Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher are ready to maul the Panthers. (photo courtesy of ESPN.com)

This week we will observe one of nature’s great rivalries, Bears (3-1) vs. Panthers(0-4) and break down the key matchups.  It will be a true battle for dominance between a wise old grizzly, Bears QB Todd Collins and a young cub, Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen.  The two will lead their packs into the wild kingdom that is Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

The Bears have their reputations on the line as a real contender in the NFC, but will be without their alpha male, QB Jay Cutler (concussion).  The Panthers, after losing their first four games, limp into week 5 and will most likely be without their ferocious WR Steve Smith (injured paw).   They will have to rely on two young kittens, WR David Gettis and WR Brandon LaFell, to protect the Panther’s home den.  Let’s take a look at some key matchups that will help decide this week struggle for NFL survival:

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Guys I Like in This Game

1. DeAngelo Williams – Miami’s rush D is stingy about yards allowed, but they have also allowed 10 rushing TDs, which is the 4th highest total in the NFL.  D-Will is a stud and despite him not practicing yesterday, expect him to play as Carolina has very quietly crept up to the fringe of the bubble teams.  Plus, he will have 10 days to rest after this one.
2. Ricky Williams - My good friend’s know, I have always been a supporter of Ricky and I have never ever smoked dope.  Just always liked his attitude on the field to fight for yards and I think he will have a good game, especially since Ronnie Brown is now out for the season.
3. Steve Smith - Delhomme hasn’t thrown a INT in the last 3 games…as a Bears fan, I wish I could say that about our QB.  That said, Jake is limiting his mistakes and starting to find Steve Smith again, so I say ride the hot hand and get Smitty active tonight.  Also, it doesn’t hurt that the Miami D ranks 27th against the pass.

Guys I Don’t Like in this Game  (more…)

Mentioning the Panthers to any Bears fan invokes horrid memories of Steve Smith carving up the field and humiliating the defense.  This contest is guaranteed to haven’t a different result because Steve Smith will not be available for the Panthers.  He has been banned for two games as a result of a fight during training camp and gives the Bears defense a big sigh of relief.

The real storyline of the week is the match up against ex-Bears Muhsin Muhammad who will have to assume the role as primary target for Jake Delhomme.  The Bears have established a history with Muhammad from his three years with the team.  His departure turned ugly recently when Muhammad made comments that Chicago is where receivers go to die in the NFL.  While there have been recent struggles for Bears receivers, there is nothing that suggests a good receiver can’t excel in the Bears system.  Now the Bears offense will be motivated to prove him wrong and the Bears cornerbacks will have extra motivation to shut down Muhammad every time they try to get him the ball.

Looking ahead to the Panther offense, the Bears will take the exact same approach they used against the Colts.  The Bears will stack eight men in the box and shut down the run, forcing Delhomme to make plays in the passing game.  On offense the Bears will look to establish the running game and use short pass plays to keep drives moving and control the clock.  The advantage is the players know the game plan can result in success against the best teams in the NFL, the disadvantage is the Panthers will study the tape from the Panthers game very closely and prepare.

The Panthers are recovering from their own shocking win in week 1 against the Chargers and will be looking to repeat those results.  Without Steve Smith the Panthers have the harder challenge of finding a way to move the ball against the Bears defense that held a highly potent Colts offense at bay.  The second road win will be a tough one for the Bears but they should be able to pull it off.