Can the Chicago Bears Upset the Denver Broncos?
Nov 9, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Chicago Bears running back
Antone Smith(44) is defended by San Diego Chargers free safety
Eric Weddle(32) on a fourth quarter run at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The Broncos have been very productive and effective in the return game and the Bears will need to shut that down inside-the-20. Punter Pat O’Donnell will need to use his powerful leg and kick high with good hang time for special teams to tackle immediately.
[nextpost teaser=”Chicago Bears: 6 Rookies Making an Impact” url=”https://nflspinzone.com/2015/11/14/chicago-bears-6-rookies-making-impact/
There is no room for error here as the Bears defense cannot give the Broncos any room to take it to the house. They Bears failed to do that against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks which set the tone of the game for a loss.
The overall unit has a lot of cleaning up to do since the Bears do not have an effective returner. Kick returner Marc Mariani has fumbled the ball several times on the receiving end and has not established that needed spark. It may be time to change it up and see what running back Antone Smith can do.
The Bears need to test the waters here and Mariani is just not powerful enough for the return game, so trying out Smith against the Broncos might be an unexpected surprise.