PLAYER NOTE
–QB Mitchell Trubisky (shoulder) went through a full practice on Wednesday for the first time since his Nov. 18 injury and anticipates returning after two games away.
–RB Benny Cunningham (ankle) practiced Wednesday on a limited basis for the first time since suffering the injury on Thanksgiving against Detroit. He is expected to be ready for Sunday’s game.
–DB Sherrick McManis (hamstring) was limited in practice Wednesday after missing last week’s game, and is day to day. McManis is one of the Bears’ key special teams players, especially on coverage teams.
–DB Deon Bush (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday and his status for Sunday’s game is uncertain. Bush is a key special teams player.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RB Tarik Cohen has evolved into a true multipurpose player this season. Last week Cohen caught 12 passes for 156 yards and was targeted 14 times. He set the team record for catches and has six more catches at this point than he did during his entire rookie season. Cohen last week became the only NFL player besides Jerry Rice to record 150 receiving yards, 12 receptions and throw a touchdown pass in the same game. Nicknamed “The Human Joystick,” Cohen arrived as a fourth-round pick last year out of North Carolina A&T and was more well known for his ability to catch passes after doing flips. He fits ideally into Matt Nagy’s offense as a receiver and runner. In 2014 Matt Forte set an NFL record for receptions by a back with 102, and Cohen is showing more and more that he could challenge that mark at some point in his career.
GAME PLAN: The Bears have to take the ball away. They lead the NFL at doing it with 30 takeaways, and it’s the only way they can keep this close unless they can also unleash a running game that’s been dormant all season. Knowing only two teams have held the Rams below 30 points, the Bears can’t approach this with a gambling, blitzing style. They’ll need to use no more than four in the rush, as Denver did in holding LA to a season-low 23 points. The Broncos employed a wide-9 style look in many passing situations, and the Bears have done something similar on occasion by putting Khalil Mack well outside to rush, although it wasn’t “wide-9” per se. They haven’t done this much in the last five games as Mack has been used largely on the right side of the defensive front instead of left. It can be a risky formation since Todd Gurley’s power running can burn teams inside, so the combination of Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith will have to hold their own against the run while the edge players focus on the rush. It has to be basic and effective, and the secondary has to mix and disguise coverages. Jared Goff might be an effective passer, but he’s still only a third-year player and there are some defenses he hasn’t seen extensively. The Bears have one of them.
On offense, the Bears’ favorite quick passes to the outside, used much like a running game, are going to be very difficult to execute. Players like Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh disrupt from the inside and can get quickly into gaps to knock down or intercept passes at the line. The Bears will need to move Mitchell Trubisky and change launch points, much like against the Minnesota Vikings in their 25-20 win. Bootleg passes often fail against the Rams because their defensive quickness lets them recover quickly, but moving the pocket slightly can be an effective tool, as can read/option plays. Pick plays in the passing game and misdirection runs with jet-sweep action can work, as well. The Bears will need Trubisky to use his legs, as he’s done effectively with 363 rushing yards. They’ll just have to hope the injured shoulder holds up to hits and that he has learned to slide better. If the Bears really do have a running game, they better show it now. The best way to keep the Rams’ offense at bay is to keep them off the field, and the best way to combat their defense is to burn their defensive front and linebackers when they’re gambling by shooting gaps.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bears RG Bryan Witzmann, who allowed two sacks last week against the Giants, vs. Rams DT Aaron Donald, who leads the NFL with 16.5 sacks. Donald will be over the outside shoulder of both Witzmann and James Daniels on the other side at different times, so he won’t spare either the embarrassment of getting badly beaten. Witzmann had both poor technique and missed assignments against the Giants last week, when he also allowed five quarterback pressures. The Bears may need to keep Jordan Howard in on more passing situations just for the better pass blocking they derive from him against the inside rush, or bring Trey Burton into the backfield to assist with this. When you’re using a player like Witzmann, picked up off the street to start, it’s often difficult. It has been for Witzmann in the past few games.
–Bears LB Danny Trevathan, second in tackles on the Bears with 85, vs. Rams RB Todd Gurley II, who leads the NFL with 1,175 yards. The Bears tried getting Roquan Smith matched on Saquon Barkley in coverage due to his speed but a few missed tackles and a blown gap and Barkley was off to the races. Trevathan is a hard-hitting tackling machine, but he’ll be outmatched if he’s covering Gurley in the flat on pass plays. The Bears will have to supply help with one of the outside rush linebackers at times in this case. Gurley is powerful and fast, more downhill than Barkley and more powerful but with fewer moves. And he’s running behind an excellent line.
–Bears FS Eddie Jackson, who was burned on an end-around pass last week, vs. Rams QB Jared Goff, who has a 109.9 passer rating. Jackson is going to have to stay deep, or Goff won’t hesitate to go up top with the deep ball to Robert Woods or Brandin Cooks. Both receivers could be over 1,000 yards after Sunday’s game. It’s usually catch and run for both of Goff’s deep threats, not necessarily the bomb. But Jackson’s carelessness last week, or biting on the play fake, might invite the deep ball.
