Bears game 9: Sunday Nov. 14 vs MIN on FOX

[jersey cubs fan]

Well that was one of the least impressive victories I've seen. The Bears couldn't really run the ball unless it was Cutler doing it, but they kept trying. They didn't do much through the air, and they gave up nearly 300 yards of passing. Perhaps the only thing less impressive was the Vikings home win over a crappy Cardinals team that can't run and can't pass can't stop the run or pass either.

 

The Vikings are a 1.5 point favorite right now. The over/under on Favre's yardage has to be around 290. The Bears are going to have to ask Cutler to win this one. The run isn't going to accomplish much against a team that can actually defend it. Hopefully the line has spent enough time together that they can give Cutler some time.

[hawkeyecub]

A lot of people are expecting Sidney Rice back this week. Sounds like he was pretty much full-speed on the field in pregame yesterday. Only issue is getting conditioning back. Still, just give me 20-25 plays.

 

No idea what to expect from the purple. They moved the ball yesterday but couldn't do anything in the red zone. That's been a struggle all year, which is where Sid would be huge. Defense was solid until the last drive of the first half, then the whole thing just got apathetic and stagnant. Then they flipped a switch in the last 6 minutes + overtime and actually played with energy. Allen and the DL were unblockable after not sniffing the QB all year.

 

Part of me thinks yesterday's game felt kind of like the 49ers comeback last year where everything was just blah, they got a comeback in a game they shouldn't have won and kind of took off. On the other hand they needed a huge comeback to beat the Cardinals at home.

[tfarks]

Just Cutler's improved ability to recognize blitzes and get the ball to his hot routes is huge, cutting down on turnovers and hits on the QB (1 sack yesterday wow). Yeah the offense is going to struggle. But the run defense of the other team isn't that important because they can't run against anybody (except Carolina). Cutler being able to throw a couple TD's a game combined with the defense and special teams is enough to win 3-4 more games. I think the Bears being at home here win this game.

[Banedon]

I'm not the type to wish injury upon people, but I don't even care if we win this week....I just want the Bears to hurt Favre.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm not the type to wish injury upon people, but I don't even care if we win this week....I just want the Bears to hurt Favre.

 

I don't know if they will hurt him, but they will pick him off and he will act hurt.

[hawkeyecub]

Just Cutler's improved ability to recognize blitzes and get the ball to his hot routes is huge, cutting down on turnovers and hits on the QB (1 sack yesterday wow). Yeah the offense is going to struggle. But the run defense of the other team isn't that important because they can't run against anybody (except Carolina). Cutler being able to throw a couple TD's a game combined with the defense and special teams is enough to win 3-4 more games. I think the Bears being at home here win this game.

 

The Vikings won't blitz much at all. I think they've been blitzing less this year than any point in Frazier's tenure which is surprising because the DL hasn't provided much heat. The whole key on that side of the ball is our DL getting heat. The end of yesterday's game looked exactly like last year but for 7 games it wasn't there.

 

Peppers murdered McKinnie last year so that scares me. Really he's been surprising this year though. He got beat badly causing one of Favre's INT's yesterday but he's arguably been our best OL this year. He's been much better than last year, don't know if it can hold up against Julius.

[UMFan83]

This game would have been so much easier if the Vikings had lost last week. They looked like they were quasi-giving up at times on Sunday, until Favre led them back (ugh).

 

As it is right now instead of 2-6 and their season essentially becoming a battle with the Lions and maybe Bears for 2/3rd place overall, they are looking at a scenario where if they win the next 2 gams, they will be 1 game in back of the Packers and possibly the Bears with 6 to play. Season saved.

 

That said, the Vikings haven't looked like last year's Vikings in any game this season. Maybe a little bit in their win over Detroit, but even in wins over Dallas and Arizona they looked mediocre and could have easily lost both.

 

So the game is winnable. And despite the negativity surrounding the win over the winless Bills, there were some things that I saw that I liked and encouraged me. For one I thought the offensive game plan was a lot better overall. Not just because it was balanced, but because for once they came into the game with a plan to use short drops and quicker passes instead of starting with the same 5 and 7 step drops. Cutler looked like he had more freedom out there was well, which is anti-Martzian in nature. He did a good job finding the hot reads and getting the ball quickly out of his hands under pressure, and if not moving around in the pocket and running when needed. He did throw multiple passes that went in and out of the hands of defenders, but I guess that's just going to happen.

 

All of this led to the offensive line having a below average game, which is an improvement over the awful that they usually are. Cutler wasn't sacked and I don't recall him being hit very much. This is of course more because of the offensive game plan than it was the line actually doing good, but that's fine by me. Anything we can do to minimize the effect the O-line has on the game is fine by me. The running game was fairly disapointing as we still have extreme difficulty running the ball against one of the worse rushing d's in the league. Against the schedule we have coming up, there are not many teams that are going to let you run the ball, so it's gonna be an issue once the Bears surely give up on the running game and go passing in future games.

