Bears-Dolphins: 5 Matchups To Watch
By Dan Durkin-
(CBS) Seeking their first home win in three tries, the Bears take on the Dolphins at Soldier Field at noon. The Bears are fresh off a win on the road against an NFC opponent in the Falcons, while the Dolphins have a bitter taste in their mouth after losing a last-second game to the Packers at home.
Here are five matchups to focus on during the game.
Bears right tackle Jordan Mills vs. Dolphins left defensive end Cameron Wake - Mills struggled last week in Atlanta with both presnap penalties and his footwork and punch in his protection sets. Wake is the best in the league at dipping his shoulder and driving to bend the edge. If Mills can't hold up, the Bears will be forced to chip with tight ends and running backs, which limits Jay Cutler's options in the passing game.
Bears left tackle Jermon Bushrod vs. Dolphins right defensive end Olivier Vernon - After missing two games with knee and ankle injuries, Bushrod appears on track to play against the Dolphins. Vernon has great first-step quickness and plays with a low center of gravity. The Bears typically trust Bushrod to handle the blind side without help. Seeing that protection will likely slide to Mills' side, it's vital that Bushrod can hold up against Vernon on his own.
Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall vs. Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes - Playing against the team who traded him away should give Marshall some extra motivation. Grimes may give up size and strength to Marshall, but that won't stop him from jamming and playing press-man techniques to challenge Marshall's releases to disrupt route timing. This will be a physical matchup all game.
Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller vs. Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace - Against the Falcons, the Bears went back to their customary defense, and Fuller didn't match up exclusively against Julio Jones. Expect the same approach against Wallace. While he isn't a polished route runner, Wallace is a burner, and while at Virginia Tech, Fuller let speed receivers get behind him a few times on straight go routes.
Bears coverage units vs. Dolphins returner Jarvis Landry - Landry's 32-yard average on kickoff returns is the second-best mark in the league, as he's been decisive and explosive up the field. The Bears' specialists and coverage units had a strong performance last week corralling Devin Hester and will need a repeat performance this week against Landry to win the field position battle.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.
