Redskins vs. Bears: Preview, matchups to watch, score prediction, more
By Ian Cummings
Redskins defense vs. Bears offense
If there’s one area where the Washington Redskins might be able to gain a competitive advantage, it’s this one.
The Bears offense, one year removed from a breakout season under Matt Nagy, has stalled quite a bit to start out 2019. In a two-game sample, the Bears are third-to-last in the NFL in yards-per-game, with just 263.5, and they’ve only averaged 9.5 points per game in their first two outings.
These numbers, in a sense, are misleading. The Bears offense has talent. Allen Robinson is a top-flight receiver, and the running back duo of David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen has potential. The offensive line is an unequivocal strength, with Bobby Massie, Kyle Long, James Daniels, Cody Whitehair, and Charles Leno constituting a top ten unit, and Nagy, as a coach, far exceeds Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Manusky.
The Bears offensive line should put up a fight against Washington’s front, and if Jonathan Allen isn’t back from his injury, they might set the tone early. But the most important cog of any offense is the quarterback, and so far in 2019, Mitchell Trubisky hasn’t given the Bears what they’re looking for.
If the Redskins secondary can come together and shore up communication concerns, and if the defensive line can will its way to more pressure, then perhaps they could make life harder for Trubisky, and prevent him from getting comfortable. Trubisky’s line will give him a chance to be successful, and his supporting cast will as well, but ultimately, it’s Trubisky who needs to take advantage of opportunities. He hasn’t done so yet. Still, against a Redskins defense that’s reeling and falling below expectations, now is as good a time as ever for a Trubisky breakout.