but he shouldn’t be expected to suit up at this point.

Live Feed

Blogging Dirty

While you could say, “Yeah, well Williams has been so bad in a Bears uni that his loss could be addition by subtraction,” the fact of the matter is that he’s probably better than the folks backing him up, and the injuries to other LBs means that the “next man up” for Williams isn’t going to be the normal “next man up”. Regardless, the thinning out of the Bears linebackers can only help Jackson, who has looked old, shaky, and injury-prone since joining the Falcons on a three-year, $12 million deal last offseason.

So far this year, S-Jax is averaging an inefficient 3.8 yards per pop on 63 carries, though he has punched the ball into the end zone twice in his five appearances and somewhat made up for a sub-3.0 YPC against the New York Giants last week by hauling in five passes and scoring one rushing TD. But the stats from last year and this year show that Jackson has, unsurprisingly, played like a washed up veteran and hasn’t given Matt Ryan enough support, though it can also be argued that he hasn’t received sufficient support from his blocking.

Either way, the Bears injuries at linebacker could allow Jackson to have a solid (notice how I didn’t try and get hyperbolic and boldly proclaim that he will have a “great” day) game, and the opportunity is ripe for the taking. It’s unclear if he’ll be targeted like he was last week, but the Bears LBs could be just as woeful as the Giants linebackers in coverage due to the injuries, and that could open things up for Jackson if Ryan is able to spot him (that could definitely happen if Jared Allen starts knifing towards him).

Jackson is performing a bit better as a rusher this season than he was last year when he battled injuries to an ineffective 3.5 yards per carry, but he needs to be able to take advantage of opposing injuries, such as the ones to the Bears linebackers. If he disappoints this afternoon in lieu of these absences, then the Falcons will probably be incredibly disappointed with the efforts of a player who, about four years ago, was once one of the league’s premier workhorse backs, and plenty of people will continue to criticize the Falcons decision to sign him. Maybe more importantly, it would also give Antone Smith and Devonta Freeman even more opportunities, and both are also worth watching closely (especially Smith) today.