In anticipation of this weekend’s showdown between the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons and 2-0 Chicago Bears, we caught up with Alyssa Barbieri, the managing editor of USA TODAY’s Bears Wire site.
While Barbieri isn’t ready to crown the Bears kings of the NFC just yet, she sees some good things from Chicago through two weeks. Let’s go behind enemy lines to get some inside information about the Falcons’ Week 3 opponent.
Falcons Wire: Are the Bears for real, a fluke or is it too early to tell?
Bears Wire: It’s definitely too early to tell because while they’re 2-0, they could just as easily be 0-2 if not be a dropped D’Andre Swift touchdown and an incomplete pass in the end zone. Matt Nagy said it best when he said his team is “just OK” right now.
The Bears haven’t played to their potential this season, even though the offense is slowly improving. So it’s better to get some of the bad play out of the way against two bad teams and be 2-0 with time to fix those mistakes. While they’re certainly the worst 2-0 team right now, they’re still undefeated and wins are hard to come by in this league.
FW: Mitchell Trubisky won the training camp quarterback battle over Nick Foles. How has the team responded to this and do you feel the Bears are winning in spite of him or because of him?
BW: It’s weird to say, but Trubisky has looked impressive at times this season. But the issue remains that he’s yet to do it consistently, although there’s reason to be encouraged. He’s looked better going through his progressions, making better decisions and even extending plays with his legs and delivering in some clutch moments.
The entire offense has had its faults, including Trubisky, but in these first two games you see that the Bears can win because of him, especially after that three-touchdown outing in the fourth quarter against the Lions. While Trubisky still has a long way to go to earn another contract with the Bears, he’s been improved in these first two games. And, for once, they’re winning because of him, with an assist from the defense.
FW: It’s been over two years since the Khalil Mack trade – which looks to be a pretty good deal for Chicago thus far. What’s another name to watch for on the Bears’ defense that Falcons fans might not know about?
BW: I’d say the cornerback tandem of Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller and rookie Jaylon Johnson, who have done an outstanding job thus far this season. Fuller is quietly having a sensational start to the year, where he’s allowed a 0 passer rating (1st in NFL), a 20 percent completions rate (2nd), and has three pass break-ups (3rd).
So far this season, Johnson has allowed three catches on seven targets (42.9%) for 55 yards. His five pass break-ups are the second-most in the NFL and he’s allowed a 64.2 passer rating when targeted, which is better than the six cornerbacks drafted ahead of him.
FW: We focused pretty heavily on this year‘s tight end class with the Falcons losing Austin Hooper in free agency. How has rookie tight end Cole Kmet played for the Bears so far?
BW: Kmet has been targeted twice and had just one catch for 12 yards in two games, and he hasn’t really been a factor in the passing game just yet. Though, to be fair, the tight ends in general haven’t been too involved in the passing game right now. Nagy has talked about easing Kmet into the offense and his role expanding as the season progresses. But Kmet has certainly impressed early on with his grasp of the playbook and his physical skillset.
There’s another offensive rookie that’s been impressing on the field early in fifth-round receiver Darnell Mooney. Mooney has caught all six passes thrown his way this season for 74 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass at the end of the half against the Giants. Mooney saw his playing time almost double from Week 1 to Week 2, where he took over Ted Ginn’s No. 3 WR spot, and he could be coming for Anthony Miller’s No. 2 spot.
FW: Who wins on Sunday – final score?
BW: This is a hard one, because I could see this going both ways. But because I’m trying to speak wins into existence — and with the possibility of no Julio Jones for Atlanta on Sunday — give me the Bears in another close one, 28-27.
Make sure to check out our interview with Bears Wire’s Alyssa Barbieri!
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