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Week Four Preview: Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears

2nd October 2011 by under Game Preview     

The Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers will meet for the seventh time ever today. The two teams are tied in the all-time series 3-3.

The Bears were able to beat the Panthers in Carolina last season 23-6. That game marked the return of Julius Peppers to Carolina,  he was on the other side for the first time ever.

Today, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera returns to Chicago for the first time since he coached the Bears defense in 2006. Also, tight end Greg Olsen returns to Soldier Field for the first time to face the Bears.

Olsen, so far this season with the Panthers has 12 receptions, 169 yards and one touchdown. The Bears will need to contain him because he will likely be out for revenge after being traded this off-season.

In 39 offensive drives through the first three games, the Bears have scored five touchdowns, and six field goals, but punted 21 times and had four drives end as the result of a turnover.

Rookie receiver Dane Sanzenbacher has scored a touchdown in two consecutive games and is looking to make a bigger impact in his third week playing out of the slot.

The Panthers have never won a regular-season game in Chicago. The last time they won a game at Soldier Field was in the 2005 Divisional Playoffs.

Putting together manageable third downs will be a key for the Bears, last week they converted only three of 12 third down attempts. Marion Barber’s return will help the team out.

They will need to find a way to use Matt Forte and Marion Barber in the backfield at the same time. It could benefit the offense tremendously having both of them out there together.

The Bears will also need to find ways to attack Darius Butler, who is starting in place of the injured Chris Gamble (concussion).  The Bears offense is clearly going to be the focus of today’s game from the fans view. The defense is healthier with the return of Major Wright, so that could help them out in  the back end.

RB Marion Barber and guard Lance Louis will be back on the field for the Bears today as well. Inactives for the Bears today are T Gabe Carimi, WR Earl Bennett, S Chris Harris, QB Nathan Enderle, DL Mario Addison, TE Matt Spaeth, and DT Stephen Paea.

Players Who Must Step Up:

1) Kellen Davis- Matt Spaeth is out with a calf injury, so Davis will be the main tight end with undrafted rookie Kris Adams getting some time as well. With only three catches and 55 yards and one touchdown, Davis needs to be more of the player the Bears wanted to start this year over opposing tight end Greg Olsen.

Predictions: Three catches, 40 yards.

2) Tim Jennings- He is probably the most consistent tackler on the team. He is steady, but he needs to make an interception or force a fumble to pump up this Bears defense. Look for him to be on a mission today.

Predictions: Seven tackles, one interception.

3) Devin Hester- He needs to make the big play on offense or special teams. He is greatly needed, hopefully he can bounce back from a disappointing week against Green Bay.

Predictions: Five catches, 60 yards.

Who will win?

Bears 30, Panthers 17.

Weather Forecast:

It will be sunny with temperatures steady near the low 60s. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Should be a nice October day at Soldier Field.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Week Three Preview: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

25th September 2011 by under Game Preview     

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will meet for the 183rd time ever today. The rivalry between the NFC North foes has been going on for over 90 years.

The Bears lead the all-time series 92-84-6. The Bears went 1-2 against the Packers last season.

The latest loss was in the NFC Championship, the Bears allowed the Packers to beat them at Soldier Field. This will likely be a game of redemption between the two NFC North teams.

Bears coach Lovie Smith is 8-7 all-time against the Packers, while Packers coach Mike McCarthy is 6-5 all-time against the Bears.

Bears QB Jay Cutler is 1-5 all-time against the Packers. In those games Cutler posted a 55.9 completion percentage, 1219 yards, five touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a QB rating of 62.5.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is 5-2 all-time against the Bears. In those games Rodgers posted a, 67 completion percentage, seven touchdowns, five interceptions and 234.4 yards per game. The 234.4 yards per game against the Bears is about 30 yards less than his career average.

The Bears offensive line hasn’t been great so far this season allowing 11 sacks in their first two games. Frank Omiyale is now in for rookie Gabe Carimi at right tackle and Chris Spencer is now in for Lance Louis at right guard. So stability is a big question upfront for the Bears.

The line needs to give Cutler ample time to get the ball off because the best way they could win might be through the air. The Packers are without safety Nick Collins for the rest of the season.

