Bears vs Bucs: Top 5 Matchups to Watch

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3. Jay Cutler vs Lovie Smith

You had better believe that when Lovie Smith circled this game on his calendar, he wrote a little JC in the margin because he knows his best way to try to win this game is to get to his former quarterback.  Lovie Smith has made a career out of taking the ball away and Jay Cutler excels at giving it away, so this is a match made in heaven for Lovie.  Smith knows Jay’s tendencies and knows how to bait Cutler into getting careless with the ball.  He was on the sidelines to witness 63 of Cutler’s 124 career interceptions so you know he’d love to get a couple of those as the opposing coach.

For Cutler, he knows every nook and cranny of this defense.  He’s practiced against it for years.  There is no reason that he shouldn’t be able to pick this defense apart.   He’s seen how other teams attack it from the sidelines.  He should be attacking the middle of the field all day with quick slants and shallow crosses.  Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery should challenge the middle to see if the linebacker can get enough depth to cover the deep middle.  And if the middle linebacker can’t cover the deep middle, don’t worry because Major Wright is one of the safeties.  The Tampa corners are nothing to write home about so there will be opportunities all day.