Team on a roll vs. Team that watched the ball roll
Bears trying to stay unbeaten, Falcons trying to recover from disaster in Dallas
The Bears will go on the road for the second time this season, headed for Atlanta and a Sunday game against the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons are 3½-point favorites as the Bears look to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2013.
With kickoff approaching, here’s a snapshot look at the game.
Player in the spotlight:
When David Montgomery watched the footage of the second-quarter carry that temporarily knocked him out of Sunday’s victory over the New York Giants with a neck injury, even he let out a groan.
“It was like a ‘Ooh, what happened?’ ” Montgomery said. “But good thing I was doing those extra neck exercises, so it got stronger where if something like that happened I’d be OK.
“It’s all good. I wasn’t worried too much about it.”
Despite that scary moment, Montgomery returned to rush for 59 yards in the second half, finishing with 82 yards on 16 carries. He also added three receptions for 45 yards, including a key 28-yard touchdown catch from Mitch Trubisky on the opening drive.
Montgomery’s ability to bounce back after the neck injury was one of several things offensive coordinator Bill Lazor pointed to when asked what the second-year running back has shown through two games. Lazor also lauded Montgomery’s toughness, effort and reliability.
“The linemen would tell you that they’re blocking the runs a particular way, expecting the back to read it a particular way. David does it right,” Lazor said. “That’s the No. 1 thing: He fits. That’s why his teammates love him because they know where that ball is going when he has it based on how they block.
“He’s got that feel for OK, this is how the play is blocked. I’d love to get a 15-yarder. But the first thing I’m going to do is ensure that this is going to be a 4-yard run or better. It looks like it’s blocked for 3, 4, I’m going to make it 5. Then if I pop through, I get it. The great ones understand it’s a long game.”
Lazor said that played out perfectly when the Bears were trying to close out the Giants in the fourth quarter. Montgomery ripped off runs of 11, 10 and 23 yards on the Bears’ final possession.
Through two games, Montgomery is averaging 5 yards per carry and 13.8 yards per catch and will have to continue to be an effective force Sunday.
Keep an eye on:
Julio Jones still is widely considered the Falcons’ best offensive player. But thirdyear receiver Calvin Ridley might be on his way past Jones. Ridley leads the NFL in receiving yards (239) and receiving touchdowns (four) and will present a huge test for the Bears secondary Sunday.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said this week that he sensed an emergence like this coming for Ridley. The work Ridley put in with quarterback Matt Ryan plus Jones and fellow receiver Russell Gage over the summer was focused and ultraspecific. And the dividends, Quinn said, began showing as soon as the team’s on-field work began. “It was every practice,” he said.
Ridley’s two touchdown catches against the Cowboys on Sunday offered evidence of just how elite of a route runner he has become. On the first, a 22-yarder, Ridley ran a crisp post-corner route and left cornerback Chidobe Awuzie in his wake. Later, Ridley’s 3-yard score came with a nasty spin and cut back out in the end zone away from cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
“I’ve never seen somebody who can get in and out of routes the way he can,” Bears safety Tashaun Gipson said. “The way he sinks his hips, man … I don’t know, man, it’s like his knees have to hurt or something. … It looks like he’s definitely taken that step to be a premier receiver in this league.”
Pressing question:
What will the Bears get from receiver Anthony Miller on Sunday?
Veteran Allen Robinson jumped to Miller’s defense this week when asked how the thirdyear wide receiver can bounce back from a rough outing against the Giants.
“Don’t ever think that taking a step back in one game should ever
be an issue for him,” Robinson said. “Because he goes out there, he plays hard, he tries to make plays. He wants to contribute to the team. So that’s never the issue. Granted, statistically he may not have had a better game than he had the prior week (against the Lions). But he’s a better player in Year 3 than he’s been in Year 2 or Year 1, and that’s the most important thing.”
Miller didn’t have a catch Sunday despite being targeted three times. He dropped a sure touchdown pass from Mitch Trubisky in the first quarter. Coach Matt Nagy called Miller out for that drop as well as cutting a route too short that resulted in another incompletion on a third down in the second half.
The subpar performance came on the heels of Miller’s stellar game against the Lions, when he had four catches for 76 yards and the gamewinning touchdown. Robinson stressed that nobody should be worrying about a regression for Miller. It could help that the Falcons defense has allowed 372 passing yards per game over two weeks.
“As a vet, I’m always trying to tell him that no matter what goes on, no matter what you hear, you know that you’ve gotten better,” Robinson said. “You know that you’re still climbing to be that player that you want to become and that’s the most important thing.” get it. I understand it. But at times we just have to stay on top of our keys and stay disciplined.”