Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on November 3, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are entering the second half of the season with a 4-3 record and are now staring up at the Green Bay Packers for the lead in the NFC North right now.  As we all well know, Chicago started off their season hot with a three game winning streak, but too many mistakes caused them too many problems and they ended up losing their last two games. 

Can the Bears get back on a winning track and still make the playoffs?

The nice thing for the Bears is that they start out their quest in the second half of the season against a winless team.  The Buffalo Bills are still winless (the NFL’s only winless team) and present a good opportunity for the Bears to try to “get better.”  Chicago cannot take this team lightly though because they have been playing much better than their record indicates and have been close to winning a couple of games.

Prediction: The Bears come into the game refreshed and ready to win.  They run the ball well and the passing game gets better in a game which features their second largest margin of victory through eight games.

The Bears will host the Minnesota Vikings in their next game.  Any Bears fan will realize that the Vikings are undergoing a lot of problems and changes right now so the Bears may be playing them at the right time.  As long as the Bears can limit their mistakes in this game and get a rush on whoever the quarterback will be at that time, they should be able to win this game.

Prediction: It will be a close game in the dome but the Bears will be able to pull it out and get another victory, their second since the bye week.

Chicago’s next game will leave them very little time to prepare as they head to Miami for a Thursday night game against the Dolphins.  The Dolphins haven’t been playing that well at home (odd?) so that in itself gives the Bears a chance.  In order to win this game, the Bears must put a lot of pressure on quarterback Chad Henne and keep wide receiver Brandon Marshall blanketed.

They must also prepare for a defense that isn’t doing too bad right now.  Hopefully, the Bears have their passing game ready by this time because they will need it against the Dolphins.

Prediction: The Bears and the Dolphins will both be on short rest by the time this game comes around so expect a sloppy game.  The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win this game and with the Dolphins track record at home, the Bears should be able to win and keep on a path towards the playoffs.

Following an extended break (after the Thursday night game) the Bears will host the somewhat schizophrenic Philadelphia Eagles.  This game is a tough one to predict because the Eagles are a tough team to predict, but the Bears, if they are playing well on both sides of the ball and have what it takes to move the ball down the field on offense, should win this game.

Prediction: Look for this to be close game but watch as the Bears pull it out at the end.  It could come down to a field goal, but the Bears will win their fourth game in a row against the Eagles here.

Will the Bears second game against the Detroit Lions be a trap game?  It very well could be.  We all saw what the Lions can do now that their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, is back and healthy and knowing how close things got the first time these two teams met.  Will we have a repeat of that same game?  Can the Bears build enough of a lead to keep the Lions from winning?

Prediction: This game is actually almost too close to call and a lot depends on whether or not Stafford can remain healthy and how healthy the Bears defense is.  Look for this to be a very close game with the winner finally sealing it up in the final five minutes.  Who wins? This one’s a tossup.

The New England Patriots will come to Chicago, and this promises to be a very interesting game.  If the Bears defense is playing well and their offense can protect Cutler (typically the Bears biggest problem) then this should be a close one, but the Patriots have too many good weapons for the Bears to try to contain.  The Bears will put up a hard fight, but it’s almost certain they won’t win this one.

Prediction: The Bears lose this game by seven to 10 points.

The Bears play a Monday Night game at home against the Minnesota Vikings, and if they won the first game then the Bears should be able to win this one.  Chicago will be trying to position themselves for the playoffs at this point and every win will count so look for them to be playing their best.  Some of what happens in this game also depends on the health of key Vikings players.

Prediction: It’s going to be a good game, but the Vikings aren’t going to win it.  The Bears will win this one by 10 points and continue their drive to the playoffs.

Chicago will host the New York Jets in a game that could be one of the best of their season.  Who wins depends a lot on which Jets team shows up.  Will it be the one that hung 28 points on the New England Patriots in Week 2 or will it be the team that couldn’t score against the Packers last Sunday?  If the Jets have the same offensive problems that they have had as of late and the Bears can score just a few points, they just might be able to win this game.

But will the Jets defense give the Bears too much to handle?  That’s the question.  The way the Jets are playing right now makes this game too close to call but whichever team has the better defense will win the game.

Prediction: The Jets may have just as much on defense for the Bears to overcome.  New York won’t score a lot of points, but they will get just enough to beat Chicago in this game.

The final game of the season takes the Bears to Green Bay to take on the Packers.  This game, especially if it has playoff implications, could be the most exciting and the most important game in the Bears/Packers series to come along in a very long time.

This is yet another one of those tough games to predict. If there are playoff possibilities involved in this game then it’s going to be a very hard fought battle.  The Packers may not be at their healthiest by this time, and the Bears may be the better team.

Prediction: It’s going to come down to who wants it more.  The Bears may be trying to get into the playoffs at this point or they may already be in and be jockeying for position.  When it comes down to it, if the Bears want it more, they will win it in a very close game.

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