The Miami Dolphins play in Chicago after a giant commerce week for each groups. The Dolphins (5-3) added a giant piece to their protection in Bradley Chubb and a complementary piece in operating again Jeff Wilson. The Bears misplaced two huge defensive items and added receiver Chase Claypool.
The higher group bought higher, in different phrases, whereas Chicago (3-5) started planning for subsequent 12 months. Listed below are 5 methods the Dolphins hold it that means Sunday:
1. Let the offense’s big-play offense eat. Identical to in Detroit, the Dolphins meet a Chicago protection stuffed with questions. Detroit ranked the worst within the league and the Dolphins took them to process. Now comes a Chicago group that’s traded linebacker Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn off a marginal protection (18th in factors, sixteenth in yards allowed). The Bears have a very good secondary, however their defensive entrance didn’t sack Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott final week and barely had any strain on him. Chicago ranks twenty seventh in sacks and that was with two of its veteran gamers till final week. With the climate predicted to be good in Chicago, this needs to be one other huge day for the Dolphins big-play offense to make some huge performs.
2. Comprise Justin Fields. Chicago regarded misplaced on offense till two video games in the past when it modified all the pieces throughout an off-week to play to quarterback Justin Fields’ strengths. Abruptly, an offense that hadn’t scored greater than 23 factors (towards lowly Houston) scored 33 at New England and 29 at Dallas. Is that who they're? Fields isn’t the pocket passer Chicago tried to make him. He's allowed to maneuver, run and create now. The pass-rush technique, as a lot as the push itself, is vital right here. That mentioned …
3. Present what Bradley Chubb and this defensive entrance can do. You wish to see the brand new current get unwrapped, proper? It's best to see it, too. Chicago has allowed a league-worst 31 sacks. That hasn’t modified at the same time as they’ve began to attain factors. Fields was sacked 4 occasions in every of the previous two weeks. So the Bears permit the protection to make huge performs. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see if the Dolphins hold its three edge cross rushers on the sphere in passing conditions, shifting both Jaelan Phillips or Emmanuel Ogbah inside. And what of Melvin Ingram? There are some choices to make right here, however a lot of choices shifting ahead.
4. Chicago run recreation vs. Miami run protection. This might morph right into a Seventies run-the-ball recreation if Chicago has its means. Even with its reworked offense, Chicago runs the ball nicely. It leads the league in dashing at 188.4 yards a recreation (5.3 yards per rush). That mentioned, the Dolphins rush protection has been sturdy this 12 months, rating fifth within the league (100.6 yards allowed a recreation). If Chicago can run the ball successfully, it could possibly management the sport’s tempo and hold the ball from Miami’s big-play offense.
5. Don’t let this be the outlier. Each season has a recreation the place they play significantly better than they're (Win over Baltimore for Dolphins this season) to buoy all hope and has one the place they’re considerably worse than they're (Miami’s loss to Tennessee final 12 months). The Dolphins, who need to lengthen their successful streak to 3 video games, haven’t had a recreation on the draw back like that this season. There’s sufficient new power on this group with the commerce for Chubb this previous week that there’s no purpose to miss this recreation. Don’t lose a recreation you must win. The Dolphins are five-point favorites for a purpose.
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Bears 20.
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