If Jay Cutler has time expect him to look in that spot where Collins was good looks could come for the Bears. The Packers bring blitzes from all over. Corners come from the side, Clay Matthews and other linebackers come up the middle. The Bears need to be aware of all the heat the Packers will bring.

Creating turnovers and running the ball effectively on offense is always the Bears mentality, so if they can do both of those key things they will improve their chances of winning.

RB Marion Barber has been ruled out with his calf injury. Lance Louis (ankle), Chris Harris (hamstring) and Roy Williams (groin) are all questionable. Safety Major Wright (neck) and Gabe Carimi (knee) won’t suit up for the Bears today.

Players Who Must Step Up:

1) Brandon Meriweather- He got his first start as a Bear last week and will get another shot at starting this week, likely opposite Craig Steltz. He will need to be effective on defense today because the Bears secondary is changing as much as the shaky offensive line.

Projections: 7 tackles, one interception.

2) Roy Williams- The Bears need Williams (groin injury) to play well, Devin Hester saw was double covered a lot of the times last week. Look for Williams to potentially have a big day against that weak Packers pass defense.

Projections: Five catches, 64 yards.

3) Lance Briggs- He needs to make some big plays for the Bears, he got beat on a pass in the redzone last week in New Orleans. He won’t be the only Bears defender fired up today.

Projections: Nine tackles, one sack.

Who will win?

Bears 24, Packers 20.

It should be a party cloudy day today at Soldier Field with the temperatures in the low 60′s. Expect another great Bears-Packers game added to the already long book of games. It doesn’t get much better than this.

For Bears news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

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Week Three Preview: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears

25th September 2011 by under Game Preview     

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will meet for the 183rd time ever today. The rivalry between the NFC North foes has been going on for over 90 years.

The Bears lead the all-time series 92-84-6. The Bears went 1-2 against the Packers last season.

The latest loss was in the NFC Championship, the Bears allowed the Packers to beat them at Soldier Field. This will likely be a game of redemption between the two NFC North teams.

Bears coach Lovie Smith is 8-7 all-time against the Packers, while Packers coach Mike McCarthy is 6-5 all-time against the Bears.

Bears QB Jay Cutler is 1-5 all-time against the Packers. In those games Cutler posted a 55.9 completion percentage, 1219 yards, five touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a QB rating of 62.5.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is 5-2 all-time against the Bears. In those games Rodgers posted a, 67 completion percentage, seven touchdowns, five interceptions and 234.4 yards per game. The 234.4 yards per game against the Bears is about 30 yards less than his career average.

The Bears offensive line hasn’t been great so far this season allowing 11 sacks in their first two games. Frank Omiyale is now in for rookie Gabe Carimi at right tackle and Chris Spencer is now in for Lance Louis at right guard. So stability is a big question upfront for the Bears.

The line needs to give Cutler ample time to get the ball off because the best way they could win might be through the air. The Packers are without safety Nick Collins for the rest of the season.

If Jay Cutler has time expect him to look in that spot where Collins was good looks could come for the Bears. The Packers bring blitzes from all over. Corners come from the side, Clay Matthews and other linebackers come up the middle. The Bears need to be aware of all the heat the Packers will bring.

Creating turnovers and running the ball effectively on offense is always the Bears mentality, so if they can do both of those key things they will improve their chances of winning.

RB Marion Barber has been ruled out with his calf injury. Lance Louis (ankle), Chris Harris (hamstring) and Roy Williams (groin) are all questionable. Safety Major Wright (neck) and Gabe Carimi (knee) won’t suit up for the Bears today.

Players Who Must Step Up:

1) Brandon Meriweather- He got his first start as a Bear last week and will get another shot at starting this week, likely opposite Craig Steltz. He will need to be effective on defense today because the Bears secondary is changing as much as the shaky offensive line.

Projections: 7 tackles, one interception.

2) Roy Williams- The Bears need Williams (groin injury) to play well, Devin Hester saw was double covered a lot of the times last week. Look for Williams to potentially have a big day against that weak Packers pass defense.

Projections: Five catches, 64 yards.

3) Lance Briggs- He needs to make some big plays for the Bears, he got beat on a pass in the redzone last week in New Orleans. He won’t be the only Bears defender fired up today.

Projections: Nine tackles, one sack.

