The Chicago Bears face an uphill battle on Monday night as they face the 6-2-1 San Francisco 49ers in prime time.  They’ll do it without starting quarterback Jay Cutler, who’s recovering from a concussion suffered last week in the first half of the Bears’ loss to the Houston Texans.

Can  the Bears pull off a win under the lights to fend off the hard-charging Green Bay Packers and maintain control of the NFC North?  Well of course they can.  What are my keys to a Chicago Bears victory?  Let’s see.

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Aug 27, 2011; Nashville, TN, USA; Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) surges through the line against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears return to Tennessee to face the Titans for the first time since 2004.  I was reading the game recap of the Bears’ thrilling 19-17 OT win.  How do you win an overtime game by two points?  That’s right class, a safety!

Chicago defensive ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye laughed, arguing at their lockers, trying to figure out who deserved credit for the final play.

The way this Chicago defense is playing, there’s more than enough to go around.

Brown sacked Billy Volek in the end zone and knocked the ball loose, and Tennessee tackle Fred Miller recovered but was tackled by Ogunleye for a safety to give the Bears a 19-17 overtime win over the Titans on Sunday.

Talk about some blasts from the past?  You won’t even be able to guess the Bears’ starting quarterback in that game.  Craig Krenzel.  My how things have changed in 8 years.

So what are the keys to a Chicago Bears victory this time around?  Let’s see. (more…)

Nov 13, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; A fight breaks out between the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions in the second half at Soldier Field. The Bears defeated the Lions 37-13. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears and Lions face off for the 165th time on Monday Night, with the Bears holding a 94-65-5 edge in the overall series.  The Bears come off their bye week with a 4-1 record, sitting atop the NFC North while the 2-3 Lions may have saved their season with a comeback win over the Eagles last week.

For the Lions, the offense hasn’t seemed to get into a rhythm all season, with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson failing to connect for a TD all season.  (Johnson’s lone TD came with Shaun Hill in relief of Stafford).  On the defensive side, their defensive line continues to be the engine that drives the unit, but the secondary is such a mess, they’re vulnerable through the air.  The Lion’s 2-3 record could very well be 4-1, with special teams costing them two games by giving up two return TD’s in each game.

So what do the Bears need to do to secure a victory and pick up where they left off before the BYE?  Here are my keys to a Chicago Bears victory, with a motor city theme. (more…)

Sep 23, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew (32) runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Jacksonville defeats Indianapolis 22-17. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

The Bears head down to Jacksonville for the second of back-to-back road games before they hit their Week 6 bye week. Maurice Jones-Drew, Blaine Gabbert and the 32nd ranked Jaguars await the fifth ranked Chicago Bears scoring defense.  On paper, the Bears should dominate, but as they always say, they don’t play the games on paper.  Here are my keys to a Chicago Bears victory. (more…)

Dirty Uniform Test

Frankly, I’m getting tired of the writing the same keys to the game every week – run better this, defend better that, yada, yada, yada.  Here’s my prediction – the quarterback whose jersey is the dirtiest will be going home a loser.

Kurt Warner is coming off a 5 interception game in a home loss to the Carolina Panthers.  He is prone to make mistakes if under pressure.  Rod Marinelli’s “Rush Men” had better step up their game.  It’s iffy if one of Warner’s top targets, wide receiver Anquan Boldin, will play so the secondary can focus more attention on Larry Fitzgerald.   Maybe they can hold the Cards down to 4-5 TD’s.

One the other sideline, the Bears need to do all they can to keep Jay Cutler upright.  He got the crap beaten out of him last week against the lowly Cleveland Browns and won’t make it through the season at this rate.  Cutler has been pretty good at home and has actually taken decent care of the ball.

We are who they thought we were

Last time the Bears faced the Cardinals, we got this infamous tirade video from then-Cardinals coach Denny Green:  (more…)