Chicago Bears: 5 X-factor players for Week 6 vs. Panthers
5. Anthony Miller, Wide Receiver
Anthony Miller has the talent to be one of the top receivers with the Chicago Bears. He runs good routes and has great hands. He can make some nice catches. However, he’s made some frustrating drops in key situations. The problem is he has trouble maintaining his play from quarter to quarter, let alone game to game.
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Miller tends to daydream if he’s not involved in the game right away. He knows he’s talented and he wants to show everyone but he needs to show it whenever his name is called. Not being the number one you won’t get most of the attention. If he wants to be the number one, he needs to play like a number one every time he’s targeted.
This attitude needs to happen now. With his inconsistencies, he’s losing snaps to rookie wide receiver Darnell Mooney. In the game against the Bucs, Foles looked Mooney’s way quite a bit but just couldn’t connect. Foles targeted him five times, mostly early in the game. They connected just twice for 15 yards.
On the other hand, Miller was targeted four times and caught all of them. He had just 28 yards, but one of the catches resulted in a big first down on a third-and-nine. That catch extended the drive that ultimately resulted in the game-winning field goal.
If Miller wants to move back up past Mooney he needs to do more of that. He needs to make some big plays. Mooney is only going to get better, and if he and Foles start having a good rapport Miller could find himself on the outside looking in. Allen Robinson is the No. 1 on this team but he needs some help from his other receivers. If Miller can be a complement then it bodes well for the Bears’ offense.