Oldfaithful
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Week 6 Preview: Vs. Chicago
Week five ended with an impressive(necessary) win against a depleted Raiders organization. Week six has me a little nervous going into it. Chicago should be a winnable game, but this could have the makings of a trap game. Chicago does have a solid defense and a very impressive rushing attack. Ultimately however, these are the matchups I feel are most important going into the week.
The Ravens’ Front Seven vs. Chicago’s Running Game
I think the key thing here is that Brandon Williams returns. Even if that’s not the case, Willie Henry and Michael Pierce have proven themselves to be good players thus far and have been good run defenders. They have not been the problem. However, Chicago’s rushing attack is among the best in the league. They boast an elite interior offensive line, and two very talented running backs who can make any defense pay. But if Brandon Williams is back, I ultimately feel as if we have the edge here. The other key is that we need to set the edge better. Ultimately, if we can limit Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, there is a strong possibility that we shut down Chicago’s offense entirely. They have a rookie quarterback with a pedestrian wide receiving corps, and thus have one of the most one dimensional offenses in the entire league. Limit Howard and Cohen: we could have another shutout on our hands.
Joe Flacco vs. Joe Flacco
Flacco looked like himself from 2010-2013 again: which is a good thing. Solid, but unspectacular performance against a weakened, but talented defense. Chicago is going to be a little tougher. Chicago’s secondary won’t be as depleted as Oakland’s was. Amukamara is a very talented #1 cornerback, and Adrian Amos is a good safety. Also, Kyle Fuller is in the middle of a career turnaround year and looks like a #2 corner again. However, something that should help out is that Willie Young, one of their best pass rushers, is out for the year. While their other pass rusher (Pernell McPhee) is very good, I feel like we can adequately gameplan for him to help out Joe. But ultimately, we are going to go against a solid secondary. I feel like if Joe can be accurate again like he was last Sunday vs. Oakland, then this game could go easy. Of course. It’s the ravens, and we make nothing easy.
Dean Pees vs. Mitch Trubisky:
I have made it known that I was not a big fan of Trubisky coming out of the draft. He’s very accurate, but overall has a lot of issues in his game. We also historically play well vs. rookie QBs. If Dean Pees can conjure up a really good gameplan(like he usually does with rookies), then we have the opportunity to win this game with little to no effort by applying pressure, and maybe getting a few turnovers.
The Ravens Offensive Line vs. Chicago’s Front Seven.
The offensive line performed very well vs. Oakland. Good. Now keep it up. I feel like with McPhee being the only good player thus far that we will be able to adequately protect Joe. I also feel like given that Roman’s scheme has been proven to work even with backups playing that we might be able to run the ball. But still: I have my doubts about consistency. Until the line consistently proves to be very good, they will be a matchup.
One name to watch......
This is a new segment I would like to introduce in these weekly previews. Keep an eye on a player who might have a very good game next week. My pick is Tim Williams. Although Chicago’s interior offensive line is very good, I cannot say the same for their tackle situation. Given that we are going against a rookie, I expect us to be dialing in pressure on a consistent basis. Look for Williams, who has been getting pressure on a pretty good basis in his limited role, to notch his first career sack.
Final Score Prediction:
Ravens, 17, Chicago, 7. Sadly, as Ravens fans, nothing ever comes easy. I view this game as a similar one to the Browns game. Lots of us running the ball, and us taking advantage of the rookie quarterback, and the defense putting on a good performance. Chicago will get some garbage time points(hopefully a Howard Td for the sake of my fantasy team), but I don’t see it as a surefire win. But, I do see it as a win, and a well deserved one.
BmoreBird22, who are you taking?
Baltimore Ravens Front Seven vs Chicago Bears Rushing Attack: I do not actually think signs are positive for Brandon Williams returning this week, unfortunately. He has not been able to practice for a few weeks now and was not listed as a participant on Wednesday’s report, so I do not think signs are good. I think we will likely see him next week against the Vikings.
I cannot help but feel like this will be an overblown match up to watch, which probably means that the Bears rushing game goes off for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Howard is incredibly talented, but the offensive line is a far cry from what we would expect. The names of Josh Sitton-Cody Whitehair-Kyle Long should scream out elite interior, but it has not worked out that way. All three are struggling mightily with Whitehair having a Matt Kalil type regression. At this point, those three are living on name recognition (I am looking at you LiT) and not actual play from 2017. Howard has not really shown the same consistency game after game like he did in 2016 and I think that is largely in part due to the fact that the Bears possess a passing game that would make the Cleveland Browns embarrassed and lackluster offensive line play from players that have shown to be elite in the past. I expect a decent, but unspectacular game from Howard as the passing game does him absolutely no favors.
Dean Pees vs Mitchell Trubisky: Count me amongst those who thinks Mitchell Trubisky will be good… in time. I do not think he will be good this year and he may not be good next year. However, by year three, I think the Bears will finally have a franchise signal caller if they can surround Trubisky with actual NFL caliber weapons.
