Chicago Bears Get Starting Oline Back Ahead Of Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have been relatively quiet this week which is a good thing for a change. The Chicago Bears have been quite too and mixed into part of that silence is the fact that the Bears will have all their starting offensive lineman back for the first time since opening weekend. According to the Chicago Tribune.

The Dolphins have a tough edge rush defensively with Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon both of whom have 3 1/2 sacks on the season. The Dolphins pass rush averages one sack per every 7 1/2 attempts by quarterbacks and this Sunday the Dolphins will need to continue putting pressure on a Bears offense that has gunslinger Jay Cutler.

Cutler has a large enough ego to believe he is elite like Peyton Manning and when he is on his game he probably is but more often than not Cutler is off that game or too erratic during the game to come close to any of the leagues elite quarterbacks. His production is buoyed by former Miami Dolphins wide-receiver Brandon Marshall and the two of them have some of the best QB-WR chemistry in the NFL. Cutler feeds the ball to Marshall and there is no question that Marshall will fight for the ball. It will be the first time that Marshall has faced the Dolphins since he was traded three off-seasons ago.

In order for Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall to connect, Cutler is going to need time and time is something the Dolphins defense do  not have a lot of patience for. Protection will indeed start on the edges but up front the Bears will also have their hands full of Earl Mitchell, Jared Odrick, and Randy Starks. The Dolphins have one of the best defensive front rotations in the NFL and that is going to be a tall task for the Bears offensive line.

"“They don’t let you double anybody because a lot of times they’re blitzing and keeping everybody one on one, and with that, stunts,” Kromer said, via the Chicago Tribune. “They’re violent. They’re good pass rushers in general. As an individual, they’re good. Then you add the element of everybody has one defender to block with no help, no slide, no help either way, it’s hard to hold a block that long.”"

The Chicago Bears have allowed 14 sacks over the course of the season thus far and the Miami Dolphins will look to increase that number on Sunday. While pass protect of Jay Cutler will be a key component of the game on Sunday the health of the offensive line will also help the Bears rushing attack.

The Bears lean on running back Matt Forte and a healthy line should give the Bears a bigger push up front. Matt Forte is ranked 13th in the NFL in rushing yards, 60 yards and one spot ahead of Lamar Miller. The Bears running back only has two TD’s on the season but has the potential to break a game open. The Dolphins will have their hands full with Forte and the upfront blocking will be key to how successful the Bears are offensively.