Bears vs. Raiders Preview

Today is the day the Bears play their first game this season without Jay Cutler as the starting quarterback. After injuring his thumb last week, Cutler had successful surgery and hopes to be back by the end of the regular season. Until that happens, it's Caleb Hanie time. Caleb Hanie is no stranger to being forced into games after a Jay Cutler injury, as he had to take over after Todd Collins took over for Cutler after he hurt his knee in the NFC Championship game. In that game, he threw for two touchdowns and threw two interceptions.

That seems to be the problem with Hanie. He likes to turn the ball over. This was a problem in the NFC Championship game and will be a problem for the rest of the season if Hanie continues to have trouble with turnovers. Mike Martz believes that Hanie will be able to lead the Bears to the playoffs saying that "He's a starting QB in the NFL" and that "He is capable of running the Bears offense."

Hanie is going to be filling in for the most important position in the offense, but he won't be the only player that needs to have a good game in order to get a win. Matt Forte has to have a good game and help carry the offense so that Hanie doesn't have to do as much as Cutler does. It will be important to establish the run so that the Bears can run play action and give Hanie some time. If Forte has a good game, I can almost guarantee that the Bears will win. The Raiders know that the Bears are going to try to run the ball a lot, but Forte has to have a good game regardless.

Devin Hester did not practice all week, but Lovie Smith said that he only held him out of practice so that he would be ready to play the game. If he plays, he could be a game-changer. With Cutler gone, the special teams has to be even better than it has been in the previous games this season. A Devin Hester return for a touchdown would definitely help the Bears win this game.

The final part of the team that has to play really well is the defense. Ever since the first Lions game, the defense has become much better. They studied film and realized what they were doing wrong. They're back to being a dominate defense like they were last year, but in order to finish out this season really well without Cutler they have to be even better than the defense was last year. Every player has to be on top of his game and the safeties need to make sure that they don't give up any big plays like they did against the Lions. The Raiders' speediest receivers are injured, which should help the Bears, but the defense still needs to step it up.

The Raiders are one of the two most challenging teams that the Bears will face to finish out this season. The problem is that this is the first game the Bears have without Cutler and nobody has a clue how well Hanie will play. Hanie could be amazing and the Bears could blow out the Raiders, or Hanie could be terrible and the Bears either lose or barely win only because the rest of the team plays so well. If the Bears could postpone this game for later in the season, that would be a lot better. I have no idea whether or not the Bears will win this game. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

Jay Cutler's Broken Thumb

Jay Cutler injured his right thumb during the game against the San Diego Chargers. He continued to play in the game and actually had one of the best games of the season. The injury happened in the fourth quarter, according to sources and he went on to be 2/2 with the injury. Sources also say that he will have to have surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks meaning he will be back for the playoffs if Hanie can continue to win football games against a relatively easy schedule.

So the big question is whether or not the Bears can actually make it to the playoffs without Jay Cutler playing for the rest of the regular season. Hanie played well in the NFC Championship game last year when Cutler got hurt, but can he play that well for game after game during a season? He's very competent and knows the Bears offense well and has the talent to win games. If Forte can have some big games and the defense can stay strong the Bears can win.

The biggest key to the Bears continuing to win is that Devin Hester will have to return a few kicks for touchdowns. They need some special teams scores to cover for Cutler not being there. Points are going to have to come by creative ways like the defense scoring a touchdown so that the Bears can score enough points to win games.

The Bears gameplan is going to be a lot different, but they can win a lot of games with Hanie because their schedule is very easy for the rest of the season. The only relatively challenging teams are the Raiders and the Packers. The other teams are the Cheifs, Broncos, Seahawks, and Vikings. The Bears can easily beat 3, if not 4, of those teams. That would give them a 10-6 or 11-5 record. That's good enough to get the wild card spot and go to the playoffs.

Getting to the playoffs and making a run is possible without Cutler, but it will be tough. They'll have to change their game a little and fight for every game. When they get to the playoffs, Cutler will have to come back and play his best football if they want to win it all.

Bears beat Chargers 31-20

The Bears got off to a slow and ugly start against the Chargers, but actually played one of their best games this season.

