Oct 2, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates scoring a touchdown with wide receiver Brandon LaFell (11) during the second quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears and Panthers return to the lakefront to renew a frequent matchup.  This is the fourth time the  Bears and Panthers have faced off in the last five years.  The Bears edged Cam Newton and the Panthers 34-29 last season, as the Panthers put up 543 yards of offense against the Bears.  What are the keys for the Bears to win their 5th straight game?   Check out my Keys to Victory.

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Oct 2, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester (23) during his 69 yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The Chicago Bears (5-1 overall, 3-0 at home) face off with the Carolina Panthers (1-5 overall, 0-2 on the road) for the eighth time since the Panthers joined the NFL in 1995.  The Bears have won four of six regular season meetings, but lost to the Panthers in the playoffs in 2005 when WR Steve Smith smoked CB Chris Thompson and the Bears defense for 218 yards and two touchdowns.  The last time these two teams met, the Bears beat the Panthers and QB Cam Newton 34-29 in his fourth career start in 2011.

The Bears defense has dominated this season with 21 takeaways and 21 sacks, led by CB Charles Tillman (2 INTs, 2 TDs, 3 FF, 1 FR) who won NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his dominant performance against Lions WR Calvin Johnson (3 catches for 34 yards) last week.

Newton has struggled in his sophomore season (214.2 Passing YPG, 5 TDs, 6 INTs, 79.3 QB rating) and is looking to get a lethargic Panthers offense (17.7 points per game) back on track.  Head coach Ron Rivera seems to have forgotten that he has three dominant running backs in Jonathan Stewart (7 carries per game over last two games), DeAngelo Williams (4) and Mike Tolbert (2).  Newton is currently the team’s leading rusher with 273 yards and three touchdowns.  It’s going to be a tough challenge if the Panthers want to get off and running against the Bears, who allow 71.0 yards per game and have allowed on one rushing touchdown.

Let’s take a look at some numbers of interest for this Sunday’s game.

3-0:  Bears record against the Panthers at Soldier Field during the regular season.

543:  Total yards gained (374 passing, 169 rushing) by the Panthers in the game against the Bears last season (third most total yards given up by a Bears defense in franchise history).

205:  Rushing yards by Matt Forte in the game against the Panthers last season (career high).

529:  Total yards from scrimmage (463 rushing, 66 receiving) by Forte in three career games against the Panthers.

3:  Punt/kick returns of 50+ yards by Devin Hester in three career games against the Panthers.

6-0:  Bears record under Lovie Smith in home games the week following a Monday night game.

166.25:  Average receiving yards per game for Panthers WR Steve Smith in four career games against the Bears.

20:  Number of field goals attempted and made against the Panthers this season.

2:  Number of field goals attempted and made by the Panthers this season.

1-10:  Panthers record when QB Cam Newton rushes for less than 50 yards.

41:  Number of receptions by Brandon Marshall through six games this season, more than any Bears wide receiver had in all of the 2011 season (Johnny Knox and Roy Williams had 37 each).

18.5, 7.8:  Average yards per kick return (1^st in NFL) and punt return (14^th), respectively, by opposing players against the Panthers this season.

27.6, 24.3:  Average yards per kick return (5 returns) and punt return (6) by Hester in three career games against the Panthers.

20:  Number of third downs converted by the Panthers this season (worst in the NFL).

0:  Number of players on the Bears, other than Cutler, who have turned the ball over this season.

6:  Number of combined points allowed by the Bears defense in the first and third quarter this season.

With four consecutive wins, the Bears are trending up and with four consecutive losses, the Panthers are trending down.  Add to the Panthers woes, a QB who is looking for answers and the abrupt firing of GM Marty Hurney, and you have yourself a desperate team.  The Bears should be careful not to take this team too lightly.  Their defense has 14 sacks and two INTs returned for touchdowns.  And while the Panthers running game has been mediocre so far, they have four players (Newton, Williams, Stewart, Tolbert) who have rushed for 10 or more touchdowns in a season.  The Bears need to get the offense going to give their overachieving defense a little break.  The Panthers might be the perfect medicine to boost the production of Cutler, Marshall and the Bears offense.

