The Chicago Bears (7-5) and the Denver Broncos (7-5) will take the field at Sports Authority Field at Mile High at 4:05 p.m. ET today.

The Bears lead the all-time series 7-6.

Chicago defeated the Broncos 37-34 in overtime the last time these two teams met in 2007.

Devin Hester was able to returned two punts for scores in that game.

Can he repeat his 07′ performance today?

It would be great for the Bears that’s for sure.

The Bears need their defense to play up to part.

The defense needs to focus on stopping running back Willis McGahee. If they can do that, then Tebow will be forced to throw or scramble on basically every play.

The Bears defense should be able to contain Tebow, they stopped Michael Vick and they contained rookie sensation Cam Newton earlier this season.

The offense will need to put points when they can. Making that key mistake could ruin everything for the Bears once again.

This is a must win game and with two games under his belt Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie will be looking for some consistency.

Key Questions:

Can they contain Tim Tebow?

Can they put up points on offense?

Can Marion Barber and Kahlil Bell do good enough in Matt Forte’s absence?

Can Julius Peppers and the rest of the Bears defense force Tebow to make some big mistakes?

Players Who Must Step Up:

1) Kahlil Bell- In nine games he’s carried the ball 15 times for 57 yards. He had a big 26-yard-run last week against Kansas City. He will likely split time today with power back Marion Barber. Look for Bell to get some looks on screen passes today, he is a very similar back to Matt Forte.

Prediction: 10 carries, 45 yards, one touchdown.

2) Roy Williams- He will get his targets because he is a mismatch on offense. He needs to make those big catches though. Dropping a catch like he did last week was way too costly. He should step up if he wants a shot with a team next season.

Prediction: Three catches, 34 yards.

3) Henry Melton- He has six sacks on the season and three coming from the last four weeks. He should be fired up in front of the rest of the Bears defense. Look for him to be a force with Peppers and Idonije on the line.

Prediction: Four tackles, one sack.

Final Score:

Bears 20, Broncos 17

It’s going to be a close game, but this Bears defense will be fired up and they want this win. The offense needs to run the ball well and put some points on the scoreboard. Hanie can’t be too indecisive, if he is the Bears could be in big trouble.

Weather Forecast:

Expect the weather in Denver to be in the low 40′s, with SW winds at 5-10 mph.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.