Chicago.com
It is the last week of the regular season for our Bears and boy does it feel good not to have to worry about whether they will make the playoffs or not. With the No.2 seed already clinched and an outside shot of being the top seed in the NFC, life is good right now at Hallas Hall. As I am writing this Atlanta is destroying the Carolina Panthers and with it making sure that the road to the Superbowl in the NFC goes through the Georgia Dome. That will make the Bears’ game against the Packers even more so interesting since Lovie Smith had planned to play all his starters for an extended period of time. One has to wonder how much the likes of Cutler, Urlacher and Peppers will get to play now that there is no way for the Bears to be the top seed in the NFC.
The Packers have everything to play for and the Bears absolutely nothing. The Packers need to win to get in and they must do so since the Giants play against the Redskins at the same time, a game the Giants are expected to win rather easily. Aaron Rodgers played last week following his concussion problems and he certainly played well. Rodgers threw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns against a Giants defense widely regarded as one of the best in the NFL. All this happened in a game where both teams needed the win but Aaron Rodgers was simply unstoppable.
Against the Bears Rodgers should have another great day, especially if the Bears starters are out of the game in the second half, as is expected. For the Bears it all depends how long Jay Cutler and the rest of the offensive starters remain in the game and if they do decide to go all out for the victory. The motivation for the Bears should be in the fact that they can deny the Packers entry into the playoffs with a victory, and anytime you can bounce a rival out of the playoffs that has to be considered a good day. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Bears approach this game.
Yesterday at this time I would have said that the game will be close and even now I expect the Bears to give it a legit effort. Today, within an hour of the actual game I have to believe that the Bears will sit their starters in the second half and “allow” the Packers to get into the playoffs.
All joking aside, even if both teams had their starters for the whole game I would have to go with the Pack because of the situation that they are in. Bears have nothing to play for while Green Bay has everything riding on this one.
I think the Bears will put forth a decent effort today but I don’t think it will be enough to win at Lambeau with so much riding on the game for the home team. I do believe that there will be points scored by both sides in a very entertaining game. Unfortunately, I expect Rodgers and the Packers to come out on top and join the Bears in the playoffs. Regardless it was a great season for the Bears and no one in their right mind expected them to go 11-5 or perhaps 12-4. At least no one writing this article did.
PREDICTION: Packers 31 – Bears 20
Even though the Bears have already clinched a playoff spot and the NFC North title, there is still a lot more at stake in the last two weeks of the season. The main goal is and will be getting the No.2 seed in the NFC behind Atlanta, who has all but clinched the top seed in the conference. The Falcons have a big game on Monday Night Football against the reigning champs Saints and with a win Atlanta can ensure that the road to Dallas will go through Georgia Dome this year.
The Bears face the New York Jets in a matchup of 10-4 teams but with slightly different playoff scenarios. The Bears are fighting for the playoff seed in their conference, while the Jets need a win to clinch a playoff berth for a second consecutive year. In a year where the Jets have been in the news for a whole lot of wrong reasons (just think Jenn Sterger, Ines Sainz and the tripping equipment guy) there was another issue this week.
Jets coach Rex Ryan was the reason for the distraction this time around, as there are reports claiming Ryan and his wife, Michelle, participated in some foot-fetish videos seen on the Internet. The videos show a woman displaying her feet to an off-screen cameraman who, in one particular video, sounds like Ryan. The two are having an intimate chat about her feet.
The Jets have dealt with distractions before; therefore one has to figure that this will not be a big deal this week. The bigger question is the health of their quarterback Mark Sanchez, who has been nursing a sore shoulder all week and has not thrown a touchdown pass in three games, all the while throwing four interceptions. Sanchez is expected to play on Sunday and from a Bears perspective that might not be the worst of deals. He has been Mr. Inconsistency over the last month and he gets to face one of the best defenses in the league on Sunday in Julius Peppers and the Bears. That is one of the reasons why I am optimistic about this game.