Who will win?

Bears 24, Packers 20.

It should be a party cloudy day today at Soldier Field with the temperatures in the low 60′s. Expect another great Bears-Packers game added to the already long book of games. It doesn’t get much better than this.

For Bears news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

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Week Two: Chicago Bears @ New Orleans Saints Preview

17th September 2011 by under Game Preview     

The Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints will meet for the 27th time ever on Sunday. The Bears lead the all-time series 15-11.

The last time these two teams met was in 2008 when the Bears came away with the victory 27-24 in overtime.

The last three matchups have taken place at Soldier Field. The Bears haven’t taken a trip to New Orleans since 2005.

The Bears are coming off a 30-12 victory over Atlanta. This is the second straight week the Bears will play a team that is from the NFC South and was a playoff team from last year.

The Saints opened up their season on Thursday night of Week One falling to the Super Bowl champion Packers 42-34 in a shootout.

Many are expecting a shootout on Sunday at the Superdome, but the Bears aren’t looking for that kind of game.

The Saints will be without star WR Marques Colston and star DE Will Smith for this game. Expect a lot of disguised blitzes from Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. QB Drew Brees was dangerous at times against the Packers, but the defense was scorched by Aaron Rodgers and Co.

The Saints can be scary good on offense, but without Colston, tight end Jimmy Graham will have to take over the role of pass catcher.

Look for Mike Martz to call a solid game plan against a Saints defense that isn’t as good as advertised. The Bears will be without RB Marion Barber (calf), safety Chris Harris (hamstring) and guard Lance Louis (ankle). Also, WR Roy Williams is questionable with a groin injury.

The Bears will need to protect Cutler well. Chris Spencer will likely move in as the right guard after filling in for Louis in the second half of the game against Atlanta.

Chris Harris will be replaced by recently acquired Brandon Meriweather, who was used sparingly last week. Expect Craig Steltz to be used a little bit in the safety rotation as well.

With Roy Williams likely out, Johnny Knox will get a crack as a starting receiving once again. He caught three passes for 60 yards in last week’s win over the Falcons.

The Bears will rely heavily on RB Matt Forte in the running and passing games. The tight ends will be important once again in the blocking scheme, Kellen Davis needs to step it up because he slipped up a couple times on some key blocks.

Brian Urlacher will be on a mission after living through the death of his mother. He will want to take home the game ball for this Bears team on the road.

Look for Urlacher to be a monster on defense. The rest of the Bears defense might play more motivated with the bad fortune that Urlacher went through.

Players Who Must Step Up:

1) Israel Idonije- He didn’t do much in Week One, only recording three tackles. He will need to take the pressure off of Julius Peppers on the other side. With the return of Corey Wootton, Idonije will likely play better with “real” competition sitting behind him.

Projections: 5 tackles, one sack, one pass deflection.

2) Corey Graham- He recorded three tackles on special teams last week and he just seemed to get to the returner right away. He needs to be the Pro Bowl player that we expect he will be on Sunday. Saints scatback Darren Sproles is dangerous, the Bears know that and Graham will be a key to stopping that dangerous Saints return game.

Projections: 4 tackles.

3) Nick Roach- He played pretty well last week not making many mistakes. He only recorded two tackles, but I expect him to be a big part of the defense on Sunday. With Briggs and Urlacher likely to be extra hungry for the win, Roach could benefit from that.

Projections: 5 tackles, one interception.

Who will win?

Bears 30, Saints 24.

Expect a very good fought game by both teams. If it turns into a shootout, the Bears could be in trouble unless Mike Martz can work in his “Greatest Show On Turf” magic.

For Bears news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

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Urlacher Named NFC Defensive Player Of The Week; Might Not Be Available For Sunday’s Game

14th September 2011 by under Game Preview     

Brian Urlacher earned his sixth ever NFC Defensive Player Of the Week award today with his performance on Sunday. His 10 tackles, one interception and fumble return for a touchdown gave him the nod.

His fumble return for a touchdown was only his fourth trip to the endzone of his career. It was his first since 2007, when he returned an interception 85-yards against the Brett Favre lead Packers.

Urlacher has 19 interceptions since joining the NFL with the Bears in 2000, that is the fourth most among NFL linebackers.

