Bears: 2009 NFL Regular Season Schedule | Fantasy Football Rankings
Published by Fantasy-Info .com on August 28, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears- 2009 NFL Regular Season Schedule- Printable- Downloadable
Chicago Bears 2009 NFL Regular Season Schedule
This season has been an upgrade season for the Chicago Bears‘ offense, as Jay Cutler is now in the Windy City. If the Bears are going to make a run at the division title, then I believe it is going to take consistent production from the offense, and the defense must stay healthy.
Below are three sections of interest that are worth paying attention to for fantasy owners coming into the season for this team. First, we have listed our fantasy players who we believe are worth paying attention to this season.
Next is strength of schedule against the run, pass, and points against. Lastly, we have a few games selected that will be key in telling how this team will perform for the 2009 season.
Fantasy Players
QB. Jay Cutler
RB. Matt Forte
WR. Devin Hester
WR. Earl Bennett
TE. Greg Olsen
TE. Desmond Clark
K. Robbie Gould
D Bears
Strength of Schedule
vs. Run 11th Easiest Schedule
vs. Pass 17th Easiest Schedule
vs. Points Given Up 7th Easiest Schedule
The Bears’ schedule on paper is a good one, except for the fact that they play the Detroit Lions week 17. That week, many fantasy football leagues don’t play, which means your fantasy players will only get a chance to play the Lions once.
Beyond this unfortunate schedule break, the Bears as a team and an offense have a chance to do some real damage this season. If Jay Cutler and Matt Forte stay healthy, they should produce long, time-consuming drives and score points every week. If they can do a good job at maintaining a lead in most games, it will allow the defense to play more pass defense than run defense.
This should greatly help Chicago’s cover two-style defense, as that system tends to be much stronger against the pass than the run. Part of the reason for this is that in a cover two a defense has smaller, faster players that can cover more ground.
The Bears’ defense has gone through seasons of having lots of injuries, but most seasons when they are hurt it is because the offense is not very good. This leaves the defense on the field for most of the game and allows their opponent to run the ball.
Games of Interest
Weeks one, two, 15, and 16: The schedule is not bad at all in between the first two games and the last two games of the season. In the first two games of the year they play the Packers and Steelers. I would expect the Packers front line (has played well in preseason) to be strong and healthy to start the year.
This could give the Bears problems as the Packers and the Steelers should be good at slowing down the run and forcing Jay into mistakes in the passing game.
The same problem could come up against their final two games in fantasy football, as they play the Ravens and Vikings. Out of these two final games, I would think the best chance for success would be against division rival Minnesota, because their pass defense is shaky. Both times the Bears matched up against the Vikings last year, Kyle Orton had two touchdown passes.
If Orton can throw two touchdowns a game, then I believe Cutler can do the same against the defense this year. While Forte didn’t light up the scoreboard in either game against the Vikings, he did have a touchdown in both contests.
2009 Football Projection
Chicago should be in the mix all season for a chance to make the playoffs, as they are good in every aspect of the game. For the Bears to actually pull off a division title or wild card spot, they are going to need the breaks to go their way in close games against the Packers and Vikings this season.
Fantasy Football Information Writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com
