Detroit Lions

Win over Detroit gives the Bears a blueprint to beating the Colts

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the Bears’ first win of the season against the Lions, they might’ve found a way to earn their second against the Colts. Bear Goggles On weighs in on how the Bears can beat Indy without any ‘Luck.’

The Chicago Bears win over the Detroit Lions was, to put it simply, enlightening.

It showed us just what the Bears could do when they aren’t overmatched at the line of scrimmage, when their defensive game plan works and when the offense simplifies its game plan.

The result was the Bears fundamentally beating the Lions 17-14 by capitalizing on Detroit’s turnover-prone quarterback, former No. 1 overall pick Matt Stanford, and an iffy defense.

This comes as a boon for Bears fans, as they now face two opponents which are strikingly similar to the one they just beat, and, ironically, the two just played each other last week in London.

This piece will focus on the reeling Colts, who play the Bears this Sunday to the tune of FOX’s prized announcers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Much like the Bears, the Colts are 1-3, however, Chicago wasn’t expected to be playoff contenders like Indianapolis was.

A good reason for their dismal season start can be appropriated to their turnover prone quarterback, former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck, and an iffy defense. Sound familiar?

Luck has five turnovers on the season so far, and while the two lost fumbles can be blamed on his Swiss cheese offensive line his interceptions tell a different story. Take for example, Casey Hayward’s interception on Luck was a prime example of how Luck mishandles the ball at times. Take a gander at this gif:

Amazing that Casey Hayward was available so late in free agency, and signed such a cheap deal. pic.twitter.com/Tp1e5PfZTL

— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) September 27, 2016

Props to Hayward, he played outstanding coverage and played the ball to a T. But, Luck underthrowing passes is a constant mistake he has made in his brief career. He may not make many mistakes game-by-game, but the Bears must capitalize when he does or Luck will light up the Bears like some overcompensating Halloween decorations.

More examples come when Luck is forced to make throws. Applying pressure may have been what the Bears lacked through the first three weeks, I was prevalent but against the Lions. The Bears got in Stafford’s face by going through a weaker Lion offensive line, and good news for the Bears is the Colts offensive line is worse.

Take for example, Luck against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos mauled Luck, so much so they forced turnovers like this one:

Aqib Talib : 2 tackles, 2 passes broken up & a 45-yard pick 6 pic.twitter.com/6Y55LhOpmz

— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) September 18, 2016

Granted, being chased by Von Miller is the nightmare for most quarterbacks, but Luck forces the ball to his receiver which makes it easy for Aqib Talib to grab the pick and go six.

Throw this against the Colts offensive line, which has allowed 15 sacks through four games, and the Bears should follow the same defensive blueprint they had against Detroit: focus on bolstering coverage.

chicago bears

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A reason why their coverage worked so well was due to the front line stopping the Lions run game, but also because of cornerback Bryce Callahan’s success one-on-one with Golden Tate. He held Tate to a yard on a catch, which was a screen pass play where Callahan made a textbook open field tackle, in a performance which made Callahan look like a savvy veteran.

Indianapolis may not have a wide receiver like Tate, but if Callahan can completely take a receiver out of the game like he did Tate then the Bears will have a large advantage defensively.

The problem therein lies in the middle of the field. The Colts’ two tight ends, Jack Doyle and Dwayne Allen, provide the biggest threat to the Bears as big targets Luck can go to between the hashes. The emphasis on big means they’re hard to bring tackle, which is the one area the Bears need to vastly improve in on defense aside from linebacker and human tackling machine Jerrell Freeman.

Overall, the tale of the tape is such: the momentum-laden Bears are facing a team similar to the one they shut down a week prior, while the jet-lagged Colts are reeling into a 1-3 start with very few answers to show. It won’t be a sure fire win, but the Bears have an active blueprint to beating Indianapolis. They just need to follow it.