NFL Preseason: 3 Chicago Bears players to watch vs Arizona Cardinals

The Chicago Bears will be on the road in Arizona Saturday night to take on the ArizonaCardinals for their second pre-season game of 2017.

Since last Thursday’s game against the Denver Broncos, most attention has been given to rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky for his performance, but there were other storylines that were created from that game and have value going into Saturday.

Some veterans will have the spotlight on them in Saturday’s game due to their performances against Denver and will need to show more against the Cardinals.

Mike Glennon

Glennon probably had the worst night of all the Bears against Denver as he threw an interception return for a touchdown and finished 2-of-8 for 20 yards passing.

His play was only magnified due to Trubisky’s stellar performance in the second half of the game and leading to heavy pressure from fans and media for a change at quarterback. Glennon does not need to have a breakout performance Saturday but just needs to show consistency and confidence while under center.

The Bears starting offense will most likely play into the second quarter on Saturday night and Glennon just needs to avoid any 3-and-out drives and or turnovers.

Hitting a big pass play, leading the team on a several field goal drives, or even just one touchdown drive will take the pressure off Glennon from the media and fans.

This game also is important from a locker room standpoint because if Glennon can rebuild from his performance against Denver, it will show that he can overcome adversity which goes a long way for fellow teammates.

The quarterback has to fight against history as he has been in this situation before as he was the starter in Tampa Bay after the 2014 season with a promising career only to be sent to the bench when the Buccaneers drafted quarterback Jamis Winston first overall in 2015.

With all that and the mounting pressure of Trubisky, Glennon just needs to have confidence and show that he deserves to start which has done before.

Adrian Amos

Another veteran affected by a rookie’s performance against the Broncos was third-year safety, Adrian Amos.

Rookie Eddie Jackson showed potential with his play in the loss to the Broncos and might end up being the starter come Week 1.

Amos had a great rookie season starting all 16 games in 2015 for the Bears and being named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie team as well.

Although Amos has been a reliable safety, his inability to make impact plays over his first two seasons have left open the possibility of him losing his starting job to Jackson.

Amos has only registered two impact plays in two years with a sack in 2015 and a fumble recovery for a long return in 2016.

With the Bears lack of turnovers the last two season, unfortunately, Amos has been the target for the blame and is why Jackson is being favored heavily as well.

Keep an eye on the Bears defense to see how many snaps they give Amos and if they possibly let Jackson see playing time with the first stringers as well. Similar to Glennon’s, situation, any positive play, preferably an impact play, will help Amos keep his starting job.

Zach Miller

One of the more interesting storylines that has not received a lot of attention during training camp has been Zach Miller’s place with the Bears.

Against Denver, Dion Simms was the starter over Miller and had a reception on a bootleg from Glennon. Miller had a crucial drop in the first quarter of the game which would have been a first down.

With the excitement surrounding rookie tight end Adam Shaheen, Miller needs to have a big game going forward because he’s a candidate to be cut from the roster.

Miller has been a big part of the Bears offense the last two seasons, but his inability to stay healthy for a full season makes him vulnerable going forward. With fewer targets coming Miller’s way, he has to make the most of his playing time during Saturday’s game.

Saturday’s game against the Cardinals will be important for all players because their performances in this game are vital heading to the third pre-season game against the Tennesse Titans which is considered the dress rehearsal.

The team will put in a game plan and starters will play into the third quarter against the Titans. That game will show what the Bears coaching staff will have in mind for the regular season.

With mounting pressure due to rookie performances, these players need to have quality play in Saturday’s game to show the coaching staff that they are the ones that deserve to start.

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