Chicago Bears Insider: How the Bears Can Lose on Sunday
Published by Bryan Dietzler on January 13, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
You know we all want to hear about how the Bears can win a game, and there has been plenty written about that. But has there been much written on how the Bears could lose their game against the Seahawks this coming Sunday?
There are always ways for a team to lose a game, and there are things we don’t want our favorite team to do in a game (to lose it).
Let’s take a look at a few things the Bears could do to lose this game and miss out on a shot to go to the NFC Championship game.
1. Not protect Jay Cutler
This one is a no-brainer. The Bears have struggled all season to protect Cutler and come into this game having allowed 56 sacks. Chicago needs to do everything they possibly can to keep Cutler protected and keep their passing game going. This may include putting in some two tight end sets, keeping a running back in to block or shortening the number of drops Cutler takes when he drops back to pass.
The Seahawks had six sacks in their first meeting, and we have seen when teams sack Cutler, he is thrown off his rhythm and has a hard time recovering. When he’s in a rhythm, he’s good, but when he’s out of it, he makes mistakes, and the Bears offense doesn’t perform as well as it should. So pass protection will be a big part of the Bears success on Sunday;they can be attain success if they protect Cutler.
2. Not putting pass pressure on Matt Hasslebeck
On the opposite side of the ball, the Bears defense needs to pressure Hasselbeck and limit his time to make plays down the field in the passing game. We saw what kind of success he can have against the Bears defense in the last game between these two teams. The Bears defense needs a complete reversal of their performance in that game in order to win this one.
Chicago’s defense has had some good games in recent weeks and is much better off now than their Week 6 faceoff with the Seahawks. If they can get to Hasselbeck and force him to make mistakes and/or sack him, they will win this game. If they can’t, then they will struggle.
3. Not running the ball
Chicago didn’t run the ball that often in the first game and tallied just 61 rushing yards overall. Things have gotten better in the second half of the season, but if the Bears find themselves a little bit behind in this game, hopefully, they don’t resort to relying on the passing game and ditching the running game.
The running game helps provide balance and will give the Bears their best chance to win. If they fail to run it early and often, they may not win this game.
4. Making mistakes
This is a given. The Bears cannot afford to make mistakes in this game on both sides of the ball. Cutler cannot throw interceptions or fumble the ball like he has been known to do in the past. If he’s given time to throw, and his receivers run good and correct routes, he will not make mistakes.
We can’t just look at Cutler as part of the mistake, making problems that could happen on the team this Sunday. Everyone is prone to making mistakes so everyone will have to do their part to ensure they don’t give the Seahawks any opportunities.
One other facet of making mistakes that can be discussed sits on the side of the defense. The Bears cannot afford to make mistakes tackling the ball carrier or mistakes in the secondary (blown coverage etc.) that would give Seattle the opportunity to score or put them in better field position.
Speaking of field position, the Bears coverage units cannot afford to let the Seahawks break for a long return even once; it could end up giving them good field position and an opportunity to score.
5. Bad coaching
The coaching staff has had a pretty good season this year, making some wise coaching decisions and making adjustments where they needed to be made. There has been the occasional hiccup from time to time (like when head coach Lovie Smith called a timeout in the last Green Bay game after running back Chester Taylor had made the first down) but overall, this has been a good year for the sideline staff.
What they have to avoid in this game is making bad decisions. They have to coach the game well, refrain from unnecessary risks and not get crazy if things get a little bit out of hand. That means not straying from the game plan if they fall a little behind (such as not running the ball any longer). If they stick to the plan and don’t make drastic decisions, they will win this game.
6. Looking ahead
The Bears cannot look past this game and start thinking about the NFC Championship. They have to see the Seahawks as a major roadblock on their way to the Super Bowl, realizing they have got to beat Seattle to move on. Mentally, this is something very important for them.
7. Letting Seattle keep the momentum
Fans can see momentum is very important in a football game. Seattle is coming into this game with some momentum, thanks to their win over the Saints last week. The Bears need to steal that momentum away at the outset and not give it back to Seattle. If they do that, they will win the game.
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