5 things to watch in the Chicago Bears-Miami Dolphins game — plus our Week 9 predictions

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After a week of trying to refocus following trades of team captains Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn, the Chicago Bears will host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Dolphins (5-3) have won both games since quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned from a concussion, while the Bears (3-5) are trying to pick up the pieces from a lopsided loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.

As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look at the game.

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill

When Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson was asked this week how he moves past the trade of Smith, he responded: “I got the No. 1 and No. 4 wide receiver. I love Roquan. But I got some dogs coming to town.”

Hill is the NFL’s leader in receiving yards by far with 961 and two touchdowns on 69 catches. The Dolphins wide receiver has 15 catches of 20 yards or more and four of 40 or more — also tops in the league.

Four spots down from Hill on the league-leaders list is teammate Jaylen Waddle, who has 727 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 42 catches, including 12 of 20 yards or more and four of 40 yards or more.

It’s a massive test for the young Bears secondary to slow down one the third-rankedpassing offense, led by Tagovailoa, who had one of his best games of the season in Week 8.

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Johnson frequently has said he loves such marquee matchups, and defending Hill’s speed ranks high among difficult tasks in the NFL.

“Everybody knows he’s fast until you line up, and then it’s a totally different speed,” Johnson said. “There’s not too much you can do to prepare. It’s not like you can go and do speed workouts and get faster. I’ve got to play my game, play my style of ball and do my best to contain him.”

Can the Bears defense hold up without Roquan Smith as its leader?

When general manager Ryan Poles traded Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for second- and fifth-round draft picks and linebacker A.J. Klein, the Bears lost a team leader on and off the field. Smith is the NFL’s leading tackler with 83 and has four tackles for a loss, 2 ½ sacks and two interceptions.

So what exactly does defensive coordinator Alan Williams tell his players without Smith?

“Don’t try to do too much,” Williams said. “When you try to do too much you lose a gap, you’re somewhere where you shouldn’t be. The focus of our thing is execution — be where you’re supposed to be. Alignment, assignment, key and technique. There are several plays that we’ve made, big plays where guys were just where they were supposed to be and the opportunity presented itself and guys were in the spot to make the play. If we do that at a high rate, we’ll be just fine.”

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The Bears were in the process of sorting out who was going to fill Smith’s spot on the field. Williams said middle linebacker Nicholas Morrow might move to Smith’s weak-side linebacker role, which Morrow played with the Las Vegas Raiders. Williams also said the Bears were taking a look at rookie Jack Sanborn there. The Bears also have veterans Joe Thomas and Klein as linebacker pieces to move around.

Williams said they like how Sanborn practices and are interested to see how he would perform if he takes on a bigger role.

“He plays hard, he plays physical,” Williams said. “In terms of the HITS principle, he does hustle, he is intense. So those are the first two steps. Back when he got a chance to play in the preseason, he did turn the football over. So I would say what’s there not to like about Sanborn? He just needs a chance to get on the field and perform.”

Wide receiver Chase Claypool

Claypool had been practicing for only two days since the Bears acquired him Tuesday from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second-round draft pick. But offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said the newcomer will play Sunday, though to what level they’re not yet sure.

Getsy said the uncertainty of the COVID-19 season helped coaches develop “some really cool things” to help players get up to speed quickly when they’re new to a team, and they’ll utilize some of that with Claypool.

“We have some really cool tools to help him learn what he needs to learn quickly with not having a coach with him for 24 hours a day,” Getsy said. “So I think he’ll be OK. We’ll make sure that he’s ready to rock ‘n’ roll for whatever his role might be come Sunday.”

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Poles brought in Claypool to give a boost to quarterback Justin Fields’ receiving corps. Getsy said from watching Claypool over his first 2 ½ seasons that he saw a guy “who had an unbelievable rookie season and shows a really cool, unique set of skills to be able to move around the field for Pittsburgh.”

“He played inside. He played outside, so that’s something that’s important,” Getsy said. “A guy who can do a lot of different things is really important for us in how we attack the game. So I’m really excited to see how far he can take it. I’m sure it will be one of those things where each week he’ll be able to get a little bit more.”

The Dolphins made their own big deals at the trade deadline, adding edge rusher Bradley Chubb and running back Jeff Wilson Jr.

Chubb was the bigger move, giving the Dolphins a player with 26 career sacks over five seasons, including 5 ½ sacks, eight quarterback hits and two forced fumbles in 2022. The Dolphins on Thursday signed Chubb to a five-year, $110 million contract extension.

“They’ll play, but how much? That’s to be determined,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told Miami media.

Chubb joins a group that includes veteran Melvin Ingram and 2021 first-round pick Jaelan Phillips, who Bears left tackle Braxton Jones said “probably could be the most talented out of all of them, have the most juice.”

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Jones said even with Chubb’s transition, the Bears expect him to play a big role Sunday.

“Another vet that’s been around. He’s a tough edge rusher,” Jones said. “He can be hot and cold sometimes, but when he’s on, he’s on. So that’s the biggest thing is being aware he’s there. He’s a little bit different play style than Melvin Ingram, where he will bull rush, kind of go through you, whereas Melvin Ingram is a slippery guy. So they’ve got some complementary stuff going on there, and I’m sure he’ll be on the field quite a bit.”

For the second straight week, Bears right tackle Larry Borom is in the concussion protocol. He missed practices Wednesday and Thursday, and veteran Riley Reiff could again fill in for him if he isn’t cleared before Sunday.

Left guard Cody Whitehair returned to practice this week and has a 21-day window to return from injured reserve, but it’s unclear if he or Michael Schofield will start Sunday.

Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Eddie Jackson were limited in practices Wednesday and Thursday with hip injuries.

For the Dolphins, offensive lineman Austin Jackson (ankle/calf) and wide receiver River Cracraft (illness) haven’t participated in practice this week as of Thursday night. Offensive linemen Terron Armstead (toe/Achilles) and Brandon Shell (groin), tight ends Tanner Conner (knee) and Durham Smythe (hamstring), safeties Clayton Fejedelem (groin) and Eric Rowe (hip), defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (knee) and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (chest/rib) have been limited.

Seasonable fall weather will be a welcome sight for the Dolphins. The Bears would prefer high winds, rain or bitter cold to combat Tua Tagovailoa and an offense that is seventh in the league in yards per game. The Dolphins have a wealth of speed and options who will test a defense that hasn’t been able to rush the passer or get off the field on third down. The Bears prepared for a very similar scheme in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Dolphins lean more on their passing game, and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are going to test the secondary’s ability to tackle. Maybe defensive coordinator Alan Williams can get a spirited effort from his players, but they appear to be short-handed.

Dolphins 28, Bears 21

This is not an ideal time for the Bears defense to welcome a high-powered Miami Dolphins offense to Soldier Field. Bears players are regrouping after GM Ryan Poles traded away defensive leaders Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. Now they just have to stop one of the best wide receiver duos in the league in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The Bears offense appears to be picking up steam, and I’m intrigued to see how quarterback Justin Fields builds on his last two games. But I’m simply unsure of how this defense will respond after a strange couple of weeks.

Dolphins 27, Bears 24

It’s easy to believe in the Bears’ competitive spirit and locker-room unity. There’s reason to believe the offense is on an upward climb too. Still, a depleted and emotionally spent defense has to find ways to slow down Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Dolphins 31, Bears 23