So as they get ready to tangle with the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson, they’d be wise to take a suggestion from one of the NFL’s worst defenses.
They did it by relying heavily on Cover-0 and Cover-1, which are highly risky because that number indicates how many defenders are deep in the secondary.
He completed 26 of 43 passes for 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 73.6 passer rating — his 12th-worst mark — and ran nine times for 39 yards.
While the Dolphins’ plan worked for a night, there is no definitive formula to mitigate Jackson, who Bears coach Matt Nagy called “a stressor” for any defense.
“When things work against certain teams, you try to implement it and see if it works for you,” Bears safety Tashaun Gipson said Wednesday.
The Bears need a dominant pass rush, but they’ve struggled to establish one without outside linebacker Khalil Mack at full strength.
On the plus side, however, they have one essential player who will help regardless of how they approach Jackson: linebacker Roquan Smith.
Milwaukee started inoculating its 28,000 ash trees in 2009 and has preserved the overwhelming majority, saving tens of millions of dollars in removal costs.