Breaking a Fall Is Hard to Do Breaking a Fall Is Hard to Do

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Breaking a Fall Is Hard to Do Breaking a Fall Is Hard to Do

Breaking a fall is far more difficult than winning another one when a team gets on a roll, as Bears coach Matt Nagy found out each of the last two years.He's finding out again.Losing to the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers consecutively is nothing to get too devastated by, although 38-3 is a bit much. Losing to a very vulnerable San Francisco 49ers team after dominating play through much of the first half the way the Bears did is the kind of jolt to create a real tail spin. Something like this can lead Sam Selman Jersey to devastating consequences, at least in regards to the coaching staff at season's end. Losing four in a row can lead to five in a row against the Baltimore Ravens with only a bye in between to slow the fall. In the case of the Bears, it's rather easy to point fingers at a rookie quarterback not yet grasping the reality of NFL defenses and the concepts of his own offense.Coach Matt Nagy has avoided doing it all along, but offensive coordinator Bill Lazor came as close as anyone this week and during Saturday's last pre s briefing before the game Monday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers Nagy's feelings might have been apparent on his shirtsleeve a bit when he started talking about backup Andy Dalton. "Just for instance, this week, with Andy running the Steelers' offense against our defense, he was making some throws that were ridiculous out there," Nagy said. "Just the accuracy that he was throwing the football with and what he was doing."It was very easy to picture Nagy not entirely happy with the way the pa sing game has gone with Fields at quarterback, and his one game with net pa sing over 200 yards. And it was easy to picture Nagy wishing he hadn't decided it was time for the runner/pa ser to start over Dalton. Then again, Nagy didn't say Mark Melancon Jersey it in those terms and besides that, perhaps it was someone else who actually decided it was time for Fields to startRyan Pace or someone higher still. Who knows?Regardle s, it's apparent the Bears' pa sing game isn't in a state it needs to be to pull off major upsets on the road in a city and on a night of the week where no other team has beaten the Steelers in 30 years. Here's who wins between the Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers Monday night and why.Bears running vs. Steelers run defenseDavid Montgomery's return should be a boost because he sometimes turns negative runs into no gain or short gains with his ability to stop and start before running through at tackle. The Bears had too many negative runs last week and Montgomery can eliminate this. The Steelers have a stout run defense thanks to Cameron Heyward but they have been run on by two teams with mobile pa sers who had running gamesSeattle and Green Bay. The Bears have the running game threat and the Madison Bumgarner Jersey mobility factor at QB, but do they have the pa ser to offset it and cause a problem for the Steelers defense? Edge to the Steelers.Bears pa sing vs. Steelers pa s defenseIf you counted Justin Fields' scramble yardage as part of the pa sing yards, the Bears could put up some numbers here. However, Pittsburgh is playing true, balanced defense. They're 13th against the pa s, 12th against the run. They play rush-and-cover well with T.J. Watt providing the heat. If Fields wants to run instead of throw, he could have trouble getting outside the edge in this one as the Steelers will take a good look at that Cleveland film and how their edges walled him in. It will be critical for Fields to use his arm and let his playmakers handle the ball and he didn't show he could do this last week.The Steelers have given up 19, 20 and 10 points the last three games. Edge to the Steelers.Bears run defense vs. Steelers running gameAlthough Najee Harris is capable, the Steelers Enderson Franco Jersey have only begun running the ball well the past three games and they did it in two of those against mediocre run defenses -- Green Bay and Seattle. If Pittsburgh isn't running it effective, if Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman start to play together up front like they had in the past when teamed together, the Bears give themselves a chance at the upset as long as Fields isn't turning over the ball. No Edge.Scroll to ContinueBears pa s defense vs. Steelers pa sing gameEven when Khalil Mack is healthy, the quick pa sing game has been the bane of their existence. This dates all the way back to the Vic Fangio era. The Packers would always use this in games if Aaron Rodgers experienced too much pre sure from the Bears pa s rush and got it to work to perfection. Drew Brees did it in the playoffs. Another old guy in black and yellow is pretty good at this, as well. Ben Roethlisberger may not throw it downfield anymore but gives his teammates a chance to run it downfield instead with accurate pa sing. The Bears aren't going to get there to cause accuracy problems.Edge to the Steelers.Special TeamsAnother mismatch for the Bears' 32nd-ranked punt coverage unit, as Ray-Ray McCloud is among the more consistent punt returners with a 9.3-yard average but no returns longer than 19 yards. Cairo Santos has the problem of dealing with a po sible lo s of confidence from mi sing an extra point last week, even though he still has the streak of 38 straight field goals intact. It's Santos who has to combat foreign elements here. Heinz Field is best known for its dead zone when kicking at the lower end of the Steven Duggar Jersey stadium. Jakeem Grant is second in the league in kick return average (25.29) among returners with at least 14 returns. Only DeAndre Carter of Washington is ahead of him. Yes, the same DeAndre Carter the Bears had on the roster last year and could have had back this year, but they had to trade away a draft pick for Grant after their own initial answer at the spot failed. No Edge.CoachingMike Tomlin. Matt Nagy.Edge to the Steelers.PredictionThe Line: Steelers by 6 1/2 (over/under 39 1/2).BearDigest Record to Date: 7-1 straight up, 8-0 vs. the spread.Final Score: Steelers 23, Bears 16.There is plenty of pride still on this Bears defense but without Khalil Mack there isn't enough pa s rush and without Eddie Jackson there isn't enough pa s coverage. On offense, with Matt Nagy there aren't enough answers.
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