I was sitting on my porch thinking about Sunday’s loss to Baltimore, and I just about fell out when I saw the score. We lost 30-23, and while everyone is worried about Michael Penix Jr. getting hit in the ribs, that isn’t my biggest fear. The real problem is our defense playing like they’ve forgotten how to tackle.
The Chicago Bears are coming to the Benz this Sunday, October 18, at 1 p.m. and they have a quarterback who is likely coming back. According to Yahoo Sports, Caleb Williams is expected to return to the lineup after missing three games with a hamstring injury. If our defense can’t stop a healthy Williams, we are in for a long afternoon.
The defense is a sieve
I don’t care how much we worry about the quarterback’s ribs. Nick Shook at NFL.com says we should be much more worried about how the defense will perform against the Bears offense. It is hard to watch them give up points like that. Just look at what happened in the first week of the season.
Per Falcons Wire, the Bears’ offense dropped 59 points on the Panthers in Week 1. While the Minnesota Vikings held them to only nine points in Week 2, I reckon our boys will look more like that Panthers group. It is scary to think about.
Penix injury and depth concerns
We are also dealing with some shaky depth at the quarterback spot. Michael Penix Jr. took a blind-side hit to his ribs during the loss to the Ravens on Sunday, October 11. He says he expects to play, but I know from raising four kids that even a “minor” injury can slow a person down. We even had Tua Tagovailoa finish that game.
The team is even looking at other options to help the roster. On Tuesday, former Denver Broncos safety Delarrin Turner-Yell attended a tryout hosted by the Falcons, according to Sports Illustrated. He has a history of knee injuries, so I am not holding my breath for a big move there. We already have plenty of talent like Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts playing well.
The Bears are a massive threat
The math just doesn’t look good for us right now. After starting as favorites, the Falcons are now three-point underdogs, according to Yahoo Sports. This shift is likely because of Williams returning to the lineup. I truly believe our defense is the biggest hurdle to a win on Sunday.
The pressure is on the whole roster to show up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
