Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on January 18, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

It’s nice that the Bears and the Packers get to play each other in this Sunday’s NFC Championship Game because these two teams know each other very well, having played each other twice before this game.  Their first game, in Week 3, was a 20-17 win by the Bears while their second game of the season the Packers beat the Bears in Lambeau Field 10-3.

This game promises to be one of the hardest fought matches these two teams have ever had between one another.  Both have been playing some very good football as of late and both come into this game with a lot of momentum having won big games over their last opponents (the Seahawks and the Falcons).

There aren’t too many people in the media and in the betting world that are giving the Bears a chance to beat the Packers this Sunday.  You hear much more about how the Packers have the best quarterback and best wide receiver group in the NFL than you do about how well the Bears defense is playing and how quarterback Jay Cutler really took over the game on Sunday against Seattle and had a big day.

The Bears can beat the Packers and there are several reasons why they will.  Here are three of the biggest and most noticeable reasons why the Bears can beat the Packers this Sunday at Soldier Field and earn a spot in the Super Bowl.

1.  Pressure the Quarterback

Any quarterback will struggle if they are under pressure, and in order for the Bears to have success against Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers this Sunday they need to put some pressure on him.  Getting pressure on the quarterback takes them out of their rhythm and can make them attempt to throw the ball before their receivers are out of their routes.  

Constant pressure would be a great way to keep the Packers potent offense off balance and force them to go away from their game plan.  The Bears defense can get pressure and could get it with their front four or with a combination of the front four and their linebackers (blitzing).  The Bears can’t afford to blitz too much though because they need their linebackers for coverage and if the linebackers aren’t there then the receivers can get in the middle of the coverage and cause problems.

The game plan that the Bears came up with on Sunday against the Seahawks would be a nice one to follow against Green Bay Packers but the Packers have better wide receivers so they would have to make some obvious adjustments.  If they can do that and shut down the Packers wide receivers they will win this game.

2. Control the Ball

This is obvious.  The Bears need to have a balanced offense in this game, much like they did when they played the Seahawks.  Keeping the ball on the ground as much as possible, thus allowing Chicago to control the ball and the clock and keep it out of the hands of Rodgers and the rest of the Packers offense.  The Bears can run the ball on the Packers but in order to have success they have to run it early and often.

Chicago cannot afford to have the Packers jump out to an early lead in this game.  That would force the Bears to drop the running game (depending on how far behind they get) and go to their passing game.  If that happens, the Packers defense can tee off and get pressure on Cutler forcing him out of his rhythm and thus make the Bears offense ineffective.

So look for the Bears to try to run the ball a lot early in this game and control as much as possible in this game.  They have to in order to win.

3.  Cover, Cover, Cover

The Bears defense did a good job of covering the Seahawks wide receivers on Sunday but the Packers have a better group and make it difficult on everyone to cover them.  The Bears need to play these receivers as tight as possible making it difficult for Rodgers to get the ball in there for the catch.  The cornerbacks need to swat the ball away whenever possible (like they did in the Seattle game) and keep those catches to a minimum.

The secondary can not afford to blow a coverage or let the receive get behind them because the Packers receivers have the speed to get down the field and score a touchdown.  Keeping the play in front of them (which is one of the hallmarks of the kind of defense that the Bears play) will be necessary and if Chicago’s defense can do this and keep the Packers from tearing them apart through the air then they will win this game.

There are, of course, other keys to a Bears win and we will look at those throughout the week but these are the biggest things that the Bears need to worry about heading into the game on Sunday.

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