The Chicago Bears opened up the 2015 preseason by hosting the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. It was obvious from the start that this was the first preseason game of the year as both teams looked rusty and making mistakes. The Bears ended up with the 27-10 victory after scoring 24 second half points.
The Bad:
The Bears new 3-4 defense allowed Ryan Tannehill to go right down the field on a 14 play, 85 yard drive that ended with a touchdown to Jarvis Landry on the first drive of the game. The Bears let the Dolphins complete two third down conversions on that 8:01 drive. The Bears hoped for better results going into the preseason opener.
The Bears offense did not do any better, as their first play resulted in a false start penalty by Jordan Mills. Their first possession ended quickly after that by going three and out. Their second possession started out just as bad until an offsetting penalty nullified a third-and-6 Cameron Wake sack of Jay Cutler.
The officials called four penalties when Cutler was on the field and three of them came before the snap. Newly acquired center, Will Montgomery, was also flagged for a false start later during the second possession. Cutler finished 4/7 for 47 yards and finished one drive with a Robbie Gould 48 yard field goal.
The Good:
The Bears running backs proved that they are one of the deepest positions on the team. Matt Forte was inactive for the game so that meant all eyes were on Jacquizz Rodgers, Jeremy Langford, Ka’Deem Carey and Senorise Perry. They all impressed in different ways.
Rodgers finished with seven carries for 33 yards and showed burst and how he can elude defenders. Langford did not do much on the ground, but did catch two passes for 16 yards. Carey also had seven carries and 34 yards, and also scored a touchdown. The highlight of the game goes to Perry, who lead the team with 10 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown went for 54 yards and it showed off his speed and his cutback skills.
Newly acquired linebacker, Sam Acho, had the best game out of any of the Bears players. The ex-Arizona Cardinal had just two tackles, but also recorded a sack and intercepted a pass that set up a score. If Acho keeps playing like this he may end up pushing Jared Allen for playing time.
Sherrick McManis also gets recognition for his play in the preseason opener. He co-lead the team in tackles with four and also forced a fumble against Dolphins running back Mike Gillislee. McManis also deflected a third-and-seven from Matt Moore which forced Miami to punt.
Will Sutton looked extremely comfortable in Vic Fangio’s defense. Sutton showed off his versatility by lining up at defensive end and nose tackle. He finished with three combined tackles, but he was getting double teamed most of the game.
Overall the Bears played a sloppy preseason opener with some flashes of good things mixed in. Next, the Bears will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Saturday, August 22nd.
