Bears vs. Redskins:
The Week 3 edition of Monday Night Football is a little different. Unlike many other Week 3 games, it does not debut a backup quarterback. Unlike some other Week 3 games, this is not a 20-plus-point spread. Unlike some other Week 3 games, this one does not feature a pair of high-flying offenses.
It's only a regular Ole 'NFC clash between the two teams looking to get their season on track. The Chicago Bears survived especially on offense - despite seeing an incredibly disappointing first two weeks with a 1–1 record. Washington is 0-2 with two divisional losses, and its defense is faltering.
Michelle Trubisky and co can. Is something happening, or will Case Keenum and people be upset? Let's break things down.
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Channel, time, game pick, what to know for 'Monday Night Football' Bear on redskins
Date: Monday, 23 September
Time: 8:15 pm
TV Channel: ESPN
Odds: Beers-5.5, O / U 41 (via Sportsline)
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When the beers have the ball
Things are not good at all for the Chicago Bears offense. This is a team with only 19 points in two games, and a final-second field goal in Week 2 is needed to achieve that total. Everything going on with this offense has been almost a total backslide, but there is no doubt with Michelle Trubisky the appropriate place to start digging.
By all means a quarterback could potentially return, Trubisky appears. Its entire percentage is down. His yards per attempt average is way down. He has not thrown a touchdown. He is carrying more sacks. He has not done many big plays. (He is just 3 of 11 for 74 yards and is an interception on deep throws according to Pro Football Focus.) He has been a bad disaster (7-20, 48 yards, INT) when under pressure. And he has yet to make any of it by playing with his feet, as he has just four carries for 19 yards in two games.
Perhaps this week's game does not provide a chance for him. The Washington defense was torn through the air by the Eagles and Cowboys during their first two matches, allowing Carson Wentz and Dac Prescott to combined for 69 passes (78.3 percent) for 574 yards (8.3 per attempt, six touchdowns) and 54. Allowed to complete. Just an interception, which came on a torn pass. Cornerbacks Josh Norman, Jimmy Moreland, and Aaron Colvin have all been fully tortured, given passers' ratings of 147.9 or better.
Norman may or may not receive a full-time shadow fee over Alan Robinson, who looked great in Week 1, but came back to Earth amid Trubisky's struggles last week. Norman didn't leave Amari Cooper everywhere last week, though he spent a lot of time covering the Cowboys' star wideout. On another photo, however, he was smoked by Devin Smith for a deep touch. And he was also heavily armed in the open field by Prescott. This is not a good start to the season for Norman.
But if the first doubles game is any indication, Robinson is basically the only pass-catching threat Washington will have to worry about. Trubisky is 11 of 20 for 143 yards, throwing him to 31 of 52 other receivers, but a palette for 205 yards. Running backs Tariq Cohen and Mike Davis have 17 catches for 73 yards. this is madness.
On this basis the Bears may be able to achieve more success on the ground than ever, however, the Washington defense is beset by injuries. Stud interior lineman Jonathan Allen is likely to miss his second consecutive game, while linebacker Reuben Foster is done for the year after tearing his ACL and LCL in offseason workouts. Opponents have scored 65 times for 336 yards and twice in two matches against Washington, and they are allowing 4.53 adjusted line yards per attempt according to Football Outsiders. Chicago's offensive line has not been a road-grading group in their matchups with the Packers and Broncos, but perhaps they will be able to go on Monday night.
When washington has the ball
It looks like we have to start with rookie wide Terry McLaurin, who sees that she is on her way to a great debut season. He has gained 10 grubs for 187 yards through two games, and has scored in each of his matchups. He appears to be a brilliant root runner. He has got good body control and excellent hands. And he has quickly earned the trust of his quarterback. All those things are great signs for its development. Oh, and he is also confident of his next quarterback, as Dwayne Haskins is his former college teammate. (Side note: Doesn't it seem that Ohio State's receivers are better than college lawsuits?)
Washington has moved McLaurin around the formation, so he figures to see a similar amount of coverage of Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukmar, and Buster Skrein in coverage. Byers plays side with his corners, Fuller with 99 percent of the snaps lining up on his left, Amukamara on 99 percent of them at Right Corner, and Skrein in the slot 94 percent of the time. This has not changed under new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, who took over for the late Vic Fangio. (Fangio is now the head coach of the Broncos.)
The screen is clearly the weakest link in the trio, so slot man Trey Quinn may correspond to an increased target stake. He has taken eight catches in two matches, although those grubs have gained just 69 yards. Washington will unfortunately get fed up without Jordan Reid, whose career is in crisis due to recurrence. Vernon Davis is filling in the space he still finds when he comes to the open field, as he demonstrated in Week 1. Jimmy Graham took three catches for 30 yards and struck out the Bears, scoring in Week 1. The Noah Fent-Jeff Heuerman combination snatched eight of nine targets for 54 yards in Week 2, so it's possible that Davis could be heavily involved in this matchup as well.
Keenum is delivering the ball faster so far, averaging 2.52 seconds per pass attempt, per PFF. This is also a good thing, as the offensive star is working without a star to deal with Trent Williams. He was pressurizing 35 percent of his drop backs despite that quick release, and meant to be completely in trouble against the nearby crowd that contributed to Khalil Mack, Akeem Hicks, Leonard Floyd, and Rushman Roy Robertson-Harris Can. Mack has split his time running through the first two matches to the left and right of the line, but he must have a plus matchup where he has been attacking since Monday evening.
An even bigger issue for the Washington offensive line will likely be in the run game, where they are struggling, if we want to be incredibly kind about things. This is a team with 30 carries for 75 yards in two games. They rank 29th in the league in adjusted line yards, 31st in open carry yardage and 32nd per level. The team's longest run of the season is just 10 yards, and they are placed behind the line of scrimmage on six of those 29 running-back carries. This is a team that badly wants to establish The Run because it is the philosophy of the coaching staff, but has not yet done so. It is hard to see that changing on Monday night.