Chicago Bears: 3 keys to beating Russell Wilson

The Chicago Bears know that the key to them emerging victorious on Monday Night Football is to hold down Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Right now he is their only hope. The rest of their roster is not looking good at all. It was already depleted by a big turnover during the offseason. Now it’s gotten much worse due to injuries. Two of their best players, wide receiver Doug Baldwin and linebacker Bobby Wagner have already been declared out for the game. Outside of safety Earl Thomas, that makes Wilson the only proven star they’ll have on the field.

Brandon Marshall is 34-years old and long past his prime. The same can be said for left tackle Duane Brown. Nobody else on this roster sticks out. The Bears couldn’t have asked for a better setup for their home opener. If they can keep Wilson under control for 60 minutes, the odds heavily favor them winning the football game.

So how do they do it? Wilson didn’t get to be as good as he is by being easy to defend. It takes a series of steps to prevent him from taking control of a football game. Here are three things the Bears will have to accomplish in order to give themselves that chance.

#1: Pressure

More from NFL Mocks

This is the most obvious part of the plan. No quarterback thrives when he’s constantly under pressure by a defense. It just doesn’t happen. Wilson is no different. Last season he had a 69.0 passer rating when he was pressured. However, there’s a particular key here. The Bears must get there without extra men. Wilson was masterful at beating the blitz last season both with his arm and his feet. When teams got home without it, he was much less effective. He’s 15-9 during his career when he’s been sacked four times or more in a game.

#2: Get the **** back!

Bill Belichick always had a saying to his defenses when playing against Randall Cunningham. If he starts scrambling, make sure you ‘Get the f**k back’ because Cunningham had the arm to beat almost any coverage deep. Wilson is that type of player. He lives for making big plays down the field. In fact, the Seahawks are 10-16-1 in games where he averages fewer than seven yards per pass attempt. The Bears cornerbacks and safeties must protect against the deep ball. Force Wilson to play the chess game, something he’s not always the best at.

#3: Protect the ball

Believe it or not, Wilson tends to owe a lot of his success to extra opportunities created by the defense. Last season proved that much. When the Seahawks defense had one or fewer takeaways in a game, Wilson’s quarterback rating was a pedestrian 82.35. When they had two or more? That number jumped to 106.66. Wilson is a true opportunist quarterback. Give him a short field and momentum, he’s lethal. Force him to go the long way without extra help and he’s plenty mortal.

Home/NFL Hot Takes