Unfortunately, Urlacher might not be available for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. According to the Chicago Tribune, Urlacher flew out of town early Tuesday to deal with the passing of his mother in Arizona.

Urlacher released this statement today about his mother’s passing:

“My mother, Lavoyda, unexpectedly passed away Monday at her home in Texas,” Urlacher said in a statement. “My first priority right now is to be with my family as we mourn her loss and make the arrangements to lay her to rest. This is a very difficult and emotional time for us and I sincerely ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you.”

He is going to be away from the organization for a couple days, so his status is in doubt for Sunday’s game. Family obviously comes before football.

Since 2008, the Bears are 21-13 with Urlacher in the lineup and 7-8 without him.

“You can’t replace a guy like him,” Cutler said. “He’s the heart and soul of this team.”

Bears fan should hope for Urlacher to play on Sunday, but family is more important than the game. But it would be a shock to me if he didn’t play, the game is a huge part of his life and I think he would want to take care business on the field for his sake and his mother’s sake.

All quotes from ESPNChicago.com

For Bears news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

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Week One: Atlanta Falcons @ Chicago Bears Preview

11th September 2011 by under Game Preview     

The Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons will meet for the 25th time today. The two teams are tied in the all-time series 12-12.

The Bears are 5-1 in their last six home openers. The Falcons have lost their last four road openers and haven’t won at Soldier Field since 1983.

The Bears are coming off an 11-5 season where they made into the NFC Championship, but fell to the soon to be Super Bowl champion Packers.

They will be focused today. After changes on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, the Bears are ready to get back on the field and prove their doubters wrong.

RB Marion Barber was added to be a nice change of pace back with Matt Forte, but unfortunately he won’t be able to go with a calf injury. Third-year back Kahlil Bell will backup Forte today.

Dane Sanzenbacher, an undrafted rookie out of the Ohio State University will likely serve as the fifth receiver, with off-season acquisition Sam Hurd questionable with a sprained ankle.

It will be interesting to see how much the Bears use recently signed Brandon Meriweather today. They give him a nice chunk of money and it was reported that 13 other teams were looking to add him once the Patriots released him on Saturday.

The biggest question mark for the Bears this season is their offensive line. Can QB Jay Cutler take that next step in his second year with Mike Martz’s scheme?

The offensive line is not the same unit from last season. With the selection of tackle Gabe Carimi, the line has received some much needed youth and talent. Last season’s seventh-round pick J’Marcus Webb will move over to left tackle, while Chris Williams and Lance Louis serving at guard.

That means Roberto Garza will take over at center, the position that Olin Kreutz played at for 13 years with the Bears. Garza needs to lead by example because their will be no excuses for false starts come game time.

Is this season’s starting five on the offensive line better than the line that gave up 52 sacks a year ago?

I believe so, Carimi automatically gives the Bears a better chance at keeping Cutler upright. It could be rough at times, but don’t be surprised if this team comes out of the gate quicker than last season because of their offensive line.

Players Who Must Step Up:

1. Earl Bennett- Bennett has shown that he knows to play in Mike Martz’s offense. He has been the most dependable receiver as of late, so expect him to be a target all day for Jay Cutler. Bennett is maturing as a person and a player, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he had a season where he totaled almost 1,000 yards receiving.

Projections: Six catches, 68 yards, one touchdown.

2. D.J. Moore- Moore shined last season playing as the nickel cornerback. He reeled in four interceptions and forced one fumble. He has a big stress in speedy WR Harry Douglas today. Moore is still maturing, so he will only get better with time, but the confidence level is there, so look for him to be consistent.

Projections: Five tackles, one sack and two passes deflected.

3. Henry Melton- The converted defensive end will likely start at defensive tackle. Bears coaches have been raving about his athleticism all off-season. In limited time last season, Melton made three sacks and forced one fumble. With Melton now moved in as a starter this defense line could be scary. The Bears defense needs pressure from it’s defensive line for it to succeed, so Melton will need to be a big part of that mentality.

Projections: Four tackles, one sack, one pass deflected.

Who Will Win?

Projections: Bears 27, Falcons 21

Weather: It should be a nice sunny day at Soldier Field. With a high of 78 degrees, it will likely stay in the mid-70′s. The Bears will be donning their navy tops, with their white pants.