The biggest problem for the Bears will be containing the Jets defense, in particular the blitzing schemes that Rex Ryan like to use. The Jets defense comes early and often. Their motto is always to rather get beaten while applying pressure, rather than just sitting back and waiting things to develop. They are very aggressive and the Bears will have to find a way to use that aggressiveness against them. Quick, short passes should be used tomorrow to offset the Jets pass rush, as well as screens and draws. The Jets get their swagger from their defense and if that is taken away from them everything else becomes easier.
The Bears have an advantage at the quarterback position, since Cutler is simply playing better than Sanchez. At the same time I believe that the Jets running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene are better than our combo of Forte and Taylor. The Jets receivers are certainly better than the Bears receiving core, however, with Sanchez struggling as much as he has over the last couple of games, that becomes a mute point. Both defenses are very stout against the run and both have a great front four. The Jets corners Revis and Cromartie are widely regarded as the best CB duo in the league so I wouldn’t expect much from the receivers in this game.
That leads me to my key to the game: Special Teams. Both teams are getting great special team play, Jets from Brad Smith and Bears from Devin Hester. Smith returned a kickoff last week for a score and is among the league leaders in average return yards per kickoff, something the Bears MUST stop if they want to win tomorrow.
Devin Hester set the all time NFL record last Monday night in Minnesota, as he took another punt return to the endzone to set the new all time record at 14. Which ever team stops the other electrifying return man better will have a huge outcome in who wins the game.
The Jets are a good team but they are not great. Both teams were manhandled by New England in the last 3 weeks, and they both have glaring weaknesses. The team which exposes the others’ weakness better will end up winning the game. For my money I will take the Bears at home, simply because I believe that Sanchez will make more mistakes than Cutler and Bears special teams will out duel New York’s. It’s hard to imagine that this will be anything other than a defensive game, something both teams are very accustomed to.
PREDICTION: Bears 20 – Jets 14
Here we are officially kicking off a new weekly segment here at Chicago.com called “The Bulls Report,” which will cover any and all the news surrounding our favorite basketball team. The “Report” will summarize the week that was for the Bulls on and off the court, as well as lend some insight into the general situation of our Bulls and how they are faring thus far in the NBA. This feature will usually be a Monday staple but I decided to start it off this time with a pre-Christmas version.
Overall, things are very good with the team right now. The Bulls’ record is 18-9 and they have won two in a row following the surprising loss to Vinny Del Negro’s Los Angeles Clippers. The reason it was surprising is due to the Clippers’ overall record (8-22) and in particular their road woes (2-11) where they had won only once prior to their victory in Chicago. It’s pretty safe to say that the loss against the Clippers stings in particular since the Bulls had won seven in a row prior to that and now back to back games since.
The Clippers are not as bad as their record would indicate and they have a perennial superstar All-Star in Blake Griffin. The team that is so often ripped for getting their draft picks screwed up (think Michael Olowokandi) got this one very much right. Griffin is a beast, physically and skill-wise. Coming off of a micro fracture surgery on his knee, the 2nd year Oklahoma forward has every possible shot in his repertoire along with the nasty streak unseen in the NBA since the days of Alonzo Mourning. His goal is to dunk it on you every chance he gets and thus far this year he has been a human highlight show, he alone is worth the price of admission. Seriously, he is.
The missed free throw by Derrick Rose at the end of that game is something that will not happen to him again as he has been phenomenal in the early part of the season. The Bulls played without Joakim Noah and missed his presence against Griffin, as veteran Kurt Thomas couldn’t provide the spark that Tom Thibodeau was hoping to get from him. Sure it is only one game and every team will have its hiccups once in a while but the Bulls could have had a 10-game win streak if not for that loss.