Before the game, I said that all three phases of the Bears' game had to be at their best. They accomplished that today and that's how they won the game. The defense played great as they have done for most of the season. The special teams were good as always, especially Corey Graham who has been fantastic this year. The offense was extremely better compared to last week and Cutler was on the top of his game. Barber had a good game to counter the fact that Forte did not have a very good game.

The second half was the biggest part of the game. Jay Cutler did not throw an incomplete pass until the third drive of the half. He was on top of his game especially immediately after he got kneed in the head by one of the Chargers players. He was scrambling and escaping pressure and throwing great passes along with his receivers making great catches. They were driving down the field until there was an interception. It wasn't Cutlers fault, but it gave the Chargers a small chance to do something. Luckily, they did not and Rivers ended up throwing two interceptions late in the game and the Bears got a win.

Bears vs. Chargers Preview

The Bears go against the Chargers later today in hopes of winning their 5th game in a row. The Bears have been playing much better football lately by focusing on their strengths. They are playing better defense and running the ball better. Great play by Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, and Matt Forte has helped the Bears turn their season around. Last week in Detroit, the Bears played good defense by forcing turnovers and had good help from the special teams, especially Devin Hester. The one thing that was missing in the Bears' game was offense. They did run the ball well, but didn't have a very productive offense. If they want to win against the Chargers, Jay Cutler is going to have to be good.

All three phases of the game are going to be important this week against the Chargers. The Bears defense needs to limit the big plays and keep Rivers from getting lots of yards and leading the team down the field. They need to take advantage of Rivers' mistakes, especially his inaccuracy. The Bears can force the Chargers to turn the ball over a lot and need to take advantage of how much the Chargers turn the ball over.

If the Bears can force turnovers like they did last week, they should be able to win the game. The offense still needs to improve and turn those turnovers into seven points, though. Last week, they could have won by a larger margin if they had converted the many turnovers into touchdowns.

Getting a good lead to start with will help the Bears, so they need to go out just like last week and force a turnover to start the game. The Bears never lost momentum last week and should do the same this week.

The Impact of Earl Bennett

It's obvious that the weakest part of the Bears is their offense. They play good defense and they have great special teams. They can be a very good team if their offense can start producing. Matt Forte is a good helper on the offense. He has gotten much better this year and is putting up MVP-like numbers. Jay Cutler can be a great quarterback if he gets protected. One of the biggest things is that Cutler needs some reliable receivers to throw to. Last year, many good passes were intercepted because the receiver didn't fight for the ball. Then, all the blame was given to Cutler and he lost a little confidence. Good receivers is one of the most important things this offense needs. 

Is this where Earl Bennett comes in? He is a great receiver and played well for the Bears pre-Cutler, but when Jay Cutler came to the Bears he became a much bigger threat. Cutler and Bennett played together at Vanderbilt and have natural chemistry. It's easy to see that they work together greatly on the field. When Bennett was gone, the Bears struggled. Sanzenbacher did a great job, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the same without Bennett there.

Now that Bennett is back, Jay Cutler has his favorite target back. On Sunday, Bennett had a great game and it was easy to see that Cutler really likes throwing to Bennett. The Bears are a different team on offense when Bennett is playing. 

It's obvious that Earl Bennett makes a huge difference. He is probable the Bears number one receiver right now. There's something about his presence on the field that helps the Bears win. It could be argued that he's one of the Bears most valuable players. If the Bears want to improve offensively, they have to keep Bennett and improve the o-line. The offense is getting better and Bennett is one of the reasons that they are better.

Eight Bears Players with a Chance for the Pro Bowl

There are eight Bears players that have a chance to go to the Pro Bowl. They are in the top five in voting in their position and have been playing very well. The eight players are Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Corey Graham, Charles Tillman, and Tyler Clutts.

Devin Hester

He has played extremely well this season returning punts. He is fighting through injuries, but still finds a way to return punts all the way to the end zone. There’s no doubt that he deserves to go to the pro bowl. 

