Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears: 5 Things to Watch For

CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 11: Nick Reed /

The Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears go into Soldier Field on September 10th with different agendas in mind aside from winning the game of course.

Atlanta is desperate to get the taste of what happened in Super Bowl XLI out of their mouths. All they can hear these days is 28-3 bouncing around their heads. That painful collapse is going to stick with them forever unless they are able to put it right by finishing what they started. That means going back to the Super Bowl and winning it this time. No doubt they’re desperate to get started.

For Chicago it’s almost the opposite. They’re coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history, going 3-13 and being ravaged by injuries. Head coach John Fox is under the microscope this year after two-straight losing seasons. The Bears aren’t sure what kind of team they are yet. What better way to test their mettle than against the reigning NFC champions? They have home field and all the motivation in the world.

Here are five things that will decide how this game unfolds.

The Bears secondary against Julio Jones

Free agent addition Prince Amukamara was expected to help the Bears beleaguered secondary improve their coverage after a difficult 2016. Now he’s nursing an ankle injury and is in doubt for the opener. Not good news with the always dangerous Julio Jones coming to town. He’ll be hard enough to stop. Never mind Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel being problems as well. It will fall to Kyle Fuller, Marcus Cooper and Bryce Callahan to keep the flood gates from opening.

The Falcons front seven against Jordan Howard

Make no mistake. Atlanta got to the Super Bowl as an offensive team. Sure their defense made some big plays along the way, but they were far from a dominant unit. They were terrible against the pass and almost as bad against the run. In fact teams that were good at running like the Chiefs, Saints, Seahawks and Rams did well against them. So imagine how much of a chore it will be for them going against Jordan Howard, the second-leading rusher in 2016. Not only that but the Bears added some speed to the equation with rookie Tarik Cohen.

Matt Ryan operation without Kyle Shanahan

This is one that not enough people are talking about. Matt Ryan was considered a good-not-great quarterback for most of his career. Then offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan shows up and he becomes an MVP. Shanahan has since left to become head coach in San Francisco. Even great quarterbacks tend to take a step back when they lose an offensive coordinator they clearly have chemistry with. Ryan will still be good, but will he be what he was last year?

Can Kevin White step up?

It has been a brutal six-month stretch for the Bears wide receiver position. They lost Alshon Jeffery to free agency. Cameron Meredith tore up his knee. New addition Markus Wheaton got his appendix removed and then broke his finger. Just a difficult time that puts all of the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Kevin White. The former 1st round pick is finally healthy and just in time. Chicago desperately needs him to start playing like one if they’re going to be effective passing the ball this year.

Mike Glennon’s leash

Everybody knows the score with the game itself. The real talking point of it though will be an undercurrent. Specifically one that involves the Bears quarterback position. Mike Glennon managed to hang onto the starting job in preseason, but #2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky is pouring on the heat. He’s been promoted to primary backup now. Just how long a leash the Bears are giving the veteran Glennon will be the story, especially if he struggles early.

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