Come to Think of it: 49ers Defense May Tee Off on Bears’ One-Dimensional Offense
Published by Bob Warja on November 11, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
I know everyone is focusing on the play of the Bears’ defense. And with good reason, since it hasn’t shown up for two of the past three weeks. Still, with no running game, the real problem is that the San Francisco defense can tee off on Jay Cutler Thursday night.
Defenses don’t have to worry about the Bears’ running game because there isn’t one. Thanks mainly to a horrid offensive line, the Bears’ offense is very one dimensional. So you can expect the Niners to blitz like crazy and put pressure on Cutler all night long.
But this is no gloom and doom scenario necessarily. The Bears can win this game. Really. Here’s why:
- Alex Smith makes mistakes
- After a fast 3-1 start, the Niners have lost four straight, including a 34-27 decision to a struggling Tennessee team on Sunday.
- Niners coach Mike Singletary loves the Bears
OK, so I admit that last bullet, while technically true, does not play into the outcome of the game. “The Bears will always be a team that I love,” Singletary said Tuesday. But you can bet that he’d also love to beat the Bears.
Meanwhile, Smith does make mistakes in key situations. Still, the Bears’ secondary is weak and may not have a fully healthy Charles Tillman. And TE Vernon Davis could be the beneficiary.
Few tight ends are as fast as Davis, who can really wreak havoc on a Cover 2 scheme. He has become Smith’s primary option and is having a tremendous season.
So while the Bears can win, there are also a lot of reasons why they may not. They are on the road, playing just four days after their last game. Lovie Smith & Co. don’t seem to prepare the team properly when they have a full week, so look out.
The Niners defense actually gives up more yards per game than the Bears and are ranked 23rd against the pass. They aren’t great against the run, but that isn’t relevant since the Bears have no running game.
A big question is, can the Bears’ defense stop Frank Gore? They rank 20th versus the run, and Gore is averaging 5.6 yards per attempt. Of course, that number is slightly skewed by the huge game he had in Week Two, when Gore rushed for over 200 yards against Seattle.
Still, Gore is not only a good runner, he is a viable weapon catching the ball. He caught seven passes for 75 yards in his last game.
So when you add it all up, it’s really a match-up of two fairly even teams. Slight edge to the Niners because they’re at home, and should be able to key on stopping Cutler, or forcing him to make poor decisions, as he is prone to do.
It should be a much better game to watch than Sunday’s debacle, come to think of it.
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