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2016 Chicago Bears Season Preview: Week 6 Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars-Minicamp Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Thanks to the fine folks that work on the individual SB Nation NFL team sites, we have the ability to get the inside scoop on each and every team that the Chicago Bears will face this season.

In this offseason series, we'll lay out a few stats on Chicago's 2016 opponents and have the team sites give us all the info we need to be up to speed on any changes they may have made.

Week 6 - Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears
October 16, 2016 - 12:00 CT on CBS
Games from week 5-17 are subject to flex scheduling

Last year the Bears' offense ranked 21st in total yards (344.6), 23rd in passing yards (228.8), 11th in rushing yards (115.9) and 23rd in total points scored (20.9). Defensively the Bears ranked 14th in total yards allowed (345.4), 4th in passing yards allowed (224.6), 22nd in rushing yards allowed (120.9) and 20th in points allowed (24.8).

In 2015 the Jags' offense ranked 18th in total yards (348.8 ), 10th in passing yards (256.8), 27th in rushing yards (92.1) and in scoring they were 14th (23.5). Jacksonville’s defense ranked 24th in total yards allowed (375.0), 29th in passing yards allowed (268.2), 15th in rushing yards allowed (106.8) and they were 31st in points allowed (28).

Jaguars 2016 Season Preview
From Big Cat Country

Notable free agent additions: FS Tashaun Gipson, RB Chris Ivory, DL Malik Jackson, P Brad Nortman, OL Mackenzy Bernadeau, CB Prince Amukamara, OL Kelvin Beachum, and QB Chad Henne

Notable free agent departures: G Zane Beadles, DE Chris Clemons (lol), P Bryan Anger, DE Andre Branch (lol again), C Stefen Wisniewski (2015), and RB Toby Gerhart (lol once more),

Trades: N/A

Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies:

Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack will be contributors from Day 1. Neither could be starters as Prince Amukamara and Davon House could very well be the starting cornerbacks and the Jaguars are retooling their linebacking corps, but they’ll both see significant snaps on the defensive side of the ball. Third-round pick Yannick Ngakoue will likely be the backup at LEO and see a good amount of snaps as a designated pass rusher. Fourth-round pick Sheldon Day will likely beat out Michael Bennett and be a rotational player along the interior of the defensive line. Sixth-round pick Tyrone Holmes might make the final 53-man roster, but he’s a backup for now. Same goes for Brandon Allen whose best case scenario is the No. 3 quarterback and a healthy scratch on game days. Seventh-round pass rusher Jonathan Woodard had a season-ending Achilles injury in May, but he was a jar on the shelf who would have likely been a practice squad candidate anyway.

Biggest offseason addition:

Tashaun Gipson. He’s been described by coaches and players as the “general” on defense and his reinforcement of our secondary will help a struggling Jaguars pass rush. Even Malik Jackson, who signed one of the richest contracts in free agency this year, won’t be as much of a contributing factor to our team as Gipson.

Biggest storyline heading into training camp:

How does Dante Fowler look? Whether we like it or not, the burden of the Jaguars pass rush -- or at least a significant portion of it -- rests on his shoulders. And with Fowler effectively a rookie after a season-ending injury last May, that’s a lot to ask of him, even if he was the No. 3 overall pick in 2015. As Fowler goes, so does our pass rush.

Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:

It’s a toss up between how the offensive line shakes out and how good of a running back tandem T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory are. Kelvin Beachum is pushing Luke Joeckel out of the starting left tackle spot and the coaching staff is trying Joeckel out at guard -- a move that I don’t think will pay any dividends by the time the regular season starts up. I think newly signed Mackenzy Bernadeau takes over the left guard spot, Beachum wraps up the left tackle spot, and Joeckel is on the outside looking in by August.

Notable injuries heading into training camp:

Jalen Ramsey wasn’t a participant in mini-camp and although he has said he’s 100 percent for weeks now, he hasn’t really practiced with the team yet. Myles Jack has practiced, but it’ll be interesting to see how his knee holds up in training camp. Neither is a significant concern however and I expect both to be ready to go. Other than that, there aren’t any notable injuries. Backup offensive lineman Luke Bowanko is on the PUP list.