The Chicago Bears head into Week 3 with a 1-1 record after a controversial victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
However, a win is a win. The Bears now have a Monday night game against the Washington Redskins.
Here are four reasons why the Bears will beat the Redskins in their Week 3 matchup.
The Defense
The Washington offense has looked solid so far in 2019. Case Keenum has been good at quarterback and the offensive line has kept him upright.
Meanwhile, Terry McLaurin is emerging as a star as a rookie wide receiver and Trey Quinn is a great slot guy.
That Chicago defense, though, is loaded, has depth, and has Khalil Mack.
Yes, the Redskins offense has looked good. However, there are plenty of reasons to believe that won't continue. Will Keenum continue to not turn the ball over? That seems bold — he's gotten lucky on a few missed drops and errant throws.
Do the Redskins have enough depth at receiver or tight end should an injury hit them? Not likely.
The offensive line is hanging on by a thread too. An injury there could really cause issues.
Chicago is going to smell blood and pounce. Washington's offense could look bad for the first time all year.
Running Back Duo
Tarik Cohen is dynamic. He's a great pass catcher and can make big plays in the running game if called upon. Meanwhile, David Montgomery looks like the real deal.
That duo should serve the Bears well for a long time at running back.
Meanwhile, the Washington defense has been a disappointment in 2019.
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has not been good this year. The Redskins are going to want to capitalize on that. This means they're going to try to bring pressure and play tight coverage. Keep Trubisky uncomfortable and you can get him to slip up.
Due to this, Chicago should run the ball and go for quick passes. That means you should expect both Cohen and Montgomery (and even Cordarrelle Patterson and Mike Davis) to be used heavily in the backfield.
Washington didn't look good in the second half of Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles against the run. They didn't look good for most of Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys in that regard.
Da'Ron Payne is a monster and Matthew Ioannidis is a beast. It's incredible how much the absence of Jonathan Allen hurts though. Chicago should capitalize.
Coaching
This one is more on the Redskins.
However, it could easily go the other way. I said coaching will help the Redskins because they're desperate. Washington has multiple coaches on the staff whose jobs aren't safe at the moment. That rings especially true on defense, specifically Greg Manusky.
Due to that, they're going to try some things. They'll make some desperation calls and try to attack the Bears' offense. This could work really well for them.
Or it could blow up in their faces. Chicago could hit on a few big plays and suddenly the Redskins game plan is out the window. It didn't work and they go back to the conservative play that's destroyed them this year.
Meanwhile, the same could ring true for their offense. Jay Gruden opened the playbook a little bit last week, but what happens if the elite Chicago defense shuts those plays down early on?
Washington could find themselves down by a lot and falling back into the same boring and repetitive playbook that hasn't helped them in recent years.
Eddy Pineiro
This could easily turn into a defensive game. As mentioned, the Bears have an elite defense. Meanwhile, their offense isn't turning heads and the Washington defense is a lot better than it's been playing.
That means this game could come down to a field goal. Too bad Chicago has kicking problems, right?
Not exactly. Despite the disaster of last season, Eddy Pineiro has figured it out. He's 4-for-4 on field goals.
Those field goals include two 50-plus yard kicks. One was the game-winner from Week 2, a 53-yarder.
In fact, Week 2 alone saw Pineiro go 3-for-3 with a 40-yarder, a 52-yarder and a 53-yarder. That's a game right there.
If this game comes down to a field goal (which it might), Chicago has a kicker they can trust.
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