Dolphins-Bears Five Biggest Storylines ... And How They Played Out
The Miami Dolphins made it three wins a row when they defeated the Chicago Bears, 35-32, at Soldier Field on Sunday.
Ahead of the matchup, we offered our weekly ranking and analysis of the five biggest storylines, so now it's time to revisit those to see how they played out.
1. Dolphins in the Windy City
BEFORE THE GAME: The Dolphins most definitely caught a break in terms of the temperature with this November game at Chicago, as it's expected to be in the low 60s during the game. That's the good news. The bad news is that the forecast, according to AccuWeather, still called as of Sunday morning for winds in the high teens with gusts up to 25 mph. If that materializes, there's no question it could have an effect on the kicking game and the passing game. And when it comes to the passing game, the Dolphins rely on that a lot more than the Bears do, so high winds would be to Chicago's advantage in that sense.
DURING THE GAME: Anyone who watched the game could see there was some not-insignificant game with which to deal, from the goalpost flag flying around or officials pants fluttering. Even then, there wasn't one pass play that clearly seemed to be overly affected by the wind, though the wind might have been a factor in Jason Sanders' missed 29-yard field goal attempt. He pushed the kick wide left in the same direction the wind was blowing toward the end of the second quarter. All things considered, though, it's safe to say the weather conditions weren't a factor in the outcome.
2. The Dolphins debuts
BEFORE THE GAME: The two players who will be in the spotlight for the Dolphins in this game, beyond the usual, will be newcomers Bradley Chubb and Jeff Wilson Jr. Head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that both will play against the Bears after arriving in South Florida in the middle of the week, and it would not be a surprise if they got a decent amount of snaps. From a Dolphins standpoint, of course, it would be a nice bonus for either or both to be able to make an immediate impact.
DURING THE GAME: Chubb and Wilson ended up getting more than just a decent amount of snaps, they each got what we should expect them to get pretty much every game. Wilson actually got more snaps than starting running back Raheem Mostert, while Chubb got one of the highest snap counts of the season. Wilson contributed a touchdown on a reception and the longest run of the day for the Dolphins (28 yards), while Chubb had a couple of quarterback pressures, though he was credited with only one assisted tackle.
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3. Dealing with Fields
BEFORE THE GAME: While, as mentioned before, the Bears truly are in rebuilding mode, they're far from the worst team in the NFL and one reason they've been difficult to deal with in recent weeks has been the emergence of second-year quarterback Justin Fields. The former Ohio State star has been particularly effective as a runner, and his mobility presents a difficult challenge for any defense. The Dolphins did a pretty good job overall in that respect against Lamar Jackson for Week 2 — outside, of course, of the 79-yard touchdown run Jackson had. That kind of thing can't happen. again.
DURING THE GAME: The good news is the Dolphins didn't give up a 79-yard touchdown run to Fields. The bad news is they gave up a 61-yard TD run as part of Fields' 178-yard rushing performance, which only happened to be the greatest ever by a quarterback in a regular season game. So, no, the Dolphins didn't do the job in containing Fields, too often getting sucked inside on a play fake as Fields ran a naked bootleg outside. The Dolphins also had their problems with Fields in the passing game, even if his numbers were modest. While the defense can be criticized for its performance, it's also fair to simply tip your hat to Fields, who was brilliant in this game.
4. Another new look for the O-line
BEFORE THE GAME: The Dolphins have had to juggle their offensive line for most of the season because of injuries to Austin Jackson and Terron Armstead, and now it's Liam Eichenberg who's out of the lineup with second-year player Robert Jones expected to take his place at left guard. Tua Tagovailoa's ability to make quick decisions and get the ball out quickly clearly has helped the pass protection, but that's been pretty good in its own right and the hope is that it will continue with Jones in the lineup and that the run blocking also will hold up against the Bears.
DURING THE GAME: By all appearances, Jones looked to have had a very solid game. He was part of a very good group blocking effort on the play where Wilson was sprung for 28 yards and the few times Tua Tagovailoa was pressured, it came from the right side of the line. As has been the case, Tua's ability to get the ball out quickly helped the pass protection, but he also had a number of drop-backs where he was given ample time to scan the field. So, yes, call it a successful start for Jones.
5. Can Tyreek keep it up and break the odd streak?
BEFORE THE GAME: If we mention the wind and its possible effects on the passing game, we have to mention Tyreek Hill, who's on pace to set an NFL record in receiving yards. But Hill's remarkable 2022 season has featured an odd twist — literally — because his amazing four games with at least 10 catches and 160 yards all have come in even-numbered weeks: Week 2 at Baltimore, Week 4 at Cincinnati, Week 6 against Minnesota and Week 8 at Detroit. By contrast, his high for an odd-numbered week so far this season is 94 yards against the New England Patriots in Week 1. So maybe — hopefully — this is the week this odd streak ends.
DURING THE GAME: Yep, Hill did it again and broke his weird streak, with 143 yards on seven catches for his first 100-yard outing in an odd-numbered week. And his receiving total doesn't include a 32-yard defensive pass interference penalty he drew in the end zone on the Dolphins' first drive of the game, setting up Raheem Mostert's 1-yard touchdown run. So, yes, it was just some fluky thing that Hill had monster numbers only in even-numbered weeks; the truth is he's getting open every game — regardless of week number — all season.
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