It’s Week 7 of a tumultuous Chicago Bears season. Everything that could go wrong for this team, has.
Justin Fields’ projected third-year leap is stalled due to a thumb injury, Luke Getsy still doesn't understand his playbook, the backfield is in shambles, and Coach Matt Eberflus is struggling to form coherent answers at his press conferences.
It’s bad in Chicago. But despite all of the turmoil surrounding this 1-5 team, the Bears still have a game to play on Sunday.
This week, they host the Las Vegas Raiders, whose 3-3 record is somewhat of a mirage. Like the Bears, Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels is on the hot seat, mainly because of their use (or lack thereof) of star receiver Davante Adams.
Sound familiar, Bears fans? A coach who looks clueless on the sidelines? A team that isn’t correctly structuring a game plan around crucial skill position players?
But I digress.
Week 7 will be a “battle of the backups,” with Fields and Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined with injuries. Still, there’s enough on-field talent to make this an entertaining game. It’ll come down to how these players are slotted into the gameplan on Sunday, which brings us to this week’s key “matchup to watch.”
Davante Adams vs. Tyrique Stevenson
Chicago Bears rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has been a bright spot in the Bears’ secondary. He’s consistently put up respectable numbers in his first season and is only improving. With multiple critical tackles per game (particularly over the last two weeks), Stevenson now has 31 tackles through six games. For reference, Stephon Gilmore has 23, and Darius Slay has 25 (just to name a couple).
He’s a player to watch every week, but it’s fascinating this week as he prepares to cover Davante Adams.
I’m not sure anyone, including him, anticipated the slow start to Adams’ 2023 campaign. He isn't happy right now, but the box score is irrelevant. Adams is a game-wrecker, as Bears fans are all too familiar with during his time as a Green Bay Packer.
I could see either of two possible scenarios shaking out from all of this -- the first being another week that Adams is held to minimum stats. Suppose the Raiders continue to trend down this path of not pushing the ball to their premier target (especially with Jimmy G being out with a back injury). In that case, Stevenson will have an easy job covering the Las Vegas passing attack. It’s simple: if Las Vegas takes Davante Adams out of the game, they'll give a big assist to Chicago's defense, and the Bears have a winnable matchup.
The other scenario that could play out is that the Raiders coaches hear Davante Adams loud and clear. If they do, it'll be a long day at the office for Stevenson, who will be taught a few difficult lessons by one of the NFL's best -- if not the best -- route runners.
Adams only has three touchdowns through six games. He's due to explode, and his history of blowing up against the Bears doesn't bode well for Chicago.
This one is a toss-up between a rising rookie and a jaded vet. Anything can happen.