The Atlanta Falcons have a difficult challenge ahead of them as they prepare to face the Chicago Bears, and it goes beyond figuring out which quarterback they'll go up against on Sunday.
Caleb Williams is working his way back from a hamstring injury, leaving the Bears' quarterback situation uncertain heading into their Week 6 matchup. Head coach Ben Johnson said Williams was “on track” after Chicago's loss to Green Bay, but acknowledged that a return against Atlanta was still up in the air.
That uncertainty complicates the Falcons' preparation. Atlanta could face the former No. 1 overall pick, Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum, and each scenario would change the way the defense approaches the game. But regardless of who takes the first snap, Jeff Ulbrich and the Falcons have to be ready for the offense Johnson wants to run--which hangs its hat on the run game.
The Atlanta Falcons need to worry about this Bears run game regardless of whether Caleb Williams starts
Thankfully for Ben Johnson and unfortunately for Atlanta, Chicago's ground game has been successful, as the Bears led the NFL in rushing yards per game through the first five weeks, giving Atlanta another problem to account for while they sort out their QB situation across the next three days of practice.
The Bears have rushed for 866 yards and 10 touchdowns through five games, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. Those numbers give Johnson a reliable part of the offense to lean on, regardless of who is under center.
Chicago already showed how dangerous its rushing attack can be in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers. The Bears piled up 291 rushing yards and six rushing scores. 124 of those and three touchdowns came from D'Andre Swift, while Kyle Monangai added 100 and a score of his own.
The Falcons should be ready for whatever comes their way. Johnson has options at his disposal, and his offense has already demonstrated that it can produce on the ground. But if they focus too much on the ground game after getting gashed by the Ravens, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden III can do damage through the air--and this secondary is plenty vulnerable against the pass.
The good news here is that Chicago's 31-7 loss to Green Bay on Sunday also showed the potential problems that come with playing without Williams. Bagent and Keenum combined for four turnovers, as the Bears struggled to generate enough offense against a Packers defense Atlanta dominated.
The Falcons would welcome another performance like that, but it cannot plan on Chicago making the same mistakes. Johnson has a full week to prepare his offense, evaluate his quarterback options and determine how best to attack the Falcons after seeing how Baltimore did the same.
For Atlanta, they have their own QB uncertainty. Michael Penix Jr.’s rib injury came at a difficult time, with the Falcons trying to recover from a late collapse against Baltimore and prepare for another opponent just six days later.
If the Atlanta Falcons focus too heavily on which Bears quarterback will get the start, Ben Johnson's run game could become the part of the matchup that causes the most trouble.
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