Bears Blitz

Published by Jack Jones on September 30, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Carolina Panthers picked up their first win of the season last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.  This week, former Bears linebacker and first-year Panthers head coach Ron Rivera will try to lead his troops to another victory as they head to Chicago to take on the Bears.  However, another win doesn’t seem likely as the Panthers are 7-point underdogs.

Carolina’s offense has gone from mainly a run-first scheme to airing the ball out quite a bit with rookie Cam Newton under center.  Newton has looked great in his first three games in the NFL, passing for 1,012 yards and four touchdowns.  He does need to take care of the ball a little better though, having already been picked off four times.

Steve Smith looked washed up the past couple of years, but with Newton throwing the ball he has really thrived.  Smith has the most receiving yards in the league with 349 on 16 receptions.

The Panthers have a pair of tight ends that can make things difficult for the opposing defense.  Jeremy Shockey and former Bear Greg Olsen have a combined 21 receptions so far this year.

The ground game has yet to get going for Carolina despite the team having two talented backs in Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams.  Neither one of these guys has reached the century mark for the season yet.  If Carolina is going to move the ball against quality defenses, it is going to need the running game to relieve some of the pressure off of Newton.

Carolina’s pass defense did not look good against Arizona and Green Bay, but one thing they are good at is getting to the quarterback.  Defensive ends Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy have already gotten to the quarterback a combined five times.  With Chicago leading the league in sacks given up, this could be a problem area for the Bears.

The problems with the Bears offense start with the line.  Not only are they giving up way too many sacks, but they are not opening any holes for running back Matt Forte.  Last week, Chicago managed just 13 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Jay Cutler has found ways to get Forte involved with the passing game.  Forte has 22 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown while the speed of Johnny Knox and Devin Hester stretches the field.

The receiving corps will once again be without slot man Earl Bennett.  His replacement has been Dane Sanzenbacher.  Even though Sanzenbacher wasn’t drafted, he does have nine catches and a touchdown reception in each of the past two weeks.

Chicago is normally known for its stout defense but the numbers so far this season are pretty atrocious.  Of course, going against Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers for three straight weeks is going to make anyone look bad.  So it comes as no surprise that the Bears are giving up 277.3 yards per game through the air. 

What is shocking is the 4.6 yards per carry the Bears are giving up on the ground.  This could be something for Carolina to take advantage of.

Prediction: Chicago 20, Carolina 17— I think this one is going to be closer than people think.  The Panthers match up pretty well with Chicago on both sides of the ball.  The Bears were fortunate to win the turnover battle in their Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons but haven’t shown much the past two weeks.

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