Chicago Bears: 5 Things To Watch For in Preseason Week 2
By David Mamola
The Chicago Bears will try to right some wrongs in Week 2 of the preseason against the New England Patriots.
Things can’t get any worse, right?
After a 22-0 shellacking at the hands of the Denver Broncos in the preseason opener, the Chicago Bears hope for some better results on Thursday when they take on the New England Patriots in Foxborough.
Related Story: Bears: Preseason Week 1 Takeaways
Sure, there were some nice performances from individual players, but for the team as a whole, it wasn’t a very pretty night for the Bears last week. Not only were they shut out in the preseason for the first time since 1981, but the Bears also allowed seven sacks, failed to cross Denver’s 40-yard line, and allowed the Broncos to score on all three phases (a touchdown pass, a defensive safety, and a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown).
It may only be a preseason game, but here are some key things to watch for in Week 2:
Can the offensive line show signs of improvement?
After the starters allowed two sacks last week, the reserves came in and allowed five more, including a safety. Now, it was a tough first test for the Bears’ offensive line in Week 1, as Denver’s defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was not afraid to call stunts and exotic blitzes, and of course, the Broncos are the defending champions. But no offensive lineman really had a good game (even Kyle Long struggled), and it quickly became apparent that the depth along the line is paper thin.
The Bears signed a couple of veterans this week (Khaled Holmes and Shelley Smith), but is that really going to help? There were question marks about the line before Hroniss Grasu got hurt, and the concerns only grew after last week’s disastrous performance. The Bears’ O-Line desperately need to show signs of improvement this week.
Will one running back separate from the pack?
Jeremy Langford started the game, but his play was lackluster (4 carries, 7 yards). Jacquizz Rodgers, not Ka’Deem Carey, was the second back of the bench, but he too failed to impress (2 carries, 5 yards). Carey got hurt (concussion), and according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, rookie Jordan Howard may not even play a significant role this season.
The Bears would like to have a running back by committee approach this season, but ideally, there would be one back that asserts himself as the guy who gets the ball in the fourth-quarter and critical situations. I ask you this—if the game is on the line, which Bears’ running back do you want to have the ball in his hands? As of right now, I’m not sure there’s a clear-cut answer.
Can rookie cornerback Deiondre’ Hall build on his strong performance?
It was a very impressive debut for Hall, a fourth-round pick from Northern Iowa. Using his big frame (6′ 2″) perfectly, Hall was able to break up two consecutive passes in the end zone (even though he didn’t turn his head around, which could lead to pass interference penalties down the road), and was credited with five total tackles. With starter Kyle Fuller not making the trip to New England, there should be a ton of opportunities for Hall to stand out again.
Will kicker Robbie Gould make more appearances?
In order for Gould to get more screen time, the Bears need to actually, well, you know, score! With no field goal or extra point attempts, Gould only was on the field once against the Broncos—for the opening kickoff. After that, he could have gone home early for all we know! And who could blame him?
But in all seriousness, it is important that Gould is able to get some live work in. After a subpar season in 2015—one that saw Gould miss a few key field goals—it would be nice to see Gould kick a few through the uprights…and I don’t just mean in warmups.
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Is Jimmy Garoppolo good?
This isn’t a Bears-related question, but aren’t we all a little curious to see what the heir-apparent to Tom Brady looks like? The Eastern Illinois alum (11/18, 168 yards in week one) will start the first four regular season games for the Patriots after the “Deflategate” fiasco, and by all reports, he should be in line for a significant amount of playing time this week. Lamar Houston knows him well, and after this game, we should all have a pretty good grasp of what Garoppolo is all about.