Expect a good game today between the top two NFC seeds from the last season’s postseason.

For Bears news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

 

 

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NFC Championship Preview: Packers @ Bears

23rd January 2011 by under Game Preview     

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Sunday, 3PM ET
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
This will be the third match up this season between these NFC North rivals, but only the second meeting in the playoffs ever and the first since 1941. They split the season series. The Bears won at home and the Packers won at home. This will likely be a defensive battle with good quarterback play. I think the team who protects their quarterback better will win this one.

Aaron Rodgers has been great as of late and so has Jay Cutler. The Bears have a better running game with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, but the Packers receiving core is better than the Bears.

Teams in the playoffs are 8-0 when they lead the game in rushing, so running will be crucial for the Bears. The Bears ran over 40 times last week, but I don’t see that many carries for the backs, but somewhere in the 30′s would only mean good things for the Bears.

Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and Jordy Nelson have more upside than Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester. These teams match up very well against each other. Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams are stars on the Packers defense. Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and Lance Briggs are stars on the Bears defense.

Urlacher and the safeties have to play good solid coverage on defense. Matt Forte and Chester Taylor have to run and catch out of the backfield like they have been lately. Greg Olsen and the tight ends have to win their match ups with the Packers linebackers and safeties because the Packers cornerbacks are very good.

Again the team that better protects their QB will likely win. Both offensive lines have been playing better. It will likely come down to the battle up front. Bears offensive line versus Packers defensive line and visa versa.

This game should be good, the same referee as the first match up at Soldier Field will ref this one, Terry McAualy. McAuely called 18 penalties against the Packers in that game, the Packers had more penalties than points in that game. Bears-Packers for a chance at the Super Bowl, I don’t think it gets much better than that. The team with the better quarterback play will win this one. I think Jay Cutler will surprise everyone and play his biggest game ever.

Final Score: Bears 23, Packers 17.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Divisional Round Preview: Seahawks @ Bears

16th January 2011 by under Game Preview     

Seahawks @ Bears
Sunday 1:00PM
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
The Seahawks are the first team under .500 to make the playoffs and they beat the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints last weekend. They have all the confidence in the world right now and they think that their week 6 victory over the Bears will help them overcome the odds once again.

The Bears are a much different team now, they have a balanced game plan, a much improved offensive line and a quarterback that doesn’t make stupid decisions.

Julius Peppers was shut down back in week 6 by Seattle’s LT Russell Okung, WR Mike Williams schooled CB Charles Tillman and LB Lance Briggs didn’t appear in the game with an injury.

Peppers, Tillman and Briggs will have to step up their play today. WR Mike Williams is good, but Tillman can hold him under 100 yards if he just plays a little closer, which I expect him to do. The Bears defense should be flying all over the field today.

Don’t get me wrong the Seahawks have weapons. They have Marshawn Lynch, Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu and Leon Washington, but I just think the Bears are too much for Seattle. If the Bears can get off to a fast start they could be in good standing after this one is over. The Bears will need pressure from Peppers and co. and a solid running game from Matt Forte to come away with the win.

If the Bears can’t get pressure on Hasselback, the Seahawks could tear apart that cover 2 defense the Bears play. The Bears offensive line has to stop Raheem Brock and Chris Clemons and that isn’t an easy task. The Bears offensive line has been playing better, but they don’t want Cutler to go down six times once again like he did back in week 6.

The Seahawks have momentum and confidence on their side right now, but the Bears have the home field and the crowd on their side. The Seahawks are 2-7 all-time in playoff road games. The Seahawks do however hold the edge 8-5 in the all-time series between them and the Bears. The Seahawks are fresh off of a win and the Bears lost to the Packers to allow Green Bay in the playoffs two weeks ago.

The week 17 loss to the Packers was meaningless and I think the Bears tried not to show everything they had to other playoff teams, but if they can’t play better than that they could be one and done. Luckily they play a weak Seattle team, who made the Saints look stupid last weekend. The Seahawks won’t be making the Bears look stupid today. The Bears should be heading to the NFC Championship after this one is over.