Oct 2, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) passes the ball during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears defeated the Panthers 34-29. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears and Panthers get set for their 4th meeting in 5 years.  Talk about two teams headed in opposite directions.  The Bears are rolling, winners of their last four in a  row while the Panthers have lost four straight.  Cam Newton has gone from Superman to Hello Kitty in less than a season.  This seems to set up for an easy Bears win, but nothing is ever as easy as it seems.  To help us get the inside scoop on the Panthers, we’ve enlisted Ken Dye from FanSided’s Panthers site Cat Crave to do our weekly Q&A.

Here are my questions and Ken’s answers.  Be sure to head over to Cat Crave to see my answers to his questions. (more…)

Bears Spotlight

June 12, 2012; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) passes during Bears-Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-US PRESSWIRE

Jay Cutler has thrown for over 18,000 yards in his first six seasons, but he has only been a top 10 fantasy quarterback once in his career when he threw for 4,500 yards in his last season in Denver.  Cutler hasn’t been higher than 17th while playing for the Bears due to poor blocking and turnovers.  There will be no excuses this season with the weapons surrounding Cutler.  Most mock drafts have him falling to the 11-13th selected quarterback which could and should prove to be a great value.  The past few seasons with Martz as coordinator it was way to risky to start Cutler on a weekly basis! With Brandon Marshall and rookie Alshon Jeffrey along with Earl Bennett and the Hester Package along with Matt Forte, this should be a huge season for Cutler and almost a shoe in for a top 10 quarterback season!

Fantasy Top 10 QB’S

1. Drew Brees-

Drew Brees -Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

In the post-Bountygate world in New Orleans, Brees is now the de facto offensive coordinator.  Brees has not thrown for less than 4,000 yards since arriving in Cajun Country, and without Sean Payton, you have to believe that the Saints offense will be even more pass happy.  There’s also a good chance that they will be trailing more than last year which will mean more Brees passing and #1 Qb in fantasy.

2. Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers-Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

If Rodgers didn’t sit out the last week of the year he would have easily been last season’s #1 fantasy quarterback.  Rodgers had 45 touchdowns to 6 interceptions last season and there’s no reason to believe his production will slip.  The Green Bay Packers still do not have an established running game and have named James Starks as starting running back which translated in fantasy football terms means Rodgers could be passing 50 times a games.  Rodgers has been a top 10 fantasy QB since taking over for Brett Favre, and 2012 should be no exception.

3. Tom Brady

Tom Brady- Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The old veteran now of fantasy qb’s.  Except for his one pass injury season of 2008, having Brady on your roster has always been a good thing.  The Patriots offense is always adding new twists from The Randy Moss years, to the two tight end passing game, and now Brady has a new toy to play with in Brandon Lloyd.  Brady only threw for 5,200 yards last year, and with the new addition the sky is the limit in 2012.  Draft Brady early because he will not be available very long in any draft.

4. Matt Schaub 

Matt Schaub-Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

Schaub will be availble later in the draft then some other guys ranked lower in this ranking for one reason only—HEALTH.  Schaub and the Texans offense always put up great offensive numbers and they have some of the best weapons at ever postition in Foster, Johnson, and Owens.  Schaub has only completed 2 seasons which is alarming but when he’s on the field he puts up some great fantasy numbers.  He may be a red flag risk but the high end reward is there especially the later the round in the draft that he’s still available.

5. Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford- Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

It’s amazing what health and having arguably the best Wide Recevier in the league can do.  Stafford threw for over 5,000 yards in his first season where he played all 16 games.  Stafford had the luxury of Calvin Johnson which makes the QB job a lot easier.  Stafford will most likely be gone by the 2nd round at the latest in your draft.  The Lions early on will not have much of a running game and how well Leshore fits into the offense is still to be determined on Sundays so expect a lot of balls in the air in Detroit again this season.

6. Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan- Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

Ryan’s stats have been very consistent and improving every season since entering the league.  He leads a very boring offense which isn’t sexy but still puts up the stats every week.  This season could be a change from the vanilla to maybe neapolitan since Julio Jones after a very slow start came on at the end of the season and could burst on to the scene.  Jones could help Ryan become a top 5 QB like Johnson did for Stafford last season.  The Falcons are not going to abandon the run but it will not be surprising to see a lot more explosive plays from them this season and make Ryan and very good value as a fantasy QB.

7. Eli Manning

Eli Manning-Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

The good side of Eli is that his yards per season has increased the past four seasons and he’s very consistent in his TD’s per year.  The dark side of Eli is the interceptions! Everyone likes to harp on Jay Cutler for bad int’s but Eli has the same bad tendency.  In his Super Bowl season’s he has been able to steer clear of the turnover bug and put up good numbers.  He may be without Hakeem Nicks early on and will be missing Mario Manningham.  This could be a small decline in his numbers from last season but the decline shouldn’t be too drastic not to draft him in the t0p 4 rounds.

8. Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning-Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

The former #1 fantasy quarterback for years now has a new home and address.  Drafting him will be a huge risk with the neck injury, but the reward could be huge if he stays healthy for the entire 2012 season.  Manning will be in a new system with unfamiliar players, but he’s just too good of QB not to believe he will make all the adjustments needed through his endless preparations to be highly successful in Mile High City.  In mocks drafts his position has been very unpredictable so where he gets selected will depend on the fondness for him by you or your league mates.

9. Cam Newton

Cam Newton- Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

Cam Newton did something no other rookie quarterback has done in fantasy football…Dominate from day 1.  His turnover ratio does need to improve, last year it was 21-17 but he was unstoppable by the goal line rushing for 14 touchdowns.  Defenses seemed to catch up to Newton’s passing skills  late in the season, so you may want to keep an eye on him during the pre-season action to see if his accuracy has improved, but his natural talents and progression could lead to even greater statistics then his first season.

10. Tony Romo

Tony Romo-Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Forget the fact that Romo chokes in the playoffs or when a possible playoff spot is on the line.  This is fantasy rankings and Romo is a stat machine.  Romo routinely puts up 4,000 yards 30 touchdown seasons.  Dez Bryant could be the next big receiver in the NFL which will be an added plus to Romo owners.  He still has his security blanket in Whitten, and he should have a good running game with Murray and Jones.  There has been little chatter out of Dallas this off season compared to other years which could lead to a Dallas revival!

Breakout Fantasy QB- Alex Smith

Alex Smith- Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

Just like the Bears off season, the 49ers have added offensive weapons. Oldie but goodie Randy Moss and Super Bowl champ Mario Manningham have been added to a very average 49ers offense.  Smith had a rebirth under first year coach Jim Harbaugh throwing for 17 touchdowns and only 5 picks.  Smith may not leap into a top 10 fantasy qb this season but his stats could see a tremendous jump with the added offensive firepower surrounding him provided Moss plays at a high level for most of the season.

Bust Fantasy QB-Joe Flacco

Joe Flacco- Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

The bizzaro world of Tony Romo.  Flacco has tremendous playoff success but is a liability during the regular season in fantasy football. Flacco hasn’t missed a game and his stats are very similar the past three seasons but there has been no progression.  He has one of the top running backs in the league in Ray Rice, so you know the Ravens will force feed him as much as possible.  This is the season where no progression meets regression for Flacco.  They play the Steelers twice a year so that’s a guaranteed two weeks you won’t want to start him, and they will never go into a game with the philosophy of airing it out.  Steer clear of Flacco as your #1 qb this season.

The ball will be in the air more than ever this season! Who’s your top 10, sleeper, or bust?  Will Jay Cutler be a top 5 fantasy qb? I would be glad to see your lists in the comments section!!

Da BEARS!!!