The Chicago Bears Have a First-Round Bye
Man bites dog (or at least dog bit man in the case of Michael Vick). The Minnesota Vikings actually showed up last night and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-14 in wussed-in Philadelphia. I am so glad this all got shoved up the ass of the Eagles. I just cannot stand that team.
This now means that at worst, the Chicago Bears now have a first-round bye in the playoffs. If the stars align, they can still get first seed but that would require wins by Carolina and Tampa Bay along with a win by the Chicago Bears. I am guessing that much won’t happen. But you never know. This has been a strange season.
The Bears/Packers game is being played at 3:15. By that time, the Chicago Bears will know what is at stake. The Packers, on the other hand, are playing for their football lives as long as the Giants beat the Redskins and the Buccaneers beat the Saints. The Saints may be playing for nothing, so the Buccaneers could win. The Giants, on the other hand, now need to play with some urgency. If all three teams win, the Packers are in and the other two are out. If the Buccaneers win, then they are in if the Packers and Giants lose. And if the Giants win, then the Buccaneers are out and the Packers have to win. If all three lose, the Packers are in.
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So what do the Chicago Bears do if they are playing for nothing? Do they rest the starters? I’ve been going back and forth on this one. On the one hand, the Chicago Bears owe it to the league to play as if this game means something. On the other hand, they owe the league nothing because it is important this team stay healthy for the playoffs. Now if the Packers make the playoffs before this game starts, what do they do? There is no way for them to improve seeding, so they have nothing to gain.
Now, if the Chicago Bears have a chance at the top seed, they should play to win. If they have a shot at nothing, I think the starters should play the first half and Devin Hester should not see any punts or kickoffs. He’s way too valuable. Lovie Smith says the Bears are playing this game to win, but I am sure he changed slightly after the Eagles lost tonight.
Regardless of what happens Sunday, I think that we owe the Chicago Bears a lot of credit for not screwing the pooch the way the Eagles, Packers and Giants did down the stretch.
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Chicago Bears Thursday Thoughts
The Chicago Bears face the Seattle Seahawks as 6.5 point favorites at home. Last week, if you can believe it, the Chicago Bears were underdogs against Carolina.
I think this will be another good game for the Chicago Bears. Being a team that wasn’t projected to be a contender this year, the Bears will not get into the idea of looking past anyone. Under normal circumstances, this could be a trap game, but the Chicago Bears are enjoying this us against them mentality.
I’m looking forward to someone convincing me otherwise. But I’m expecting good things on Sunday.
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Chicago Bears defeat Carolina 23-6
Todd Collins tried to single-handedly tried to give this game to Carolina, but the defense, Matt Forte and Robbie Gould made it otherwise.
Julius Peppers returned to Carolina and didn’t disappoint the Chicago Bears fans. He made an unbelievable interception on the tipped pass along with another acrobatic pick by Brian Urlacher. Gould easily nailed a 53-yard field goal that sealed it in the fourth quarter.
Along with Forte, Chester Taylor had a solid game. While Carolina wasn’t very good, it was nice to see the Chicago Bears rebound from a tough loss last week.
With a winnable game at home next week against Seattle, the Chicago Bears can be 5-1. A very successful start to the season.
Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers Game Day Preview
I want to thank Angus for kicking off this weekend with his great article and prediction. He’s a spirited guy and believes the Chicago Bears will lose today.
A week ago, the Chicago Bears were undefeated and up against a New York Giants team on the brink. Or so many us thought…the result was a Chicago Bears defeat and Jay Cutler getting injured.
What may be a break on paper with the Chicago Bears playing a winless Carolina Panthers squad has become more of a challenge. With Todd Collins at quarterback, the Chicago Bears have little offensive identity. Plus with the offensive line in shambles, there doesn’t seem to be a way this team can score points.
However, where there is hope is on defense and special teams. The Chicago Bears defensive played well against the Giants but were on the field for a long time. Devin Hester may be getting his reputation back based on how the Giants punted.
Let’s remember that the Panthers also have problems. Steve Smith is out and there isn’t much depth in the receiving core with Dwayne Jarrett being released for his second DUI. Former Notre Damer Jimmy Clausen was rushed into the starting roll. While they have two strong running backs in Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, the Chicago Bears can safely play up and defend the run. I’m aware the Giants had success running the football, but it was a product of being physically worn out. The pressure fell on the defense last week and the group didn’t fail because of effort or talent.
Eric Quackenbush of catcrave.com predicted the Chicago Bears to win in our Q & A session yesterday 24-17. If the Chicago Bears score 24 points, it will be a miracle. I’m thinking more that the score will be…
Chicago Bears 13 Carolina Panthers 6
The Chicago Bears will win this game with defense and special teams. Get ready for boring football.
