The last time the Bears were on the field, it was a complete disaster. The Bears looked dismal on offense, after an impressive performance in week 1 against the Colts.
They were simply out-coached and outplayed, leaving only the defense keeping them in the game.
Now the Bears are looking for answers and to rebound in week 3. With the St. Louis Rams in town, this is the perfect chance for the Bears to get on track.
Sundays game is an important one. The Bears can move to 2-1 on the season, in a division where everyone is 1-1. Here are six key players for Sundays game on the Lakefront.
6. Cortland Finnegan, CB
Finnegan poses a physical and mental combination at the corner back position. He won’t shy away from playing physical and jamming you at the line. He will also try and get into your head with mind games. You shouldn’t be surprised hearing Finnegan jaw with players early on in the game.
Finnegan has played well so far this season, as have Janoris Jenkins and Bradley Fletcher. Take Finnegan out of the game, and you have the ability to exploit the secondary.
With Finnegan likely matched up against Brandon Marshall, he will also see times covering the slot and receivers like Alshon Jeffery and Earl Bennett. A big game from Finnegan could disrupt the Bears passing attack and help lead the Rams to a victory.
5. Devin Hester, WR/KR/PR
Field position could be a major factor in this game, and that’s where Devin Hester comes in. According to Brad Biggs, the Bears feel like they are one or two blocks away from breaking a return for a touchdown.
We saw Hester give the Bears a solid return last week against Green Bay, but other then that he hasn’t really got going. In non-typical Hester fashion, he’s also allowed a few balls to land inside the 10 and be downed.
On the receiver side, Hester hasn’t been much of an impact. His deep threat hasn’t been visible and with Jeffery and Bennett getting more looks, that means less of Hester in the offense.
Are the Bears really only one or two key blocks away and close to letting Hester spring free? We will see on Sunday.
4.Danny Amendola, WR
Amendola has been a nice surprise early on for the Rams. He’s fresh off a 15 reception for 160 yard game against the Redskins and will look to carry his hot play into Chicago.
The Rams like to use Amendola in a lot of their sets, using him as a Wes Welker type player in two running back sets. If Amendola can cause fits for the Bears defense, that will open up the run game for the Rams and possibly spell trouble for Chicago.
3. J’Marcus Webb, OL
We all know what happened last Thursday in Green Bay. It’s now time for Webb to prove he can step up and play better. After all, his time might be running out as the starting left tackle.
This is a huge week for Webb who MUST protect Cutler and avoid another dismal night like he had against the Packers. The Rams are a good team for Webb to rebound against, as they aren’t as good of a defense as Green Bay is. We will find out early and often if Webb can protect Cutler as the Rams should dial up blitzes towards his side of the line.
It’s a big week for J’Marcus Webb nonetheless.
2. Sam Bradford, QB
This is a big year for Bradford to prove he is the man in St.Louis. So far, Bradford is off to a nice start with over 500 passing yards, 4 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Bradford has established a nice rhythm with the Rams offense early on.
The key will be to make plays early and often for Bradford, or it could be a long day. Especially with a defense like Chicago’s who will have Julius Peppers breathing down Bradfords neck all game. If Bradford can get off to a quick start and put up some points early, the Rams could be a in a good position.
1. Michael Bush, RB
Now how big is the off-season acquisition of Michael Bush? With Matt Forte likely not playing in Sunday’s game, Michael Bush get’s his first start as a Chicago Bear. Bush will be the featured back this Sunday getting a majority of the carries, although Armando Allen and Khalil Bell will see carries.
Bush won’t be able to produce what Forte gives the Bears, but he’s still a very serviceable backup that can fill a role when the Bears need him too.
It will be key for Bush to get going early and establish a ground game for Chicago. If that happens, it will open up the passing game for the Bears offense. A successful day from Bush will mean a successful one for Chicago.
