Vic Fangio Reveals Surprising Name That Worries Him Most Against Patriots

Vic Fangio knows he has a tall task ahead of him on Sunday. Not only does he face arguably the best offense in football led by Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. He has to pull his Chicago Bears defense out of a mini-depression following their ugly showing down in Miami. A game where they allowed Brock Osweiler to throw for 380 yards and they missed an unprecedented 19 tackles. If they play like that again on Sunday, it's going to get ugly fast. Fangio knows this and doesn't seem phased by it. He's had bad games before and doesn't tend to let it rattle his troops for too long. His defenses since 2015 have allowed 30 points in a game 11 times. Yet only twice did they allow it in consecutive weeks. The first came on the first two games of his tenure in Chicago and the second came at the end of 2016 when the defense was riddled with injuries. Otherwise, he's been good about getting his troops to respond with strong efforts after a tough week. Part of it is his ability to motivate and also game plan for the opponent. So what must he do about the Patriots?

Vic Fangio views Julian Edelman as a lynchpin to the Patriots passing attack

Fangio has been around the league for a long time. He's faced every form of offense there is, and that includes the Patriots. The last time he saw them was 2012 when Brady put up 400+ yards passing and 34 points on him despite the San Francisco win. He learned then that there is a huge key to the Patriots passing attack that makes it so lethal. That's the slot receiver, which is why his focus is squarely on Julian Edelman.

“He’s a guy (Tom) Brady has played with,” Fangio said. “Brady has always had a guy in the slot that he’s comfortable with; whether it be (Wes) Welker, (Danny) Amendola or Edelman. It’s a big part of their offense. They haven’t missed a beat, but I really think it has helped their offense and played a big part in them basically averaging 40 points in the last three weeks. I really appreciate and respect how good of a player he is and has been.”

It may seem unusual that he doesn't list Rob Gronkowski or Josh Gordon or that strong Patriots backfield as bigger concerns. However, the veteran coordinator knows his stuff. While Brady is still great even without Edelman, he's not quite at his peak. Since 2014, Edelman has missed 34 games with a mix of injuries and suspension. New England is a rather meh 22-12 in those games. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Julian-Edelman-Touchdown-Patriots-vs-Chiefs.mp4"][/video] That may sound not too bad until you realize they're 38-3 with him. Edelman gives defenses fits not so much because he's an overly dominant presence but because he does something that is overlooked too often. He moves the chains. When he took over from West Welker as the starter in 2013, he's made 447 catches. No fewer than 251 resulted in a first down. One of the Patriots' biggest secrets to offensive success is the ability to sustain drives. Edelman is the absolute key to that, and Fangio knows this. New England was averaging 23.75 points per game without Edelman. Since he returned, they're averaging 40.5. The man is a factor.