Cardinals – 41

Bears – 21

The Bears took the field today in a game that would likely determine what they were all about this year.  Instead of coming out of the gates and making a statement, the Bears defense came out looking unprepared and pathetic.  This scene has become all too familiar for Bears fans this year, as the Bears defense failed to stop the Cardinals offense on their first 6 possessions.  Once again, it appears that Lovie did not have his team ready to play when the game started.

Lovie is proving how ineffective he really is and that he has completely lost his players.  This was never more evident than when Tommie Harris punched a down Cardinal lineman on the fourth play of the game.  Tommie was subsequently ejected and will likely be fined and even suspended.  The Bears should consider suspending him for the rest of the season for his attitude today and his overall play this year.  He is worthless for this Bears team now.

Lovie Smith, like against the Bengals, did not have the defense ready to play.  The Cardinals came out and hit the Bears right in the mouth, scoring easily on the first drive.  The defense gave up first down after first down while the Cardinals league worst running game ran wild.  By halftime, the Cardinals had 21 first downs.  The Bears had 20 first downs in the game in which they had a good offensive performance.

Lovie also failed to call any double coverage on Larry Fitzgerald.  Instead, he left Charles Tillman alone to cover and get dominated by one of the best receivers in the league.  It is mind boggling how the Bears did not double Fitzgerald on even a few plays to try to slow him down.  With Lovie calling the shots on defense this year he needs to be held accountable because this defensive playcalling and execution is awful.  There are no excuses right now.  Lovie simply can’t get the job done as a head coach or defensive coordinator.

The Bears responded quickly after allowing the first touchdown though.  Jay  Cutler drove the Bears down the field and hooked up with Olsen on a beautiful pass in the end zone.  Ron Turner did not call a single run play on that drive and only ran the ball with Forte 5 times in the game.  However, the Bears defense was unable to hold onto the tie as the Cardinals again marched right down the field for an easy score.  The Cardinals continued to score on their next 4 possessions.

The only good thing from today’s game was the success of the passing game.  Cutler finished with a 98.6 rating, 369 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pick.  Devin Hester and Earl Bennett each had over 90 yards receiving and Greg Olsen found the endzone for all 3 of the Bears touchdowns.  The young group of receivers combined with the talented Jay Cutler continues to improve ever week.  This will be a good group to watch in the upcoming seasons.

The Bears players should be embarrassed after today’s loss and about their recent performances lately.  The Bears have been blown out twice in the last 3 games and have a tough next 3 games ahead including a Thursday night game in San Francisco.  The Bears will only have 3 days off until then and they’ll have to make the trip out west.  Expect the Bears to look tired and unprepared again as they battle the 49ers.  After San Francisco, the Bears return home to face the Eagles and then head to Minnesota for the Vikings.  We could easily see the Bears with a 4-7 record after this stretch unless some big changes happen with the team.

Bears – 25

Seahawks – 19

A week after beating the defending Superbowl champion Steelers, the Bears looked to get on a roll with a tough match up in Seattle.  After falling behind 13-0 early in the game, the Bears got on track and battled back for a victory.

With the running game struggling again, Jay Cutler stepped up and threw 3 touchdown passes while completing 21 of 27 passes for 247 yards.  He finished with an excellent quarterback rating of 126.4 after overcoming an early interception off a tipped ball.  He saved his best for last however, as Cutler completed 5 of 5 passes for 60 yards and a game winning touchdown to Devin Hester during the 4th quarter.  Seattle got the ball back and had enough time to move the ball into Bears territory, but the Bears defense made the necessary plays to force a turnover on downs, sealing the victory for the Bears.

The Bears got good play from their receivers again today as Devin Hester and Earl Bennett both had productive games.  Hester took a throw from Cutler late in the 4th, broke through two defenders, and sprinted to the end zone for the 36 yard game winning score.  Greg Olsen as well was able to find the end zone to record his first touchdown of the year.  Johnny Knox also found the end zone again.  Hopefully both Knox and Olsen can continue their success throughout the season.

On defense, the Bears still have some room for improvement.  Seneca Wallace was consistently able to find wide open receivers with ease on third downs, allowing for easy conversions.  The Bears pass D needs to step up their game a bit if they want to become a force this season.  In addition, the defense needs to learn to wrap up the ball carriers.  Too many times Bears players were trying to strip the ball as the runner ran right through the tackles for extra yards.  Turnovers are great to have, but sure tackling is a necessity.  On that note, the Bears did force 2 turnovers via a Daniel Manning strip and a Lance Briggs interception.  Manning’s forced fumble came at a crucial point early in the third quarter as the Seahawks looked to expand their 13-7 lead.

Offensively, the line is simply not getting the Job done as they fail to open holes for Forte to run though.  They shouldn’t take all the blame though.  Matt Forte has not looked like the same back as he did in his rookie year.  In the limited times where he found some brief daylight, he seemed sluggish to accelerate and make progress.  Although he struggled to run the ball, he quietly finished with 106 total yards.

After a tough start to the season, the Bears should be very happy to come out 2-1 since things could have been a lot worse at this point.  Next week the Bears take on the Lions in Chicago as they look to improve to 3-1.