Final Score: Bears 28, Seahawks 13

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Divisional Round: A Preview Of Saturday’s Games

15th January 2011 by under Game Preview, NFL News     

Ravens @ Steelers
Saturday, 4:30PM
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
The Ravens and Steelers will meet for the third time this season. The Ravens are coming off a big 30-7 win over the Chiefs in the wild card round. Joe Flacco has been pretty successful in his short time in the NFL playoffs, but Ben Roethlisberger has been even better. This will be the third match-up this season between these two AFC North rivals and they split the season series. Both teams will lean on solid defense, a good running attack and smart quarterback play. I expect this one to be a close game, but the Steelers have the better defense and they will shut down Flacco and the Ravens in the critical parts of the game.

Final Score: Steelers 17, Ravens 13

Packers @ Falcons
Saturday, 8:00PM
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
These two teams met back in week 12 and the Falcons escaped with a victory. This time around the Falcons don’t look so good and they lost to the Saints in week 16 at home. The Packers on the other hand put a whooping on the Giants in week 16 and beat the Bears to get into the playoffs. The Packers beat Michael Vick and the Eagles last Sunday to get the chance to head to the Georgia Dome. Aaron Rodgers is playing pretty well, but the key to the Packers success has to do with the running game and James Starks exploded last week. Look for this game to be close. Falcons QB Matt Ryan has been very good at home, but the Packers  are the dangerous team that no one wants to face right now. However I think the Packers will fall short in this one because the Falcons are just so good at home and they will have the crowd in the game.

Final Score: Falcons 27, Packers 20

*Today should be a great day of football. Check back tomorrow for my previews of Sunday’s games.

For more news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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Week 17 Preview: Bears @ Packers

2nd January 2011 by under Game Preview     

The Chicago Bears will face the Green Bay Packers for the 181st time ever when they travel to Lambeau Field today. The Packers lead the all-time series 92-82-6.

This game means a lot for the Packers (9-6) and it could mean something for the Bears (11-4) as well. The New Orleans Saints play the Bucs and the Falcons play the Panthers, if both lose the Bears could get the #1 seed. The Bears would then have something to play for by 4:15 ET, when the face the Packers.

If they beat the Packers, with those scenarios takings place, they would get the #1 seed in the NFC.

The Packers will be playing hard in this one because if they win they are in the playoffs. The Packers would square off with the Eagles next weekend. The winner of the NFC West, either the Rams or the Seahawks would likely face the New Orleans Saints next weekend as well.

The Bears have been on a roll on offense. The team has went 7-1 since the bye week. They want to beat the Packers even if the 1 PM ET games don’t go their way. As much as the Bears should rest their starters because this game might mean nothing to them, I think they should really try hard to beat their rival Green Bay to keep them from making the playoffs.

Lovie Smith hasn’t said he will rest his starters. Smith really wants to beat the Packers, when he took the head coaching  job in 2004, he said his goal was to beat the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears have a 26-15 record under Lovie Smith. Since 2004, they have won the division more than any other team — three times (compared to twice for the Packers, twice for the Vikings and no times for the Lions).

It has been reported that RB Kahlil Bell and TE Kellen Davis got increased practice reps this week and could come into the game in the second half. WR Earl Bennett re-aggravated his ankle last week against the Jets and will be out for the game today.

Resting your players and getting crushed by the Packers won’t help your confidence heading into the playoffs. The Bears have a bye week next week, so today will be either a bye week or another game that the Bears could use to get momentum heading into the postseason.

I would play to beat the Packers and kick them out of the postseason. I would play hard because you want to have confidence heading into the playoffs. I would want to show the league that we are for real. Sweeping the Packers, sweeping the division and winning 12 games on the season will show the NFL that the Bears are real.

At the same time you don’t want to risk injury to some of your best players, so if the Bears are getting demolished, I say rest your players before they get hurt.

In other news, RB Matt Forte needs 22 rushing yards to reach 1,000 yards on the season and WR Johnny Knox needs 40 receiving yards to become the first receiver to get 1,000 yards in a season, since WR Marty Booker.

If the Bears play their starters today, I say they win 24-17. If not the Packers will win 27-14.

We’ll see what happens, it’s up to Lovie Smith and company today. Either way it’s the Bears against Packers, it doesn’t get much better than that.

For Bears news on Twitter, follow @Bearsbacker.

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