Matt Forte

Forte has improved a lot this year and is among the best running backs in the league this year. It’s only his fourth year in the league and he is already among the best. The past two seasons he has struggled with injuries, but is much better this year and has shown his enormous potential. 

Julius Peppers

He has been a dominant force on defense. He makes the big plays when they count. He brings double teams which help inside linemen have a better chance. He makes the entire defensive line better and deserves to be in the pro bowl because he is one of the best if not the best at his position. 

Brian Urlacher

Year after year, he plays with intensity and is one of the top defenders in the league. This year is no different as he has been dominating again. He is part of the reason that the Bears’ defense is almost back to top shape. 

Lance Briggs

He is one of the most underrated players in the league, but has gotten more attention from voters recently. He is among the best linebackers in the league, but is overshadowed by the popularity of Urlacher. He is a vital part of the Bears defense. 

Corey Graham

He has been a huge part of the success of the special teams this year. He also has some good defensive plays, but is known mostly for his outstanding play on special teams. 

Charles Tillman

He has struggled a little in the past year and a half, but has improved a lot this year. He showed how good he can be on Sunday when he was playing against Calvin Johnson, one of the best receivers in the league. He can play with the big guys and is the best cornerback on the Bears. 

Tyler Clutts

He goes relatively unnoticed on the Bears, but is a big part of the running game. He is a great blocker and plays the fullback position well. He might not get to the pro bowl, but he has done a great job this season.

Lions, Turnovers, and Bears. Oh my!

From the start of the game, the Bears controlled the Lions. The Lions got the ball first, but turned it over. Julius Peppers used his long arms to strip the ball and Brian Urlacher picked up the ball. The Bears scored a touchdown on that drive thanks to Cutler, Bennett, and Forte. The next drive, the Lions fumbled the ball again and the Bears had to settle for a field goal on the ensuing drive. Then, the Bears got a stop and Hester had a great return, but was tackled by the punter. The Bears got another field goal. The next Lions drive also ended with a punt and Hester returned this one all the way for a touchdown. Yet again, the Lions were forced to punt. Hester had another good return, but it was brought back by penalties. During that drive, Cutler fumbled his hand off to Forte and the Lions recovered and scored a field goal. Things started to get a little shaky as the Bears had to punt for the first time during their next drive. It got better because the Bears got a stop and the Lions finally did the smart thing and punted out of bounds away from Devin Hester.  The next Bears possession ended in a punt after a big hit and dirty play by Suh on Cutler. During the ensuing drive, the Lions drove all the way to the red zone, but Peppers came up with a big sack on Stafford and the Lions had to settle for a field goal. The Bears got the ball back and marched down the field, but Robbie Gould missed the last second field goal. 

To start off the second half, the Bears went three and out, but Major Wright got a pick 6 on the next drive for the Lions. The Lions got the ball back and then threw another pick 6 to Charles Tillman. Then the Bears got a stop and had to settle on the next drive. The Lions got the ball back and drove all the way into the end zone, but the Bears forced a turnover on downs and got the ball back. The Bears couldn’t do anything with the ball and were forced to punt. Then, when the Lions had the ball Lance Briggs hit Calvin Johnson very hard and will probably be fined later this week. The next play was an interception and Matthew Stafford grabbed the helmet of DJ Moore and pulled him down by the helmet. This caused Moore to go after Stafford which started a fight between the two teams. Moore was kicked out of the game, but after the game said, “When you are going after my livelihood, my neck and you trying to hurt me, I just can’t let that go.” After the fight, the Bears were forced to punt. The Lions got the ball and then Stafford threw another interception to Corey Graham. The Bears had to punt and that lead to a Lions touchdown. After that, the Bears just ran the clock down and the game was over. 

Overall, this was a pretty good game by the Bears. They forced turnovers against a team that usually does not turn the ball over. They played good defense and ran the ball. When the Bears dominate in those phases of the game, they tend to win the game. Jay Cutler was good in this game, aside from one mistake that almost lead to a turnover. The defense stayed strong despite the Lions playing very dirty. Stafford played dirty, the offensive line played dirty, and Suh and the defensive line played dirty. The Bears fought through all of that and still won the game.