Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction
It’s going to be strength against strength, weakness against weakness on Sunday. When the Bears have the ball, they’ll be going against the strength of the Bills, their defense. The Bills boast a tremendous defensive line, with Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes, Kyle Williams and Marcel Dareus. The Bills defense has a familiar face at the controls, former Detriot Lions coach Jim Schwartz. They’ll look to harass Jay Cutler and the Bears offense into making mistakes. Meanwhile, Cutler and the Bears return all 11 starters from last season’s 2nd ranked offense. Matt Forte didn’t do much in the preseason, but expect him to get it going to take some pressure off the passing game.
Da Windy City
I think the game will be won based on the weaknesses go after each other, the Bills offense vs the Bears defense. Whichever of these units is less bad will go a long way to deciding the outcome of the game. The Bills will look to run the ball with their stout rushing attack led by C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson at the Bears’ 32nd ranked rush defense of 2013. But it’s not 2013 any more. The Bears have re-tooled their defense, starting with the defensive line. Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young will lead the charge for the resurgent unit that can only improve on last season’s abysmal performance. Look for the Bills to try to attack the middle of the Bears defense. Tight end Scott Chandler is a sneaky starter for your fantasy freaks out there. The Bears safeties are still a work in progress, but quarterback EJ Manuel should be held in check.
The Bears are outstanding in home openers, with a record of 6-1 dating back to 2007 and winners of 5 straight dating back to 2009. The Bills only had 2 wins away from home last season. The trend is your friend, but a late special teams score gives the Bills a backdoor cover.
Bears 27 – Bills 21