The Clippers loss was followed by an absolute annihilation of the 76ers and a close but gutsy victory against the Wizard in Washington. The Philly game was over early on as the Bulls shot over 60% from the field for the game won it in an embarrassing fashion by 45 points. Philadelphia never really got going and the game was over by halftime, something coach Thibodeau must have loved following that Clippers loss. In Washington, Carlos Boozer had 30 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists to carry the Bulls to their 9th win in the last 10 games. Derrick Rose added his usual line of 20 or more points and 5 or more assists and the Bulls tightened their defense in the fourth quarter allowing only 10 points. In short, Bulls are beating the teams that they are supposed to beat aside from the Clippers loss, of course.
Schedule-wise the Bulls are in the middle of a very favorable stretch in the next couple of weeks. The tough game on the slate is the Christmas Day game against the Knicks and Amar’e Stoudamire but the next seven after that all very winnable. The schedule for the next 8 games is like this: @New York, @ Detroit, Milwaukee, New Jersey, Cleveland, Toronto, @ New Jersey and @ Philadelphia. The Bulls have a better record than all of these teams and a 6-2 or even a 7-1 record during is to be expected.
Playing without Noah for 2 more months, the Bulls need to stay focused and beat the teams they are expected to beat. Tough games are coming soon and the Bulls need to capitalize on this weaker part of the schedule, especially since Noah is not coming back anytime soon. Maintaining the high level of play is going to be challenging and if they can do that until Noah gets back, it would make life a lot easier come March and April. In my opinion, the division should and will be won by the Bulls. The more games they win now the easier the road will be later.
“The Report” will be back next week and here is to hoping that we have another successful week to look back on. Until then keep supporting our Bulls and Merry Christmas to all.
And so after a month-long hiatus we are back here at Chicago.com with our weekly Bears coverage and boy does it feel great to that again. Not only because I get to write on my favorite team – Chicago Bears, but because by the time I preview the Bears next week we might be talking about NFC North Division winners Chicago Bears. The reason for that is simple – Green Bay lost a heartbreaker to the Patriots and our Bears have 1 ½ game lead on the Packers prior to tonight’s game against the Vikings.
The biggest story of the game is the weather. It’s been in the news over the past week and it all started with the collapse of the roof in the Metrodome.
For a whole week there has been speculation about where the game would be played and even after a location was found as nearby as the University of Minnesota TCF Bank Stadium there were still issues. The field was deemed as unplayable due to snow and the frigid conditions early on but those issues were taken care of since. The players from both teams are still questioning the quality of the pitch but it’s a little too late for that now. The Bears’ players didn’t complain about that a week ago when they were taken to the woodshed by Tom Brady and the Patriots. Conditions will be the same for both teams and the sooner Bears players come to that conclusion the better they will be prepared for the game.
The second biggest question going into the game is how to correct the mistakes that were made against the Patriots. The Bears couldn’t throw the ball, couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t stop the pass, couldn’t stop the run and even had special team lapses unseen before all in one game. It was a fail of epic proportions and one that they had a week to correct.
The truth is that they will be facing a rookie quarterback in Joe Webb, who will look to right the Viking ship after injuries to Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson. The Bears have caught many breaks this year and none appear to be bigger than this one. With a chance to clinch the division they will face a rookie quarterback on a team that is looking for off-season rest already.
Adrian Peterson. That’s the key to the game. If the Bears are able to stop Peterson and make the Vikings one-dimensional and put it in the hands of a rookie quarterback, who is making his first NFL start against one of the best front fours in the game. Peterson is struggling with a thigh injury and in the first meeting against the Bears mustered up just 51 yards on the ground. The Vikings have nothing to play for and it’s not in their indoor stadium, even more of a reason for the Bears to be pumped up for this game.
Jay Cutler has to get back to the Jay Cutler from a couple weeks ago and forget completely about last week’s game against the Patriots. The Bears will hopefully simplify the game plan, run the football and excel at special teams, something that was a major letdown last week. The weather will play a role, it will be snowing and it’s going to be extremely cold. The most complaints have been about the frozen field and the dangers it could pose to the players. I have a feeling that the field will not be any worse than last week at Soldier Field and that field certainly didn’t bother Tom Brady and the Patriots.
