Bears Blitz

Published by Jake Perper on October 23, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins will meet for the 57th time Sunday at Soldier Field. The Bears lead the all-time series 23-22-1. The last time these two teams met, in 2007, the Redskins won 24-16.

A lot has changed since that 2007 meeting. The Redskins quarterback in that game was Todd Collins, and the Bears quarterback in that game was Brian Griese. Fast forward three years, the Bears have Jay Cutler running the show, and the Redskins have career lifetime Eagle, Donovan McNabb.

The Bears are in first place in the NFC North at 4-2, and the Redskins are in third in the NFC East. The Bears offensive line has been the problem as of late. But this will be the first time all season where the same starting line will start consecutive games.

The offensive line has been bad, but the receivers and quarterback have to be part of the blame as well. The receivers have been failing to get separation. Jay Cutler needs to get rid of the ball and step up into the pocket.

It seems like Mike Martz’s offense has confused everybody. Devin Aromashodu was late to learn it, but now he is back in the mix. Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett are consistent playmakers. The tight ends on the other hand are invisible as of late, Greg Olsen hasn’t had a catch in two weeks and Brandon Manumaleuna was paid to block, but he seems like he can’t really do that.

The Bears problems on offense seem like they can be fixed against a weak Redskins defense. The Redskins defense gives up 420 yards per game on average. The Bears need to run the ball down their throats because running the ball 12 times last week proved to be the letdown.

Matt Forte and Chester Taylor will get more carries on Sunday. This will ultimately help them balance their offensive attack. The defensive attack for the Bears has to be stopping Ryan Torain. With Lance Briggs back in the lineup and Julius Peppers lined up against a rookie left tackle, the defense should be in order.

The Redskins don’t have that many weapons on offense, so I don’t understand why they couldn’t shut them down. This game could be the best NFC matchup of the week.

Jay Cutler versus Donovan McNabb is the main headline, but the other big headline is Rex Grossman‘s return to the windy city. No one knows if Rex will be booed or cheered. If I was there, I would cheer him on because he was a big part of the Bears when they were successful, and he got more unneeded hatred than anyone I have ever seen.

Grossman should never have been hated like he was when he was with the Bears. Hopefully they don’t boo him, if they do, I just don’t understand why they would.

Players Who Must Step Up:

1) Devin Aromashodu– He played for the first time since Week 1 last Sunday. He made three catches for 40 yards and looked back in the mix. He needs to make some plays because that would help take pressure off of Jay Cutler.

Prediction- six catches, 63 yards, one touchdown.

2) Julius Peppers- He was invisible last week against the Seahawks but played very well against the pathetic Carolina Panthers. Look for him to take advantage of his matchup at left tackle.

Prediction: five tackles, one sack.

3) Chester Taylor- He has been good every time he gets the ball. Look for him and Matt Forte to get a good amount of carries. Taylor will have success; he is a veteran who knows how to carry the rock.

Prediction: 13 carries, 59 yards.

Who will win?

Bears 27, Redskins 17.

Weather forecast:  67 degrees, 18 mph and a 50% chance of rain.

Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and NFLBlogblitz.com

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