Countdown To Kickoff | Dolphins vs. Bears

Miami Dolphins (3-2) vs. Chicago Bears (3-1)

Game Facts

DATE: Sunday, Oct. 14

TIME: 1 p.m. ET

SITE: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.

TV: FOX

TV ANNOUNCERS: (Brian Custer, play-by-play; Greg Jennings, color analyst; Doug Gottlieb, sideline reporter)

DOLPHINS RADIO NETWORK: KISS (99.9 FM); WQAM (560 AM); WQBA (1140 AM-Spanish)

RADIO VOICES: English broadcast — Jimmy Cefalo, Bob Griese, Joe Rose, Kim Bokamper; Spanish broadcast — Roly Martin, Eduardo Martell

The Series

SERIES RECORD: Miami leads 8-4

AT MIAMI: Dolphins lead 4-3

AT CHICAGO: Dolphins lead 4-1

LAST MEETING: 2014 at Chicago; Dolphins 27, Bears 14

HISTORY LESSON: This will mark the first time in four meetings in Miami that the Dolphins-Bears game will be played on a Sunday. The teams faced each other in a Thursday night game in 2010 and in a Monday night game in 2002, and before that a game scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 26, 1997 had to be moved to Monday night, Oct. 27 because the Florida Marlins needed what was known then as Pro Player Stadium for Game 7 of the World Series (which the Marlins won).

SERIES TREND: The Dolphins have won three of the past four meetings, but what stands out in the series is the high number of decisive victories. Nine of the 12 games, including each of those past four, were decided by 13 points or more.

Scouting Report

CHICAGO'S RECORD: 3-1

LAST GAME: Won 48-10 vs. Tampa Bay

OVERVIEW: The Dolphins return to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday to take on the new-look Chicago Bears, who will be coming off their bye after being one of the surprise teams in the NFL in the first month of the regular season. The Bears, who are looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, have a new head coach in former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, and he has brought an aggressive approach to the Chicago offense with second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The most significant on-field changes are on defense, where the Bears supplemented the selection of Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft with the headline-grabbing trade with Oakland for 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack. From the start, Mack has been everything the Bears could have hoped for — and then some. Mack was tied for first in the NFL in September in forced fumbles with four and his five sacks in that month were tied for second-most behind only the 5.5 by Dallas' Demarcus Lawrence. After giving up a late touchdown in a heartbreaking loss against the Green Bay Packers in the Sunday night opener, the Bears rebounded with victories against the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the game against Tampa Bay, Trubisky, the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, set a franchise record with six touchdown passes. The Bears rank first in the NFL on defense in fewest rushing yards allowed per game, interception rate, sacks per pass attempt and fewest first downs allowed per game.

KEY NEW FACES: LB Roquan Smith (draft-1st round), OL James Daniels (draft-2nd), WR Anthony Miller (draft-2nd), LB Khalil Mack (Oakland), TE Trey Burton (Philadelphia), WR Taylor Gabriel (Atlanta), K Cody Parkey (Miami), WR Allen Robinson II (Jacksonville)

KEY VETERANS GONE: QB Mike Glennon, G Josh Sitton, LB Pernell McPhee, WR Markus Wheaton, K Cairo Santos, WR Kendall Wright, LB Lamarr Houston, TE Zach Miller (PUP)

Final Injury Report