Three things to know about the Chicago Bears’ Week 3 opponent, the Atlanta Falcons

The Bears have a chance to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2013, and they will try to do so Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Falcons are a curious matchup. Depending how you look at it, this game can be viewed as a tough task, or a highly winnable matchup. The Falcons are 0-2, but it’s not because quarterback Matt Ryan and the offense haven’t been scoring.

Here’s what to know about the Falcons:

No team has surrendered more points than Atlanta

Through two weeks, the Falcons have surrendered more points (78) than any team in the NFL. Atlanta has allowed 772 yards through the air (386 per game) in the first two weeks. If there was ever a game for the Bears offense to put together a complete four quarters, it’s this one.

And they might have to score a lot to keep up with the Falcons offense.

The Falcons have scored more points (64) than any other 0-2 team in the NFL right now. Quarterback Matt Ryan has the offense moving and grooving. They’re fifth in the NFL in scoring, yet they are winless.

The Bears need to keep their offense on the field. The more Ryan is on the bench, the better off the Bears will be. They don’t want to get into a situation where the Bears offense is struggling, and the defense is spending too much time on the field. Matt Ryan will pick apart a tired defense.

Keep an eye on Julio Jones’ injury, but Calvin Ridley has been mighty impressive

Falcons star receiver Julio Jones sat out practice Wednesday with a hamstring injury. He played through the injury last week, and it didn’t go well. Jones caught two passes for 24 yards, and dropped a sure touchdown.

We’ll see whether he returns to practice Thursday or Friday.

In his stead, Calvin Ridley is stealing the spotlight. Ridley is tied for the NFL lead with 239 receiving yards through two weeks (tied with Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs).

“They’re definitely explosive players and very savvy route runners and they make every route look the same,” Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said of Jones and Ridley. “It’s just about having eye discipline and just trying to stay attached.”

Matt Ryan is still dangerous

The Falcons QB was sacked on 7.2% of his pass attempts last year. That was by far the highest rate of his 13-year career.

So far in 2020, defenses haven’t reached him at that same clip. It’s a small sample size, but right now Ryan has been sacked just 3.2% of the time in the season’s first two games. If that keeps up, it would be the lowest rate of his career.

Bears safety Tashaun Gipson said the key will be forcing Ryan to be uncomfortable in the pocket.

“If you let him sit back in the pocket all day, he’s going to hurt you,” Gipson said. “You get him off his mark, then obviously you have a chance. So that’s the biggest thing right now, he’s playing good football, man. Nobody’s really putting the pressure on him, getting him off his spot.”