With that said, Trubisky’s biggest issues coming out of college are going to crop up here in this game. He played most of his snaps out of the shotgun at UNC and even then had trouble reading and feeling blitzes when he had the entire field surveyed. How will he respond when he is asked to take five to seven step drops against a defense designed by Dean Pees? My guess is not too well. The Ravens pass rush has been quiet lately, but I would expect Pees gets them going in this game.
Baltimore Ravens Offense vs Chicago Bears Defense: I am going to just lump this one all together to really just focus in on the Bears defense as a whole because much like the Oakland Raiders defense, they are a perplexing case of a talented defense playing poorly.
The Bears have talent at all three levels of the field with Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Adrian Amos and supporting pieces like Mitch Unrein, Leonard Floyd, and Prince Amukamara to help, but that has not stopped Vic Fangio’s defense from underperforming. On the season, they rank sixth overall in total yards given up, but are 25th in points per game given up. Part of this is due to the offense having 12 fumbles (six lost) and six interceptions to put the Bears in unfavorable spots, but the Bears have also only notched three turnovers as a defense, all three being fumbles. Also equally troubling is the fact that the Bears are allowing 46% of third downs to be converted into first downs.
So, we have a secondary that does not notch turnovers, an offense that turns the ball over too much, and a defense that cannot get off the field on third down. This sounds like an absolute recipe for success for the Baltimore Ravens offense.
One Name to Watch:
For me, the name to watch is Terrell Suggs. Where has this guy gone in the recent weeks? He started off the season hot with three sacks and played stellar run defense to the point that Demarcus Ware thought Suggs would be MVP. Fast forward three weeks and Suggs has just one sack and has been playing Houdini as the Ravens run defense has been gashed on the edges. Look, I get it- Suggs is older and on the twilight of his career, but he is the Ray Lewis of the defense now. He needs to step up and be the leader of the defense and lead by example. As it stands, the Ravens front seven should run through Suggs and he needs to step up.
Final Score Prediction
I just do not see any way that the Ravens lose. Since 2016, the Ravens have given up just over 15 points per game at home and are playing a rookie quarterback. Defensively, the Bears are talented on paper, but underperforming on the field. This should be an excellent chance for Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense to continue looking sharp for the second week in a row, something that we have not seen since 2014.
Chicago Bears: 9, Baltimore Ravens: 24
Week five ended with an impressive(necessary) win against a depleted Raiders organization. Week six has me a little nervous going into it. Chicago should be a winnable game, but this could have the makings of a trap game. Chicago does have a solid defense and a very impressive rushing attack. Ultimately however, these are the matchups I feel are most important going into the week.
The Ravens’ Front Seven vs. Chicago’s Running Game
I think the key thing here is that Brandon Williams returns. Even if that’s not the case, Willie Henry and Michael Pierce have proven themselves to be good players thus far and have been good run defenders. They have not been the problem. However, Chicago’s rushing attack is among the best in the league. They boast an elite interior offensive line, and two very talented running backs who can make any defense pay. But if Brandon Williams is back, I ultimately feel as if we have the edge here. The other key is that we need to set the edge better. Ultimately, if we can limit Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, there is a strong possibility that we shut down Chicago’s offense entirely. They have a rookie quarterback with a pedestrian wide receiving corps, and thus have one of the most one dimensional offenses in the entire league. Limit Howard and Cohen: we could have another shutout on our hands.
Joe Flacco vs. Joe Flacco
Flacco looked like himself from 2010-2013 again: which is a good thing. Solid, but unspectacular performance against a weakened, but talented defense. Chicago is going to be a little tougher. Chicago’s secondary won’t be as depleted as Oakland’s was. Amukamara is a very talented #1 cornerback, and Adrian Amos is a good safety. Also, Kyle Fuller is in the middle of a career turnaround year and looks like a #2 corner again. However, something that should help out is that Willie Young, one of their best pass rushers, is out for the year. While their other pass rusher (Pernell McPhee) is very good, I feel like we can adequately gameplan for him to help out Joe. But ultimately, we are going to go against a solid secondary. I feel like if Joe can be accurate again like he was last Sunday vs. Oakland, then this game could go easy. Of course. It’s the ravens, and we make nothing easy.
Dean Pees vs. Mitch Trubisky:
I have made it known that I was not a big fan of Trubisky coming out of the draft. He’s very accurate, but overall has a lot of issues in his game. We also historically play well vs. rookie QBs. If Dean Pees can conjure up a really good gameplan(like he usually does with rookies), then we have the opportunity to win this game with little to no effort by applying pressure, and maybe getting a few turnovers.
The Ravens Offensive Line vs. Chicago’s Front Seven.
