I am pumped about the Lions game and our sweeping them this season. However, losing D. Wyatt to me is a huge loss. We face the bears that just used two backs to each run over 125 yards against the Eagles. Losing a great big man up front right before facing them is brutal. Can we stop the run?
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That’s why we watch the sports ball man, next man up. Go pack go!
Blackpilling when we have a man named Nazir Stackhouse on the line. Have some shame
The last time we won the superbowl I think we had 13(?) players have season ending injuries.
Maybe without Wyatt we will try something crazy to throw a curveball the final month. Maybe a switch from 4-3 to 3-4 utilizing their abundance of tweener DE/DL like LVN/Gary/Brooks more.
Football is cruel because no one is ever 100%. Even in the early season stars are suffering from lingering injuries from last year or off-season.
I’m worried because we’ve had demonstrated decline in the ability to pressure from inside when Wyatt went out before, and I think both Cox and Brooks are serviceable but not wreckers like we were getting used to with Wyatt or the old Kenny Clark days. Brinson is coming along and has made some huge plays but he is long and plays with a higher pad level and I think excels in passing downs, but that may not help us against teams like the Bears who will be forcing the run.
I’m sick that Wyatt won’t be part of our playoff push going forward, but I still have faith in this defense. Wyatt played when Carolina gashed us in the run. We need Wooden, Brinson, and Stackhouse to step up if we don’t try to sign Christian Wilkins or someone off a practice squad. Hoping LVN has learned from Parsons so we can get a pash rush up the middle.
The NFL isn’t just about the players, it’s also about the scheme.
Can Hafley watch the tape of the Bears and coach the defense to limit them? Probably. Similarly, the Bears ran so prolifically because they studied the Eagles and had incredible scheming.
Maybe they run all over us, maybe they don’t. One guy won’t make the difference.
Jump
It is a huge loss. But, the loss should be mitigated by the return of Quay and LVN. Brooks and Brinson have to step up. Hafley will get into his bag. Keep McDuffie out there maybe? He’s a good run defender.
If we stop the Bears run game like we did Detroit’s? Caleb Williams ain’t throwing the Bears to victory. He’s not Jared Goff. He’s not even Brock Purdy.
The run defense isn’t one guy. They can still be disciplined.
Losing Wyatt is big. Stackhouse will have a full week to get prepared and not just be thrown in midgame. Also if we get Walker back, that will help a lot
It’ll be hard to stop the run. Containing explosive plays will be key and without Wyatt it’s a little more difficult. I have faith in Hafley and the defense, though.
On the other hand, the current iteration of our Oline seems to be creating great opportunities for our own run game to become more consistent and explosive. Small sample size admittedly, but it looked great in Detroit. I’m excited to see what Jacobs and Wilson can do if that continues.
On top of that, the Packers have a QB playing at an elite level, receivers who have an incredibly high ceiling and a pass rush that every single team in the league will be envious (and scared) of.
I strongly believe that the Packers give the Bears a lot more to think about than vice versa.
I’m concerned about the Bears’ running game too, but I think a lot of you have miscast Devonte Wyatt as a run stopper. That’s not his game. While he has taken strides in that department this season, it’s an improvement from bad to passable. This narrative that he’s the key to our run defense just really doesn’t hold water.
Wyatt missed two games this season, the Bengals and the Cardinals. While neither of those teams are great running the ball, both were held below their season averages rushing and their running backs in particular did very little overall. The Bengals RBs had 15 carries for 58 yards (3.87 YPC) and their team had only 55 yards total. The Cardinals had 94 rushing yards (on only 3.4 YPC) but a portion of that was Brissett scrambles. Their RBs had 21 carries for 68 yards (3.24 YPC).
The only game we’ve *really* struggled against the run was Carolina. Well, Wyatt played 40 snaps in that game.
It’s going to be a struggle to replace Wyatt. We lack bodies on the interior and Karl Brooks missed the Lions game and we don’t know status going forward. But Wyatt is far more impactful in the pass game than against the run. Our run defense is a total team effort that starts with the LBs and the DEs setting the edge. We are vulnerable in the middle and I expect the Bears to exploit that, but that was going to happen with or without Wyatt.
Bottom line is that we can’t allow this game to go the way of Panthers game. If our offense puts pressure on the Bears, they will be forced to be more aggressive passing the ball. Just look at the Vikings game. But if we struggle early on offense and Chicago can run the ball to their heart’s content, we will be in trouble.
I mean we just handled Gibbs and Montgomery who I would say are no worse than the Bears rb’s. I see our D as a team effort. 4th in the League last I checked.
Let’s sign Christian Wilkins to match that freaky ahh Caleb Williams locker room energy
Even if we can’t replace Wyatt, and scheme properly against Ben Johnson’s offense I don’t see the Bears stopping our pass and rush game. Maybe one but not the other. It will likely be a high scoring game for both teams but our pass game is elite now that Reed is back. With Watson and him and our 10 day break I can see us edging out a W.
Offense needs to be consistent and we should be good to soup
Stack the box and make Caleb beat you. Pretty simple game plan tbh
We need to get out to a fast start and keep going. We need to force the pass and make passing a liability for the Bears.
Gotta score lots and quickly to force them to throw the ball
Just can’t do shit about it man. Hard to talk anyone down from it. Losing Kraft and Wyatt is just depressing. But hope Brinson and/or Stackhouse can be this year’s Howard Green. It’s their chance to step up. Also with Van Ness coming back maybe the D can find different ways to succeed.
It’s just the NFL, and honestly at this stage of the season many teams are dealing with their own version of these kind of losses. The product on the field gets iffy by week 12, and who adapts, wins.
Whats BJ Raji up to these days ?
Is Christian Wilkins phone number available? Asking for a friend, make that a lot of friends.
It would be more fun for everyone if there was an “injuries off” setting, but unfortunately it is part of the game.
How have we not brought in Christian Wilkins at least for a physical?
They had all that against the eagles because the eagles couldn’t do shit on offense. Offense is gonna have to keep it up and get some points on the board. If we can get a lead and hold onto it, it gets harder to run the ball. Losing Wyatt sucks a lot, but it happens to every team, no excuses. If I were Hafley it would be 8 man boxes all day until Caleb proves he can beat us.
Wyatt is more known for his pass rushing ability than his run stuffing. It’s a loss, no question, but he’s been out before and Hafley was able to scheme up run stuffs then.
What we really need to be watching is Quay’s health. Definitely need his athleticism in this one
Brinson has been improving every week for the last month or so. Once LVN gets healthy they can kick him inside and hopefully Stackhouse will get to play more as well. They also can use Wooden more as he’s been solid. It’ll have to be replacement by quantity over quality.