Bears vs. Falcons: What To Watch 4

KEY MATCHUP

Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley — already impressive in his first two NFL seasons — has taken his game to another level in the opening of the 2020 season.

The 6-1, 190-pound Ridley, the older brother of Bears’ wide receiver Riley Ridley, is averaging 119.5 yards and two touchdowns per game — seven receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys last week; nine catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns agains the Seahawks in Week 1.

Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller also is off to a hot start and has developed into the closest thing to a shutdown corner as the Bears have had in years. Fuller figures to get most of the responsibility on Ridley — arguably the toughest matchup either players has faced this season.

The status of Julio Jones is a big factor. The seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver did not practice this week because of a hamstring issue and will be a game-time decision. If Jones plays, Bears rookie Jaylon Johnson will have his biggest test yet in his third NFL game against the Jones/Ridley combination.

TRENDING

After rushing for 135 yards on 32 carries (4.2 avg.) against the Giants last week, the Bears have rushed 25 or more times for more than 4.0 yards per carry in back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 8-9 of the 2018 season. They rushed for 149 yards on 28 carries (5.3 avg.) against the Lions in Week 1.

The Falcons are ninth against the run through two games — even after facing Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys last week — and 31st against the pass. So Nagy could be challenged to stick with a ground-based offense.

PLAYER TO WATCH

After making a reaching grab for a third-down conversion on the opening drive, Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson had a quiet day against the Giants — he finished with three receptions for 33 yards on nine targets.

After Robinson subtly but effectively made an issue of his dissatisfaction with negotiations for a contract extension last week, the subpar game has elicited concern that even the unflappable Robinson might be affected after all by the contract situation. He’ll have an opportunity to disprove that against a Falcons defense that allowed two 100-yard receivers last week — Cowboys rookie CeeDee Lamb (6-106) and Amari Cooper (6-100).

X-FACTOR

After the Falcons lost leads of 20-0 in the first quarter and 39-24 in the final five minutes in a 40-39 loss to the Cowboys, coach Dan Quinn is again under fire in Atlanta.

The Bears figure to be facing a team that will be determined to lower the heat on their coach. When Quinn was on the hot seat last season at 3-9, the Falcons rallied to win their final four games, which likely saved Quinn’s job.