Monday Night Football preview: Bears at Redskins

One second. That’s how far away we were from having two winless teams take the field for the Week 3 Monday Night Football prime-time spot. Instead, Eddy Pineiro’s game-winning, 53-yard field goal as time expired has the Bears looking to maintain the momentum gained from their win at Denver, while the Redskins are hoping to kick start some of their own.

Case Keenum has been quietly effective

Washington head coach Jay Gruden’s seat is certainly getting hot, but there is no need to rush a change at quarterback. Case Keenum is piloting a surprisingly effective passing offense, with a very young batch of wide receivers. The big surprise in that group has been rookie third-round pick Terry McLaurin, who has 187 yards through two games.

Most fans do not know Keenum is the NCAA’s all-time passing yards leader (and by more than 2,000 yards, I might add). This does not feel like the appropriate time to insert rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins into the equation against a salty Bears defense.

I don’t anticipate the Redskins being able to achieve much on the ground, though don’t tell Adrian Peterson I said that. Given the grit of Chicago’s front seven, and the fact that the Redskins offensive line is much better in pass protection than it is knocking people off the ball, Washington might be better served siphoning off some of AP’s snaps to Chris Thompson, who has been an excellent ball-catching back and is capable of spreading the defense out.

Washington has been plagued by poor pass coverage

Washington’s problems have mostly been on the other side of the ball, and pass coverage has been its Achilles' heel. Josh Norman, Quinton Dunbar, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Montae Nicholson and Deshazor Everett have a lot of soul-searching to do. Fortunately they will not be going up against Carson Wentz or Dak Prescott on Monday night.

The Washington front seven cannot tout its own successes, either. Through two games it has totaled two sacks and four quarterback knockdowns. Furthering concerns, starters Jonathan Allen and Quinton Dunbar, along with backup Fabian Moreau, are questionable to play Monday.

Trubisky has yet to figure things out

In contrast to the better-than-expected play of Keenum is the troubling start of Mitch Trubisky. When the Bears traded up to take him at No. 2 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, many watching were absolutely stunned—and with good reason. Trubisky was only the full-time starter at North Carolina for one season, as he could not beat out Marquise Williams in Chapel Hill. If Trubisky cannot do something in this game against a leaky Washington secondary, the Bears need to take a long, hard look at the future of their quarterback. I do not see the Bears being able to run the ball much in this game, either, but Allen Robinson could have a big night against Norman.

Bilal Nichols is the one question mark for Chicago’s defense for Monday Night. If he can’t go, the Bears will lose some intensity up front, but there is still so much to like. Eddie Goldman is still playing great at nose tackle. The linebacker corps consists of three SEC-hardened warriors and Khalil Mack. The secondary held Aaron Rodgers to 166 yards passing (though yielded 282 to Joe Flacco) and in Eddie Jackson is one of the best safeties in the NFL. As a whole the Bears defense has allowed 24 points in two games. If they give up 12 Monday night, they’re leaving D.C. 2-1.

Pick: Bears -4

It’s hard to give more than a field goal on the road with a team averaging 9.5 points per game—so why am I doing it?

I happen to believe the Packers and Broncos will be two of the best defenses in the league when all is said and done. This Redskins defense will be quite a departure from the units Trubisky has faced. He will find success through the air and play a good game.

The Redskins' young receivers will meet their match in experienced vets like Kyle Fuller, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Jackson. The Redskins won’t be able to line up and hand the ball off to Peterson against the likes of Goldman and Akiem Hicks. When they do dump it off to Thompson or wideout Trey Quinn, Mack and Danny Trevathan will be there to gobble them up.

---

If you're not into Monday night's NFL matchup, fear not! BetAmerica has you covered with loads of other football options to wager on!