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Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers…Q & A with a Panthers Blogger
Eric Quackenbush of Cat Crave agreed to do this week’s Q and A. Here are his thoughts…
Jonathan: What type of greeting will Peppers receive from the fans?
Eric: “I think Peppers will receive a mixed greeting. Personally, his return will be met with a hearty “boo” in my house. Pep’s latest incident on not being coddled by the front office upon his departure is just the latest in a long line of reasons to boo the man.”
Jonathan: Hows does Carolina win this football game?
Eric: “Carolina can win this game if they play 60 minutes of solid football. This is asking a lot of the team at this point, given the immaturity at certain positions. That being said, the team has made improvements on a weekly basis, and rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen continues to develop in almost seamless fashion. Against the Saints, Clausen did not throw a single pick, nor did he fumble the ball. In order to win this, the Panthers must score on offense, and keep playing the style of defense it showed at New Orleans.”
Jonathan: How does Chicago win this game?
Eric: “Devin Hester. On special teams, the guy is still a nightmare. It impresses me that technically, a team has to kick away from Hester on kickoffs, but even that can get a team in trouble if the kick goes out of bounds.”
Jonathan: Will John Fox finish the year in Carolina?
Eric: “I think he will. In 2001, George Seifert went 1-15, and kept his job until the end of the season. Jerry Richardson (to date) is not a believer in making a coaching change mid-season. I don’t necessarily agree with it; if it was my decision to be made, I’d make a change going into the Bye Week, and turn the reins over to defensive coordinator Ron Meeks as a trial period in finding the team’s new head coach.”
Jonathan: Game prediction???
Eric: “I’m going with Chicago in this one. Carolina stands a decent shot at beating the Bears, but I’m going to be cautious, and stick with my “no wins until after the Bye” mantra…Chicago 24 Carolina 17.”
Thanks Eric!!! Here are my answers to his questions…
Eric: How confident are you in the Bears starting quarterback Todd Collins?
Jonathan: “Not at all…But Mike Martz has proven he can get things out of quarterbacks people have little faith in…Caleb Hanie may still play if Collins is ineffective, but as of now, I’m not very confident. Chicago Bears GM last season failed to address the back-up running back position, and the results were a disaster. An issue I have with Lovie Smith and company was they allowed rookie Dan LeFevour to take most of the snaps during the preseason, and released him at the end of training camp. While Hanie got hurt in the first game, the Chicago Bears needed to get a quarterback ready and not spend the whole preseason getting LeFevour ready for the Bengals.”
Eric: After allowing nine sacks to the New York Giants, how effective can the Bears offensive line be at protecting Collins?
Jonathan: “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I am not as concerned about the Panters defensive line. I think there were two factors going against the Chicago Bears last Sunday evening. One was that Cutler did have time on at least two of those sacks, but I believe he may have suffered the concussion earlier in the game based on some reports that are coming out. The other is that the Giants were playing so poorly that something had to give. It was the Chicago Bears. So, with that being said, the Panthers will probably have 15 sacks. The Bears are going to keep it simple with short passes and attempt to run the ball…get ready for some extremely boring football.”
Eric: Which tackle do you think the Bears will line Julius Peppers up against, RT Geoff Schwartz or LT Jordan Gross? How effective will Pep be against either?
Jonathan: “Peppers is a manchild. As you know, he can dominate anywhere on the field. Peppers as usually on the right side, but they have been moving him around to create more opportunities.”
Eric: How dominating will the Bears special teams — specifically return game — be?
Jonathan: “Devin Hester finally showed us his old form. Danieal Manning may suck suck suck as a safety, but he is a good return man. Johnny Knox reminds me of a young Steve Smith. So the Chicago Bears have three really strong returners. If Carolina kicks to Hester, the Chicago Bears may find a way to get something out of that situation.”
Eric: What is one area of concern about the Panthers that the Bears need to focus on?
Jonathan: “The obvious answer is your pass rush. Based on last Sunday, the Chicago Bears couldn’t block anyone. The Panthers have two good running backs. If Carolina can run the ball, this will be ugly for Chicago. But I am guessing there will be Bears in the backfield all game especially with Jimmy Clausen at QB.”
Eric: Anything else you would like to add?
Jonathan: “Many of us in Chicago were nervous about the news before Cutler was ruled out, and now panic has reached the streets. Based on last Sunday and no Cutler, the Chicago Bears may play with a little something to prove. But with this team, anything can happen.”
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