Bear Digest

The matchups where Bears own an advantage over 49ers in Week 17

DJ Moore may find he can make even more plays this week than last week against the Packers, and the Bears have other significant opportunities when matching up.
Gene Chamberlain|
DJ Moore looks for yards after the catch after beating Renardo Green in last year's 38-13 Bears loss to the 49ers.
DJ Moore looks for yards after the catch after beating Renardo Green in last year's 38-13 Bears loss to the 49ers. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

Bears coach Ben Johnson noted the obvious about the 49ers' offense and the play calling of Kyle Shanahan.

"You always like to turn on that San Francisco tape each week, whether  you're playing them or not, just to look at some of the stuff that they're doing," Johnson said. "And it's changed a little bit.

"It used to be where they were always the No. 1 team in the NFL in  terms of rushing, and it's not to say they don't still have that ability—they do—but it's kind of morphed a little bit. They might be a more dangerous passing team right now."

What wasn't said was the ridiculous job Robert Saleh did with the defense to let the 49ers' offense win games. He has performed a smoke-and-mirrors routine similar to what Dennis Allen with all of the Bears' defensive injuries.

Saleh had a defense with low pass rush capability and only an average secondary. They have yet to reach 20 sacks on the year and Pro Football Focus has none of their cornerbacks graded top 60 or safeties in the top 30 at their positions.

Yet, they get the job done in the red zone and it might be a reason a team would take a chance on Saleh as a head coach even after what happened to him with the Jets.

"He does a good job mixing in man, the shell coverages and has a little bit more front variety than maybe he’s had in the past," Johnson said. "It makes it very, very difficult. But I always stand firm–the trademark of a Robert Saleh defense is how hard they play, and that shows up on tape."

The Bears do have matchup opportunities on offense  because of the lack of standout individual defenders. Here are the matchups favoring the Bears best on Sunday Night Football.

LT Ozzy Trapilo vs. DE Sam Okuayinonu

The 49ers allow 7.3 yards per rush around left end, 28th ranked in the league. They're not doing it because Okuayinonu is shutting down the run. San Francisco has only 18 sacks on the year and two of those came from Nick Bosa before his season-ending injury. Okuayinonu is a veteran who was not drafted and has two sacks and six pressures for 10 starts and 13 games this year. The 49ers do have Yetur Gross-Matos back from an injury and he could rotate in for rush situations but he has lined up three times more often inside than on the edge and for Trapilo, regardless of who the 49ers put there, this is a rare instance when he doesn't have to face another King Kong or Godzilla. Trapilo has been more than adequate as a replacement at left tackle and better at blocking the run than many might have anticipated. The usual built-in Pro Football Focus grading system bias against players who start out slow is evident in his season's grade but he has improved overall to 38th among 83 NFL tackles despite surviving this baptism by fire.

LG Joe Thuney vs. DT Kalia Davis

The only real slight criticism anyone every has of Joe Thuney is in run blocking, where he's merely very good instead of best in the league. Davis has been among the league's worst defensive tackles at stopping the run according to PFF, and the 49ers' run defense itself is nothing like it has been in the past. They are 15th in yards allowed per attempt, although they are a top-10 team overall in total yards allowed. They have obvious areas where they give up too many rushing yards according to NFLGSIS.com and that's around left end and behind left guards.

RG Jonah Jackson vs. DT Alfred Collins

Jackson was getting fan voting for a Pro Bowl spot but didn't get it from coaches and players. In this case, the fans saw some things the coaches and players didn't. That was Jackson burying opponents. Even the built-in PFF grading bias against players with slow starts hasn't held down Jackson. He is graded ninth among 79 guards as a run blocker and 12th overall. Jackson had a pass blocking grade against Green Bay last week that was 18 points higher than in the first Packers game. Collins, a 6-5, 332-pound rookie from Texas, will no doubt improve as most defensive tackles have rookie growing pains. His mistakes have been numerous and sprinkled with brilliance as he ranks 120th out of 128 players at his position stopping the run, and 109th of 128 overall.

DT Grady Jarrett vs. LG Spencer Burford

Jarrett has gradually improved out of the knee injury he suffered early in the season and is getting into the gap occasionally to disrupt runs in the backfield while generating a push. Jarrett has had 33 tackles, 25 of them in the last seven games. Six of his nine pressures came then, too. Burford has struggled much of the season and has allowed two sacks and 16 pressures. He has been a better run blocker than pass blocker. PFF grades him 70th of 79 NFL guards as a pass blocker.

WR DJ Moore vs. CB Deommodore Lenoir   

It almost seems that Caleb Williams has been forced to find his best receiver with Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze injured, but Moore has been located. When trusted, he produces and did to beat the Packers. The catch to beat the Packers was spectacular, the dagger route he executed to get the Bears in position to tie the game was totally textbook. Lenoir has been a so-so cornerback, grading 62nd out of 112 according to PFF. His passer rating against is a sub-par 105.1 when targeted and he's allowing 12.5 yards per reception. He is the best 49ers pass defender among DBs but the second-worst tackler among their DBs, according to PFF. One of Moore's strengths is breaking tackles.

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

Published | Modified
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.