I believe that this game will be closer than some experts have predicted. The Bears will play better tonight but so will the Vikings. This is the last “home” game for Minnesota and they will want to go out with a bang. The key will be stopping Adrian Peterson and making Joe Webb beat you. I have a feeling that Devin Hester will have a big special play tonight, especially since he looked really good last week in the snowstorm. In a close and very unpredictable game my prediction is that the Bears come out victorious and clinch the NFC North with two weeks remaining.
PREDICTION: Bears 24 – Vikings 20
At last the bye week is over and the Bears are ready to resume the 2010/11 season. On one hand I’m excited that Bears football is on again but on the other I’m not looking forward to being frustrated by the Bears’ incompetence once again. The latter shouldn’t even happen this week as the Bears travel to Toronto for a match-up against the winless Bills. The Bills are 0-7 and were absolutely putrid through the first couple of weeks; however, they have improved a lot in the last couple of weeks. Their loss to the Ravens was a close one and they gave the Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) a run for their win.
This “easy win” could be another Trojan Horse for the Bears. I understand that there are no trap games for a team that just lost two winnable games at home to the Seahawks and the Redskins. The Bears should be a 6-1 team right now. We all know it. Yes, I know what Bill Parcells said back in the day: “You are what your record says you are.” To an extent it is true since the Bears couldn’t beat two teams that they quite frankly should have beaten at home. In a division that is up for grabs, the Bears have had two letdowns in a row. Now they are coming off of a bye week and are facing a winless Bills team on a neutral field (I know it’s a home game for the Bills in Toronto but it’s no Ralph Wilson Stadium) coming off of two heartbreaking losses.
This game on Sunday should be a pretty simple game to prepare for. The Bills rank dead last in the NFL in rushing defense at 188.7 yards pre game. Kansas City ran the ball for over 250 yards and even though they are the top ranked rushing attack, it speaks highly (or lowly) of the Bills inability to stop the run. The Bears should and must run the ball on Sunday. RUN THE FOOTBALL!!! There is no excuse this week if the Bears don’t run the football this Sunday. NONE!!! Anything less than 20-25 carries for the running backs should result in the firing of Mike Martz on Sunday after the game. Every single opponent for the Bills has been successful running the ball and so should the Bears.
The Bills are playing better and it all starts with the quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He has quietly produced a quality season (12TD – 5INT) especially since the Bills are 0-7. Wide receiver Steve Johnson has come out of nowhere and has emerged as the Bills No.1 receiver putting up great number in a very short time. Buffalo still has a decent running back in Fred Jackson and an explosive rookie in C.J. Spiller. Spiller has not had the season experts predicted him to have but the potential is still there and the Bears will be fully aware of his skills.
If the Bears are able to run the football they will win the game – plain and simple. The running game will take the pressure of the offensive line and Jay Cutler and enable the offense to use some play action. The offensive line prefers running the ball versus a seven step drop they are currently using for passing plays. Mike Martz needs to realize that and hopefully he has during the bye week. The Bears coaching staff must run the football more and they have the perfect opponent waiting for them to do so in the Buffalo Bills.
How will Cutler bounce back after his disastrous performance against the Redskins? Will the Bears even out the play-calling for this week? Has the O-line improved at all during the bye week? Will Major Wright play? Will Buffalo finally find a way to beat an opponent after two close calls against the Ravens and the Chiefs.
These are all questions that will be answered tomorrow in Toronto and hopefully on Monday all the Bears fans will rejoice about a convincing victory against the Bills.
I believe that this will be a tough game for the Bears and not a walkover like some are predicting. The Bills have shown major improvements across the board and are not playing like a team that’s 0-7. I would not be surprised if the Bills did pull the upset and beat the Bears but I believe that a week off will pay dividends in the end. In a high scoring game I believe the Bears will come out on top by a touchdown.
PREDICTION: Bears 31 – Bills 24