5 things to watch in the Chicago Bears-Atlanta Falcons game at Soldier Field — plus our Week 17 predictions
The Chicago Bears look to extend their Soldier Field winning streak to five games when they host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look at the game.
Player in the spotlight
Bears quarterback Justin Fields
As Bears leadership prepares to make big decisions for the future, Fields has two more games to make his case to remain the team’s quarterback.
The Bears have won three of their last four games behind Fields, who missed four games midseason with a dislocated right thumb. After a rough loss to the Cleveland Browns, Fields and the offense had positives and negatives in a 27-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16, the Bears’ fourth straight home victory.
The Bears rushed for 250 yards, including 97 yards and a touchdown from Fields. He also threw for 170 yards and a touchdown. But that included only 35 passing yards in the second half, when the Bears scored just six points and Fields threw an interception.
Fields said the Bears stalling in the second half “might be a mixture of execution and a little bit of complacency.”
“But we’ve had too many instances this year where we’ve had a lead and given it up,” Fields said. “I’m not sure, but my job is to stay on those guys and make sure we’re focused on each and every detail each play we’re out there.
“My goal is to try to score every drive. But if I do see that lull in the offense and everybody else, just try to get everybody up.”
As for his future, Fields said he’s maintaining his weekly focus — this time on a Falcons defense that ranks ninth with 308.4 yards allowed per game — rather than thinking about what’s ahead.
“I’m focused on Sunday and playing this Atlanta team,” Fields said. “They’ve been playing well on defense and, shoot, they’re a good team. So we have a challenge up ahead of us, and everybody is going to be prepared for that.”
Pressing question
Can the Bears slow Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson?
Robinson, the No. 8 pick out of Texas, has seen his production fluctuate this season, but he had a big game in a Week 16 win against the Indianapolis Colts. He rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and had a season-high seven catches for 50 yards.
For the season, Robinson has 188 carries for 873 yards and four touchdowns and 48 catches for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
Bears safeties coach Andre Curtis laughed when asked how to get Robinson to the ground.
“It’s easier said than done,” he said. “The best way to defend him is population. Obviously he tests the leverage of defenders. He can stress the edge. He can stick his foot in the ground. He can make an abrupt cut. But the first guy has got to make a secure tackle, and then you’ve got to have population with the other guys swarming to the ball.
“Our goal is to get seven-plus guys on the screen in any given play. If we hold true to that, we’ll be OK. He’s a special player and he’s going to be hard to stop, but we’re up for the challenge.”
The Falcons rank eighth with 129.8 rushing yards per game, with Tyler Allgeier (175 carries, 646 yards, four touchdowns) and former Bear Cordarrelle Patterson (45 carries, 161 yards) also contributing. So it will be a solid test for a Bears run defense that leads the NFL with 80.7 yards allowed per game.
As for the passing game, the Falcons started quarterback Taylor Heinicke instead of Desmond Ridder against the Colts, and Heinicke threw for 229 yards with a touchdown, no interceptions and a fumble. Heinicke was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday with an ankle injury but practiced in full Friday and has no injury designation for the game.
“We just need to keep building upon what we’ve been doing,” defensive end Montez Sweat said. “Just getting turnovers, getting sack-fumbles, turning the ball over on downs, getting off the field on third down.”
Keep an eye on …
Bears wide receiver DJ Moore
When Moore tweaked a previous ankle injury on the first pass of the Cardinals game, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert’s exclamation was not fit for print. Tolbert thought Moore was done for the game, but the Bears’ top wide receiver returned to play 74% of the offensive snaps.
“That joker is so tough,” Tolbert said. “You could tell the way he was playing he was limited in his route tree. He couldn’t do some things. He wanted to be out there, he wanted to compete. So it’s like, I’m not going to take DJ off the field if he wants to be out there. But at some point in time, I’ve got to protect him from himself, so I took him out some plays.”
This week Moore declared his healing ability to be like that of Wolverine. He said he did rehab work on his ankle Monday and Tuesday so that he would be ready to return to practice Wednesday, and he participated in full all week.
However, wide receiver Darnell Mooney will not play Sunday after self-reporting concussion symptoms after the game.