It feels like forever but finally the Bears will again take the field for regular season action.  Tomorrow’s prime time showdown will feature the best rivalry in the NFL as the Bears travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers.  This week 1 match up is crucial for both teams as both are expected to compete for the top of the division.  Expect this game to be an offensive battle as both teams have their problems on defense.

This game will provide immediate insight on how the Bears secondary can play against a high powered passing attack.  With Aaron Rodgers at the helm of a talented and proven receivers corp, this Packers offense will be difficult to stop by the Bears weak secondary.  If the Bears can get a solid pass rush on a weak Green Bay offensive line, the secondary will certainly have an easier day.  This is absolutely a key to victory tomorrow.

On the offensive side the Bears should be able to run wild against the Packers.  Look for Matt Forte to have a big day on the ground as he gashes through the Packers new 3-4 defense like it’s nothing.  Maintaining a solid running game and thus keeping the defense on their toes will open the doors for Jay Cutler to look downfield for some nice completions.

Another important issue to watch for tomorrow is the play of the Bears wide receivers.  One of the WRs needs to step up and emerge as a legitimate go to receiver.  Greg Olsen will certainly be Cutler’s go to guy this season but defenses will key in on that quickly, leaving Cutler to look elsewhere.  Earl Bennett will likely be the one who steps up and solidifies himself as a wide receiving threat in key situations.  He looked good in preseason action while Cutler looked his way often.

Special teams will also be key in tomorrow night’s matchup.  The Bears are consistently excellent on special teams play and they get the edge here.  If Devin Hester can re-emerge as an elite returner, look for him as an X-Factor tomorrow.

The Pick:

Both teams should be able to put up some points with high powered offensive attacks tomorrow.  While the Packers passing attack will likely expose the Bears defense, the Bears D will make the necessary plays late in the game in order to seal a victory.  This game will be a close offensive battle, but the Bears get the edge on defense in this one and that will be the deciding factor in what would otherwise be a even match up.  The Bears defense may not be great but they get the edge on the Packers.

Bears – 31

Packers – 27

Bears- 17

Giants- 3

What a difference one week and two offensive starters can make.  After another week of practice the Bears took the field, this time with Matt Forte and Greg Olsen in the starting lineup.  The improvements from last week were noticeable right from the start.  The Bears third offensive play featured Cutler hooking up with Earl Bennett with an absolute strike on 3rd and long to pick up a first down.

The Good:

Jay Cutler: Cutler finished up completing 8 of 13 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.  He threw a few risky passes and one almost ended up in an interception, but overall he had an excellent performance.  Also, while rolling out, he hurled a ball 60+ yards to a wide open Devin Hester who misjudged the ball and could not catch up to it as it landed incomplete.

Earl Bennett: Bennett finished up with 2 catches for 42 yards and looked like a legitimate #1 receiver throughout his time on the field.  His first reception was the previously mentioned strike from Cutler on 3rd down and his second catch was just as impressive as Cutler was rolling out.

Matt Forte: Forte was back in action tonight after missing last week’s game but he seemed to pick up right where he left off last season.  He broke through for 2 great carries of 17 and 32 yards (TD) and finished up with 9 carries for 58 and that one touchdown.  He seemed to have the same great vision that led to his success last year and also brought in a 9 yard reception.

Offensive Line: The run blocking looked poor at first but quickly improved to provide great holes for Forte to run through.  In pass protection they were just as good, providing plenty of time for Cutler to make his throws.

Defense/Defensive Play Calling: It looks like Lovie Smith called a great game on D tonight.  The Giant’s starters could not get anything going on offense aside from a few good Brandon Jacob runs.  There was consistent pressure from the D-line, especially from Alex Brown and Adawale Ogunleye.  Brown forced Eli Manning to fumble early on as he came around behind him on the rush and tipped the ball out of his hand.  Eli also was not able to find wide open receivers on short routes each time he dropped back.  Overall it was a great performance by the D as they allowed only 3 points in the game.

The Bad:

Devin Hester: There seemed to be some miscommunication between Cutler and Hester on a 3rd down in Giants territory early in the game.  It appeared that Hester broke the wrong way on a comeback route and Cutler threw it wide of him.  Later, as mentioned previously, a wide open Hester misjudged a deep pass thrown by Cuter.  This is unacceptable for a “#1 receiver.”  Hester continues to look lost while running routes and tonight he was clearly outperformed by Earl Bennett.

Brian Urlacher: On two instances early in the game Urlacher was ran over by Brandon Jacobs.  While Brandon Jacobs is an absurdly huge running back, Urlacher is no slouch himself.  He needs to be the guy who can bring down those big backs instead of getting trucked like it’s nothing.

Overall this was a great performance by the Bears.  The offense seemed to gel nicely with Cutler at the helm and the defense looked to have their act together as well as they wreaked havoc upon the Giants offense.  There is still room for more improvement before they take the field next week in Denver and hopefully the Bears bring the same intensity then as they face off against former Bear Kyle Orton.