 

Looking at the results of the game, its ok to be disapointed at the close result of the game yesterday. More than the close result the fact that the Bills probably outplayed us, and we're a blocked XP from being tied at 21 at the end of the game and possibly losing it. But lets not forget that the Bears have played 6 of their 8 games extremely close, whether it be lesser teams like Seattle, Buffalo and Dallas, or better teams like Green Bay. The only games we're played where the difference was more than a score was the very good Giants and the very bad Panthers. I don't doubt we can play most of our upcoming opponents close as well, its just going to come down to coaching and how we fare in the most important 3-4 plays of the game (I just head you groaning).

 

Anyways, it's not all doom and gloom. It's not like the Bills have been getting blown out by every team they've played. They took the 6-2 ravens and 5-3 Chiefs to OT in their previous 2 games, and neither of them are giving up on their seasons. I would have liked to have seen us just overwhelm them with our supposed talent advantage, but I feel like the way our O-line plays, its gonna be the equilizer in most games, meaning expect a lot of close games.

 

My early thoughts on this game are the Vikings win a close one, something like 23-17. I think the key is to keep Brett Favre in the game, as despite yesterday's performance, I'd actually rather see old man Favre in there than TJax.

[jersey cubs fan]

This game would have been so much easier if the Vikings had lost last week. They looked like they were quasi-giving up at times on Sunday, until Favre led them back (ugh).

 

Hey Peter King, thanks for checking in.

 

Anyways, it's not all doom and gloom. It's not like the Bills have been getting blown out by every team they've played.

 

It isn't all doom and gloom. Obviously they won a road game in the NFL and it wasn't really an escape job either. And they are still in a position where they can make the playoffs. But my disappointment with the uninspring win is that they look like a .500 team at this point and I really want to see the playoffs again. I'm still hoping for better than what they did out there.

 

The Vikings aren't good. The Bears should beat them at home, with ole man wiener boy experiencing even more shrinkage in 40 something degree temps.

[jersey cubs fan]

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/11/bears-bennett-tweets-hes-ok-after-accident.html

 

Bears receiver Earl Bennett is OK after being involved in an early-morning accident Monday that he said totaled his car, multiple sources confirmed.

 

According to entries on Bennett's Twitter account (@earlbennett80), Bennett said he was OK but his car, which he refers to as "Ole Skool," wasn't as fortunate.

 

"Thanking God I'm alive!!!!," Bennett tweeted. "We smashed into wall ole skool done!!! But I'm alive that's all that matters"

 

Kind of confusing that they described the accident having totaled the car, while the police called it a minor accident. There may have been other players in there but no injuries.

[Butterscup1679666578]

we smashed into wall ole skool done

[UMFan83]

Speaking of Peter King.... I just skimmed his entire MMQB article, and there was not one single mention of the Chicago Bears, or the game they played yesterday. He did mention the Bills in the form of the Merriman signing, but no reference to the game, no Bears in his fine 15, nothing he liked or disliked about the game, nothing.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a game get completetly ignored in one of his columns. In fact, up until now, I thought he had some short of guideline where he would make it a point to mention every game in his column, even if it is just a 5 word sentence about something he liked in the game.

[Mark Priors Calves]

was lance briggs driving?

[jersey cubs fan]

Aside from being concerned about their ability to beat a mediocre team at home, another wrinkle to throw in there is this is the week before the short week. That could lead to some loss of focus either by the coaches or some individuals as they plan to go to Miami just a couple days after the game.

[UMFan83]

Aside from being concerned about their ability to beat a mediocre team at home, another wrinkle to throw in there is this is the week before the short week. That could lead to some loss of focus either by the coaches or some individuals as they plan to go to Miami just a couple days after the game.

 

I'd hope that they wouldn't sacrifice a lot of attention from an intradivision game for a non-conference game a few days later. I mean, they're all important, and the Bears should probably win both if they want to be serious playoff contenders, but if you had to pick one, the vikings game is clearly more important.

[jersey cubs fan]

Speaking of Peter King.... I just skimmed his entire MMQB article, and there was not one single mention of the Chicago Bears, or the game they played yesterday. He did mention the Bills in the form of the Merriman signing, but no reference to the game, no Bears in his fine 15, nothing he liked or disliked about the game, nothing.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a game get completetly ignored in one of his columns. In fact, up until now, I thought he had some short of guideline where he would make it a point to mention every game in his column, even if it is just a 5 word sentence about something he liked in the game.

 

He's decided the Bears aren't good so a win against Buffalo isn't going to rank them higher. What I find amusing is Oakland at 8. They are 5-4 and it's not like they have faced all that tough a schedule and have only lost to the big dogs. They've lost to San Fran and Arizona. Their toughest loss is Tennessee, which isn't anything special and beat them by 25. They have recently won three straight but against very mediocre competition. I can see bumping them past a Bears team with a better record (although that is debatable), but 8? Because they just beat the coming back to earth Chiefs at home in OT?

 

As for the no mention of the game, I'm pretty sure he does that a lot, it's just usually not a Bears game. The Bears have been bad TV this year and despite a couple close games of late, Buffalo stinks and they are playing in Toronto. I wouldn't be surprised if he failed to watch out of some protest against the game being taken away from Bills fans or something. He's a weird dude.

