Three things to look for in Saturday's Bears-Colts game |
Through two preseason games, the Bears have been less than impressive as they have gone 0-2 so far. However, Saturday gives the Bears a chance to erase all those ugly memories as this is generally the most critical game of the entire preseason.
The third week is generally considered the dress rehearsal in terms of getting ready for the regular season as the starters tend to play more time during this game than the previous two games combined. That means that the Starters generally play the entire first half and sometimes venture into the third quarter. Looking to pick up their first win of the preseason, this is the game where the Bears can genuinely give fans a taste of what they can bring to the table. Here are a few storylines that I am looking forward to watching as the Bears get set to take on the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. Will the real Mitch Trubisky, please stand up: This is the most important storyline to watch tonight as Trubisky has been nonexistent through two games in the preseason. For the Bears to take the next step as a football team, Trubisky needs to not only come into in his own as a quarterback but prove he can put the team on his back and lead them to wins. A good defense will get you far, but sometimes if they have a bad game and that is when you need your quarterback to come through. Trubisky did show signs of growth last season, but there were not too many situations where he needed to put the team on his back and when he did he often struggled to find that consistency at times. I get that he has not gotten many reps this preseason and that maybe by design to implement some of the younger guys on this year’s roster. This is the week where the preseason training wheels need to come off. Nagy needs to open the playbook up a bit more this week and let Mitch be Mitch and see what he can do. I know these games do not count, but he needs at least one good showing moving forward to take into the Packers game week one. PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE: This is not talking about the Bears and the pressure on the organization this season but instead talking about the defense. The Bears pride themselves on pressuring the quarterback and creating turnovers. Against the most likely Andrew Luck-less Colts, now would be the perfect time for Pagano to draw up some great blitz packages to put pressure on the quarterback. With Aaron Rodgers not getting into a single preseason game this year the Bears may be able to rattle him in the first game of the season if they can get pressure on him. That is why I think the Colts could be in for a long day despite the great offensive line they have. Chicago doesn’t need to create sacks to get in the quarterback’s head. They need to continually keep the pressure on the line to make things uncomfortable for whoever will start this game. The kicking duties: All camp long, Pinero has been battling Elliott Fry with hopes of winning the kicking job outright. After splitting reps throughout training camp and the team’s first two preseason games, Pinero was named the Bears starting kicker on Monday morning. I am curious to see how Pinero not only handles the title of starting kicker but also how he deals with taking the majority of reps from here on out. After missing his first kick of the preseason, Pinero has responded by connecting on his last three attempts giving the Bears plenty of confidence to move forward with him. My biggest question mark regarding Pinero is can he handle the everyday pressure of being the full-time kicker. Yes, he has been incredibly accurate throughout his college days, but after his injury, last season has never been the top dog before. Now is his chance to show what he is made of and to prove to the Bears front office that he was the right choice. I understand that sometimes people react to preseason differently than others, but the fact is preseason is useful for certain things, especially this third week. There is a reason that this week is called the dress rehearsal, and that is because this week is the closest thing you will get to a regular-season game before it starts. This is the first time that fans get a nice tease of what the team can potentially bring to the table going forward.
