Bears Blitz

Published by Josh Benjamin on January 13, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Well, here it is. It’s time for the playoff prediction that I was NOT looking forward to writing. 

We have the second-seeded team going up against one that turned in a Cinderella performance against the defending Super Bowl champs. I’m going to attempt to be as unbiased as possible in this one.

This is the matchup of the Seattle Seahawks versus my beloved Chicago Bears.

 

Record

In a season where head coach Lovie Smith was more or less told, “Make the playoffs or find a new job,” the Bears fared quite well. With Mike Martz running the offense, the Bears finished first in the NFC North with an 11-5 record. Let’s analyze the wins.

Of the 11 wins, eight came against teams that didn’t make the playoffs. Of the five losses, three came against playoff teams, including one to the Seahawks! 

Still, we cannot immediately write off the Bears’ record.

The team plays in the NFC North, which is slowly turning into a very competitive division. In 2010, the Bears finished one game ahead of a defensively tough Green Bay squad, not to mention the Minnesota Vikings, who surprised everyone this season with their under-achievement. Even the Detroit Lions showed signs of life this season, nearly beating the Bears in Week 1.

Despite all of that, this Bears team still deserves our respect. In a tough division, they came out on top, overcoming a myriad amount of flaws as the season went on. These guys now know how to play together. As great as the Seahawks beating the Saints was, I can’t get over the fact that they’re in the playoffs with a sub-.500 record.

Edge: Bears

 

Quarterback

At quarterback, the Bears have former college star Jay Cutler. After a rough first season in the Windy City, he improved in his second with the help of Martz.

Let’s have a look at Cutler’s stats from 2009. He threw for an incredible 3,666 yards and 27 touchdowns in an offense whose approach was primarily run-first, yet his passer rating was a less-than-average 76.8 as he also threw 26 interceptions. 

Despite this subpar season, the Bears gave him a two-year contract extension worth $30 million.

With Martz at the helm in 2010, Cutler proved he was worth that new contract. He didn’t throw for as many yards—only 3,274,—but he had a respectable passer rating of 86.3 after throwing 23 touchdowns and only 16 interceptions.

Yes, the interceptions are still a little high. 

On top of that, he was sacked 52 times. Yet, it’s hard to blame Cutler for the development of a young offensive line that gradually improved over the season. With home field advantage and the cold Chicago weather on his side, I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing the Cutler we came to know in Denver.

Edge: Bears

 

Running Game

For those of my readers who knew Mike Martz when he was coaching the St. Louis Rams, you know that he has an interesting approach to the running game. Rather than just handing the ball off to the running back, he creates plays that turn the running back into a receiver and the results speak for themselves. 

How do you think Marshall Faulk became an NFL legend?

His running back this season was third-year player Matt Forte. Let’s take a look at his career.

Forte’s rookie campaign was simply astounding. He ran for 1,238 yards and eight touchdowns, not to mention 63 catches for 477 yards and four touchdowns.

In 2009, however, Forte experienced the much-maligned sophomore slump thanks to a weak offensive line. He only ran for 929 yards and four touchdowns despite an impressive 471 receiving yards. Worst of all, he fumbled the ball six times.

Thus, when Martz arrived this season he didn’t have to revamp Forte’s style much. If anything, he turned him into an even more valuable weapon. 

In 2010, Forte ran for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns. His receiving stats were even more impressive, as he caught 51 passes for 547 yards and three touchdowns. That’s an average of 10.7 yards per catch.

Still, as all Bears fans know, you never know which Matt Forte is going to show up until after his first run. Also, the Bears running game was one of the worst in the NFL this season, ranked 22nd. As I mentioned last week, the Seattle run was second worst at 31st, but the performances of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett against the Saints make this one too close to call.

Edge: Even

 

Passing Offense

Now, while the Bears might not have a top offense in the NFL, that doesn’t take away from the fact that they have an excellent young receiving corps. Not many big names are on it, but they still get the job done.

The young squad is headlined by Devin Hester, who had a bit of a down year in 2010.  After putting up 757 receiving yards in 2009, Hester only made 40 catches for 475 yards for four touchdowns. He was still a force on special teams and established himself as a good possession receiver, but clearly had a hard time adjusting to Martz’s offense.

Yet, one man who adjusted well to the new offense was Earl Bennett, who was Cutler’s teammate at Vanderbilt. While his stats were slightly down from last season, Bennett proved to be a great possession man and occasional deep threat as he caught 46 passes for 561 yards and five touchdowns.

Second-year receiver Johnny Knox made his presence known as the team’s top deep threat, making 51 catches for an incredible 960 yards and five touchdowns. Even tight end Greg Olson, Cutler’s go-to guy in 2009, had a respectable 41 catches for 404 yards and five touchdowns in an offense that isn’t necessarily what experts would call tight-end friendly.

The fact is, the Bears have a young receiving squad that communicates well, thus giving Jay Cutler multiple options compared to the one-sided passing game of the Seattle Seahawks. In this writer’s opinion, that will only serve to help the home team.

Edge: Bears

 

Defense

If there’s one thing the Chicago Bears know how to do, it’s play defense. Ever since Lovie Smith took over as head coach in 2004, the team has been a defensive powerhouse. They were just that this season, finishing ninth in the NFL in total defense and second in rushing defense.

Coach Smith employs a 4-3 defense, and the front four are led by six-time Pro Bowler Julius Peppers. The former Carolina Panther joined the Bears last offseason after signing a six-year deal worth $91.5 million. 

In 2010, he certainly earned his pay.

Peppers proved to be one of the most versatile defensive ends in the NFL by making 54 tackles for eight sacks, forcing three fumbles and even intercepting two passes. While the sacks are certainly down compared to how many he averaged in Carolina, I think it’s enough to warrant Defensive Player of the Year consideration.

Joining Peppers at defensive end is Israel Idonije, who also had a fine season with 49 tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Matt Toeiana and Anthony Adams did a great job at defensive tackle, creating pressure on quarterbacks and opening up opportunities for the team’s elite linebackers.

Seven-time Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher is the leader of the Chicago linebackers and he had a fine 2010 after missing all of 2009 with a wrist injury. He proved himself yet again to be an elite coverage linebacker as he registered 125 tackles, forcing two fumbles and even intercepting one pass.

Urlacher was helped out by Lance Briggs, another great coverage linebacker, who registered 89 tackles, forced two fumbles and intercepted two passes on his way to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl. Even Pisa Tinoisamoa was effective in an injury-riddled season.

In the secondary, Chicago has four young and dangerous players. Charles Tillman was a pest at cornerback, registering 82 tackles and five interceptions and forcing three fumbles. His counterpart at the corner position, Tim Jennings, provided effective defense all season. He only had 56 tackles, but still showed up to work every day and gave it his all.

At safety, Danieal Manning delivered punishing hits as he finished 2010 with 72 tackles.  Yet the true surprise at the position was Chris Harris, who moved with the speed of a corner as he made 70 tackles and intercepted five passes. Needless to say, against a young Seattle team that just beat an average New Orleans defense, look for Chicago’s squad to come out and deliver some punishing hits.

Edge: Bears

Now, I know there are going to be some dissenters out there who will call me a homer and say I’m biased, but let’s be honest. 

The Seahawks played in an easy division and just happened to have a good day against the Saints. Yes, they’ve already beaten the Bears once this season, but Chicago has improved a lot since then. 

Besides that, Seattle is on the road again this weekend and with the temperature expected to top out at 20 degrees, I’ve got to give this one to my Monsters of the Midway and their unbelievable defense.

 

Score Prediction: Bears 27, Seahawks 10

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