[jersey cubs fan]

Aside from being concerned about their ability to beat a mediocre team at home, another wrinkle to throw in there is this is the week before the short week. That could lead to some loss of focus either by the coaches or some individuals as they plan to go to Miami just a couple days after the game.

 

I'd hope that they wouldn't sacrifice a lot of attention from an intradivision game for a non-conference game a few days later. I mean, they're all important, and the Bears should probably win both if they want to be serious playoff contenders, but if you had to pick one, the vikings game is clearly more important.

 

Absolutely. But with fewer days to prepare I wouldn't be surprised if they did some Miami game planning prior to Sunday. And this is a team that needs everything clicking to beat mediocre competition, so any minor sacrifice could be exposed.

[jersey cubs fan]

Something I noticed looking at Peter King's rankings is there are a lot of 5-3 teams right now, and the Bears really shot themselves in the foot by losing both of those NFC games.

[SpongeWorthy]

Aside from being concerned about their ability to beat a mediocre team at home, another wrinkle to throw in there is this is the week before the short week. That could lead to some loss of focus either by the coaches or some individuals as they plan to go to Miami just a couple days after the game.

 

I'd hope that they wouldn't sacrifice a lot of attention from an intradivision game for a non-conference game a few days later. I mean, they're all important, and the Bears should probably win both if they want to be serious playoff contenders, but if you had to pick one, the vikings game is clearly more important.

 

Absolutely. But with fewer days to prepare I wouldn't be surprised if they did some Miami game planning prior to Sunday. And this is a team that needs everything clicking to beat mediocre competition, so any minor sacrifice could be exposed.

 

This, and when you consider the Bears secondary will have to take time out of its day from clubbing baby seals, it could really become a factor.

[jersey cubs fan]

There won't be any time to formulate their speeches for the defensive players of every damn game awards.

[JonJayCutler]

This game would have been so much easier if the Vikings had lost last week.

 

This is what I thought too at first, but I don't know. I think Childress is gone if they lose yesterday's game, and I really didn't want the Bears game to be the game where everyone rallied around a new coach. I don't think they would have just tanked like some are suggesting, but we'll never know for sure. Bottom line is I don't think yesterday's outcome will have much effect on this week's game.

 

The fact remains that the Vikings needed a miracle to beat a below-mediocre team at home, although the Bears did need a comeback to beat an 0-7 team despite the Bills not being as bad since Fitzpatrick took over. So neither team is that good, but hopefully the Bears realize they can't lose 3 straight games at home if they want to consider themselves a playoff team.

[hawkeyecub]

This game would have been so much easier if the Vikings had lost last week.

 

This is what I thought too at first, but I don't know. I think Childress is gone if they lose yesterday's game, and I really didn't want the Bears game to be the game where everyone rallied around a new coach. I don't think they would have just tanked like some are suggesting, but we'll never know for sure. Bottom line is I don't think yesterday's outcome will have much effect on this week's game.

 

The fact remains that the Vikings needed a miracle to beat a below-mediocre team at home, although the Bears did need a comeback to beat an 0-7 team despite the Bills not being as bad since Fitzpatrick took over. So neither team is that good, but hopefully the Bears realize they can't lose 3 straight games at home if they want to consider themselves a playoff team.

 

If they would have lost yesterday they would have been mighty close to packing it in, especially on the road. Now they know they have 4 of the next 6 at home (road games at Skins and Bills) and if they win these two they're right there.

 

Yes they definitely shouldn't have needed that comeback to beat the Cards but they did outgain them like 507-225, more than doubled them in first downs.

[Mark Priors Calves]

ugh...we got fat ass goose's team from fox for this one.

[ELCABALLO45]

Peppers is gonna dominate this game.

[BigSlick]

the bears are a mess but its still weird to see a 5-3 team as an underdog to a 3-5 team when they are at home. whatever, i dont disagree with vegas' call.

 

its weird because i cant even really imagine our team taking it, well maybe on some ridiculous crap like the green bay game, but i cant conceive of a situation where we win this game straight up, the o line is too bad, cutler isn't dependable enough, theres no running game, the defense has quarters an halves where they completely disappear..

 

and yet the vikings are a fair bit mess too. favre has perhaps torched my soul so badly and so frequently that even the spectre of a hobbled injured shell of a qb he still makes me super pissed off, that and then best running back in the league.

 

i really wish the cardinals beat them last week. i really wish favre would st phone it in, hang it up and tarvaris jackson was playing.

 

oh well. get out there and play some football boys, this may as well be your season.

[UMFan83]

Fun fact: Bears are 7-3 in their last 10 games against Favre, dating back to the 2004 season.

 

2004:

@ GB - W

v. GB - L

 

2005:

v. GB - W

@ GB - W

 

2006:

@ GB - W

v. GB - L

 

2007:

@ GB - W

v. GB - W

 

2009:

@ Min - L

v. Min - W

 

I'm not going to go over the pre-2004 numbers vs. Favre, but I will say that the 7-3 stretch brought us to 11-23 lifetime against Favre.