The offensive line performed very well vs. Oakland. Good. Now keep it up. I feel like with McPhee being the only good player thus far that we will be able to adequately protect Joe. I also feel like given that Roman’s scheme has been proven to work even with backups playing that we might be able to run the ball. But still: I have my doubts about consistency. Until the line consistently proves to be very good, they will be a matchup.
One name to watch......
This is a new segment I would like to introduce in these weekly previews. Keep an eye on a player who might have a very good game next week. My pick is Tim Williams. Although Chicago’s interior offensive line is very good, I cannot say the same for their tackle situation. Given that we are going against a rookie, I expect us to be dialing in pressure on a consistent basis. Look for Williams, who has been getting pressure on a pretty good basis in his limited role, to notch his first career sack.
Final Score Prediction:
Ravens, 17, Chicago, 7. Sadly, as Ravens fans, nothing ever comes easy. I view this game as a similar one to the Browns game. Lots of us running the ball, and us taking advantage of the rookie quarterback, and the defense putting on a good performance. Chicago will get some garbage time points(hopefully a Howard Td for the sake of my fantasy team), but I don’t see it as a surefire win. But, I do see it as a win, and a well deserved one.
BmoreBird22, who are you taking?
Baltimore Ravens Front Seven vs Chicago Bears Rushing Attack: I do not actually think signs are positive for Brandon Williams returning this week, unfortunately. He has not been able to practice for a few weeks now and was not listed as a participant on Wednesday’s report, so I do not think signs are good. I think we will likely see him next week against the Vikings.
I cannot help but feel like this will be an overblown match up to watch, which probably means that the Bears rushing game goes off for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Howard is incredibly talented, but the offensive line is a far cry from what we would expect. The names of Josh Sitton-Cody Whitehair-Kyle Long should scream out elite interior, but it has not worked out that way. All three are struggling mightily with Whitehair having a Matt Kalil type regression. At this point, those three are living on name recognition (I am looking at you LiT) and not actual play from 2017. Howard has not really shown the same consistency game after game like he did in 2016 and I think that is largely in part due to the fact that the Bears possess a passing game that would make the Cleveland Browns embarrassed and lackluster offensive line play from players that have shown to be elite in the past. I expect a decent, but unspectacular game from Howard as the passing game does him absolutely no favors.
Dean Pees vs Mitchell Trubisky: Count me amongst those who thinks Mitchell Trubisky will be good… in time. I do not think he will be good this year and he may not be good next year. However, by year three, I think the Bears will finally have a franchise signal caller if they can surround Trubisky with actual NFL caliber weapons.
With that said, Trubisky’s biggest issues coming out of college are going to crop up here in this game. He played most of his snaps out of the shotgun at UNC and even then had trouble reading and feeling blitzes when he had the entire field surveyed. How will he respond when he is asked to take five to seven step drops against a defense designed by Dean Pees? My guess is not too well. The Ravens pass rush has been quiet lately, but I would expect Pees gets them going in this game.
Baltimore Ravens Offense vs Chicago Bears Defense: I am going to just lump this one all together to really just focus in on the Bears defense as a whole because much like the Oakland Raiders defense, they are a perplexing case of a talented defense playing poorly.
The Bears have talent at all three levels of the field with Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Adrian Amos and supporting pieces like Mitch Unrein, Leonard Floyd, and Prince Amukamara to help, but that has not stopped Vic Fangio’s defense from underperforming. On the season, they rank sixth overall in total yards given up, but are 25th in points per game given up. Part of this is due to the offense having 12 fumbles (six lost) and six interceptions to put the Bears in unfavorable spots, but the Bears have also only notched three turnovers as a defense, all three being fumbles. Also equally troubling is the fact that the Bears are allowing 46% of third downs to be converted into first downs.
So, we have a secondary that does not notch turnovers, an offense that turns the ball over too much, and a defense that cannot get off the field on third down. This sounds like an absolute recipe for success for the Baltimore Ravens offense.
One Name to Watch:
For me, the name to watch is Terrell Suggs. Where has this guy gone in the recent weeks? He started off the season hot with three sacks and played stellar run defense to the point that Demarcus Ware thought Suggs would be MVP. Fast forward three weeks and Suggs has just one sack and has been playing Houdini as the Ravens run defense has been gashed on the edges. Look, I get it- Suggs is older and on the twilight of his career, but he is the Ray Lewis of the defense now. He needs to step up and be the leader of the defense and lead by example. As it stands, the Ravens front seven should run through Suggs and he needs to step up.
Final Score Prediction
I just do not see any way that the Ravens lose. Since 2016, the Ravens have given up just over 15 points per game at home and are playing a rookie quarterback. Defensively, the Bears are talented on paper, but underperforming on the field. This should be an excellent chance for Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense to continue looking sharp for the second week in a row, something that we have not seen since 2014.
Chicago Bears: 9, Baltimore Ravens: 24
