Bears Blitz

Published by Zack Pearson on November 29, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

With their dominating performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, the Chicago Bears have proved they belong in the conversation of contenders in the NFL.

Led by a spectacular performance by Jay Cutler, the Bears dominated all fazes of the game, minus the final four minutes. Chicago fed off of the home crowd and embraced the chance to prove what they are in the national spotlight.

Before the game, not many people gave the Bears a legitimate shot at anything this season, downgrading their play by saying their opponents had been weak. Well, Lovie Smith and company aren’t apologizing for their wins.

They go out and play the games they are supposed to just like every other NFL team. The Bears, for the most part, have won the games they were supposed to win. They have even won the games they weren’t supposed to win—just ask Green Bay and Philadelphia.

Their defense has been solid all year, and they showed that on Sunday by cooking up the perfect recipe to slow down Mike Vick and the high flying Eagles offense. The defense has proven they can play with anyone in the league this season. They face three more high-powered offenses in the Jets, Patriots and Packers, but with their defense playing like they are, Bears fans should have confidence.

A part of the defense that has played impressively of late is the defensive line. Led by free agent Julius Peppers, Chicago’s line is becoming a force on the line of scrimmage. They sacked Mike Vick four times as a team, but the constant pressure from the Bears defensive line caused havoc for Vick.

The Bears have putt pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long, showing a variety of blitzes and stunts. At times they have even gotten to the quarterback with just their four down lineman.

Something that separates the Bears from other contenders is their excellent special teams. Lead by Devin Hester, Daniel Manning and Johnny Knox, the Bears have three return men with deadly speed. Each of those return men has at least one return touchdown in his career.

With a dangerous special teams and a dominant defense, Chicago is poised for a run to Dallas in February.

That is if Jay Cutler can play solid football at the quarterback position.

Cutler has been shaky in his career as a Chicago Bear. He can have those horrible three interception games, but he can also play a very solid game.

On Sunday we just might have seen the rise of the real Jay Cutler as a Chicago Bear. Cutler turned in a performance that many Bears fans have never seen from a quarterback.This could be a sign of things to come for Bears fans.

One thing I was waiting for from Jay Cutler was his response to a big game in the national spotlight. We have seen him fail miserably in other national games. This one was different, however. Cutler had the chance to prove that himself, that the Bears were for real. What better way to do that than having a four touchdown, zero interception game from our quarterback? In the biggest game for the Bears to date this season, Cutler shined.

After the bye week, we have seen Cutler use his legs as a way to pick up big gains and first downs. With Cutler being a mobile quarterback, it just adds fuel to the fire for the Bears offense.

Has Chicago all of a sudden found a deadly offense to accompany its spectacular defense and special teams?

What the Bears did Sunday should scare a lot of opposing defenses. The Bears wide receivers made plays all over the field, and more impressively, they made plays after the reception.

Mix in a now steady run game which had previously been non-existent, and the Bears have a game plan that actually might work.

Watch out NFL, the Chicago Bears are for real.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com