Bears Blitz

Published by Chris Tuley on October 10, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears went into Carolina looking for answers on Sunday. Without their starting quarterback Jay Cutler (out with a concussion), the Bears looked to their questionable running game for results.

Although the Bears walked away with a 23-6 win, many questions still remain about the Bears’ offensive and defensive teams.

Offense

One of the biggest questions going into Bears-Panthers match up was if the Bears’ offensive line would show up after allowing 10 sacks against the New York Giants in Week 4.

The Bears continued their trend of shifting their starting offensive linemen, starting J’Marcus Webb for the first time this season.

Unfortunately, the results were mixed at best. Matt Forte started the game by scoring two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, the first rushing touchdowns in the Bear’s last nine games. Carolina’s defense quickly adjusted and shut down a majority of the rushing attempts for the remainder of the game.

Although an improvement over the Bears-Giants game, the offensive line still allowed three sacks against the Panthers, which definitely played a factor into second-string quarterback Todd Collins throwing four interceptions.

Bottom Line: The Bears’ offensive line has to step up. Their utter lack of protection is forcing the Bears to abandon the much needed running game and go for the pass. The Bears’ quarterbacks are running for their lives on nearly every play, and this will only lead to more interceptions and injuries as the sacks mount up.

Second Thoughts: The Bears’ receivers have to adjust to a faster passing game and hold onto the football. They have to anticipate that there will be little protection, meaning the quarterback will have to release the ball much earlier.

During the game, there were some great opportunities for the receivers, but they simply couldn’t hold onto the ball and make the necessary plays.

Defense

The biggest question for the Bears’ defense going into Sunday’s game was who was going to step up on the defensive line and help Julius Peppers attack the quarterback.  Unfortunately, there were no answers.

Panthers rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen was sacked five times, but for a majority of the game, he wasn’t pressured enough giving him time to throw the ball. Fortunately for the Bears, most of the plays didn’t work out for the Panthers’ offense.

The Bears’ defense continued to dominate against the running game, allowing only 81 yards to one of the league’s best running back tandems, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

Even though Julius Peppers was double-teamed, he still continued to prove he was worth every penny the Bears paid to pick him up during the off-season. Peppers’ interception was one of the his better highlights in his much anticipated return to Carolina.

Bottom Line: The Bears have to find another defensive lineman that can help put pressure on the quarterback. If the opponents’ quarterbacks are given time, they will continue to exploit Chicago’s weak secondary.

Second Thoughts: The Bears need to light a fire under their corners. Charles Tillman continues to prove that he is the weakest link on the Bears already wimpy secondary. Sure, he can strip the ball, but Tillman consistently gets beat on the line and gives up big plays.

Special Teams

The Bears continue to dominate in special teams, the only aspect of the Bears’ team that hasn’t been under much scrutiny. The biggest question going into each game for the special teams is if Devin Hester will return a punt or Daniel Manning will take a kick-off return to the house.

The Bears did not disappoint on Sunday when it came to returns. Daniel Manning continued to impress with 133 return yards.

Devin Hester is such an intimidating force that he was only kicked to three of the nine times that Carolina punted the ball. Hester nearly scored a touchdown when he took a punt return 50 yards before he was pushed out of bounds by Panther’s punter Jason Baker.

Bottom Line: The Bears’ special teams are playing better than any other part of the team. Look for few adjustments to be made as this team continues to strike fear into the hearts of kickers across the league.

Second Thoughts: Robbie Gould is such a great kicker that he really gives the Bears an edge going into games. He kicked a career long 53 yard field goal against the Panthers on Sunday. He is 10 for 11 attempts on the season already.

Odds and Ends

Outside Linebacker Lance Briggs was taken off the field with a leg injury. If he’s seriously injured, it would be a big hit to the Bears’ defense. After the Bears-Panthers game, Briggs leads the Bears with 33 tackles.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com