“It’s a great opportunity for a lot of guys in the room, guys who have been champing at the bit to get more playing time, to show what they can do in NFL games,” Tolbert said. “We have a lot of guys in that room that will divide Mooney’s share. We’re excited to see those guys play.”
The Falcons have the eighth-ranked passing defense, allowing 197.5 yards per game. They rank third in third-down defense at 33.7%.
Moore expects an aggressive secondary led by safety Jessie Bates III, who has six interceptions and three forced fumbles.
“They’re going to come up and press you, be aggressive and just be like little gnats the whole game because they’re not going to back off,” Moore said. “So it’s going to be a challenge on the outside.”
Three C’s
When the Bears talked about kicker Cairo Santos’ four-year, $16 million extension last weekend, “the whole team went nuts,” special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said Thursday.
“The chants broke out, and they went and hugged him and tried to pick him up,” Hightower said. “That’s how revered he is and how much people love him. So we’re ecstatic to have him and really appreciate Ryan (Poles) and his crew getting it done.”
Santos has made 29 of 31 field-goal attempts this season (93.5%), not far off his career-best 93.8% in 2020 with the Bears. He has made 27 of 29 extra points.
Hightower said Santos always talks about his “three C’s” — confidence, consistency and being clutch. Santos was clutch again Sunday in the win over the Cardinals, making field goals from 49 and 29 yards in the second half to help the Bears seal the win.
“Really, you talk about a guy that’s just the pillar of all three C’s that I talk about, that’s him,” Hightower said. “He wants to be here and he’s been as consistent as they come. So I got overjoyed (about the contract) just because of the person he is and how hard he works.”
Injury report
In four seasons, Bears tight end Cole Kmet has never missed a game. The streak means a lot to him, so he’ll do what he can to get ready for Sunday’s game despite a knee injury. Kmet was limited in practice Friday and is listed as questionable.
“Something that was stressed by Jimmy (Graham) when he was here was that that’s the most important thing that these organizations really look at,” Kmet said. “Availability is dependability. My job is to be ready for the game the best that I can. I’ve done that for quite a long time since I’ve been in the league.”
Kmet said he was knocked out of Sunday’s game, in which he had four catches for 107 yards, when he was hit in the knee.
“I came back in and realized that I couldn’t do what I needed to do to execute my job,” he said. “That’s kind of the balance. Could I stay out there? Yeah, but it’s not doing the team any favors, so you’ve got to be able to balance your effectiveness with the job but also playing through some things.”
Mooney is out and center Lucas Patrick is questionable with a knee injury. But left guard Teven Jenkins will return after clearing concussion protocol.
For the Falcons, offensive lineman Kaleb McGary is questionable with a knee injury.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (11-4)
At full strength, I like the Bears in this game because their strength on defense — stopping the run — should control what the Falcons do best on offense. But a knee injury for tight end Cole Kmet and a concussion for wide receiver Darnell Mooney makes you wonder if anyone other than DJ Moore can step up and make plays. Moore didn’t appear on the injury report, but with his recent ankle issues, it’s hard to imagine he’s 100%. The Falcons have invested heavily in their defense and seen returns, and they will be challenging to run against. I lean to the home team as Justin Fields has done a good job of protecting the ball and Taylor Heinicke might throw up two or three for the Bears secondary.
Bears 19, Falcons 16
Colleen Kane (10-5)
The Bears are a little more banged up than they have been recently, and it’s not ideal that tight end Cole Kmet (knee) was limited all week in practice and wide receiver Darnell Mooney (concussion) will be out. But the 7-8 Falcons have played a lot of close games against bad teams and are one of just two teams to lose to the Carolina Panthers this year, a 9-7 defeat two weeks ago. Yes, quarterback Taylor Heinicke helped the Falcons bounce back against the Colts last week, but the Bears defense should be able to handle its business. And with another heavy dose of the running game, the Bears and quarterback Justin Fields should be able to secure a fifth straight home victory.
Bears 23, Falcons 20
Dan Wiederer (10-5)
The Falcons secondary and overall pass defense are feisty enough to give Justin Fields headaches. The absence of Darnell Mooney (concussion) and limitations of Cole Kmet (knee) are also notable. Still, the Falcons have been miserable on the road this season and are starting Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. The Bears’ Soldier Field winning streak continues. Happy New Year, Chicago.
Bears 23, Falcons 20
