Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on November 26, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The 7-3 Chicago Bears, coming off of a 16-0 victory over the Miami Dolphins, will host the 7-3 Philadelphia Eagles, who themselves are coming off of a 27-17 win over the New York Giants, this Sunday at Soldier Field.

The buzz has been surrounding the ability of the Bears to contain Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who has been on fire lately and appears to be almost impossible to stop. 

Vick has been doing a lot of damage, especially during the last two games, where he led the Eagles’ offense to almost impossible heights. 

Can he do the same against the Bears?

The Eagles will face a Bears team that has won three in a row, and just completed a nice shutout of the Dolphins, with six sacks and a well controlled offensive attack. 

The Eagles are getting their wins by playing smart football and using Vick to the best of his ability. 

The Bears need to play their best football in order to beat the Eagles.

Can the Bears beat the Eagles?  Can they contain Vick and his dangerous group of weapons?  Can the offense continue playing well?

Let’s find out in this in-depth preview of the Bears game against the Eagles this Sunday.

 

When the Bears Have the Ball

Chicago has been doing much better on offense since they came back from their bye week three weeks ago.  Since then, they have won three games in a row and have controlled the ball and converted third downs. 

If you watched their game against the Dolphins, you would have seen that they were able to move the ball using long drives on offense, which helped keep the ball in the Bears’ hands and gave the defense a rest.

How are the Bears able to do this? 

First, they used a mix of running and passing that has seemed to work very well for them.  The offensive line is able to protect Cutler, providing him a lot of time to throw the ball.  If he has time, he can complete passes down the field.

Cutler has been able to roll out of the pocket and make plays by passing or running for the first down.  He is not afraid to tuck it in and run, which has helped covert some important third downs this season.

So what do the Bears need to do to beat the Eagles? 

How well do they match up against their defense? 

Chicago is averaging 195 yards per game through the air through 10 games, which may not be a lot for a Mike Martz driven offense, but it’s been enough to help the Bears win. 

The Eagles’ pass defense is giving teams 213 yards through the air per game, but remember that the Eagles have had some big leads that have forced teams to pass the ball on their defense. 

That number may be a bit misleading.

It will be time, once again, for good pass protection, rollouts and a slimmed down offense.  If Chicago can get the same kind of offensive production that it has in the past three games, then they will win this game.  

When it comes to passing, Cutler can make mistakes, and in this game, he will face a solid secondary that includes a ball hawk at cornerback in Asante Samuel.  Anyone who watched the Eagles face the Giants on Sunday Night Football will know the type of player that Samuel is and what he can do.

Cutler, the Bears’ offense and the coaching staff will want to make sure that they don’t test Samuel to where he has a day like Dante Hall did when the Bears played the Redskins.  

The Bears are getting right around 99 yards on the ground per game, which is good considering the struggles that they went through to start the season. 

Philadelphia’s defense is allowing right around 99 yards per game, so the Bears could find some room to run.  

Getting both Matt Forte and Chester Taylor some carries in this game will be vital. 

The Bears’ ability to control the ball—and the clock—in their last three games has come with timely running plays to both players, so look for Chicago to run the ball early and often.

This will help the Bears control the ball and keep Vick-and-company off the field.

 

When the Eagles have the Ball

We all know what Vick can do to an opposing offense—he is an avid runner and a solid thrower. 

Guys like DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin have been serving the passing game well, while running back LeSean McCoy has been tearing things up on the ground.

How can the Bears’ defense stop all of these weapons?

The thing that the Bears have going for them defensively is speed.  They fly to the ball, hitting running backs in the backfield and stopping receivers before they can gain too many yards after the catch—the Bears will need this speed to help them in Sunday’s combat.

Looking at the Eagles’ passing game first, it all starts with Vick and his ability to get the ball down the field.  Through 10 games, the Eagles are averaging 248 yards per game through the air, which is very good. 

Chicago’s defense is letting teams gain 212 yards per game through the air, so the Bears have to do something on defense to stop the Eagles’ passing game.

The Bears were able to contain the Dolphins’ passing game by using just their front four to rush the passer. Their success in this game will hing on repeating that strategy. 

Defensive end Julius Peppers will work both sides of the line to find the weak spots, and will also help keep Vick from getting out of the pocket and running with the football.  Peppers could be the most important Bears’ defender as a result. 

The rest of the defensive line will use their speed to penetrate the Eagles’ offensive line and get additional pressure on Vick.

Vick’s weapons, as mentioned, have uncanny speed and a knack for getting open quickly.  That leaves a big task for Bears’ linebackers and secondary. 

If they can get a pass rush, forcing Vick to throw the ball before he wants to, the Bears’ secondary can not only defend the pass, but will have a good chance at intercepting and ending an Eagles scoring threat.

The Eagles are gaining about 150 yards per game in rushing.  

The Bears are allowing teams to gain a very low 78 yards per game, so something has to give. 

Concentrating on stopping the run would make the Eagles’ one dimensional, (much like the Bears were earlier in the season with only using their passing game instead of their running game) and would allow the Bears’ defensive line to “tee off” on the Eagles’ offensive line and stop the pass. 

The Bears are very good at stopping the run, but that will be tested heavily in this game.

 

Special Teams

The Bears come into this game with the best kickoff and punt return group in the NFL, and will use it to gain advantages in this contest. 

If the Bears can get good field position either by getting it on a return or through a punt out of bounds, they will be in a much better position to win this game.

 

Injury Report

The following are the injury reports that the teams have listed heading into the game.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

CB Asante Samuel: Knee—Questionable

DE Juqua Parker: Hip—Questionable

DT Brodrick Bunkley: Elbow—Probable

CB Jorrick Calvin: Back—Probable

RB LeSean McCoy: Shoulder—Probable

G Nick Cole: Knee—Probable

LB Ernie Sims: Ankle—Probable

 

Chicago Bears

LB Pisa Tinoisamoa: Knee—Questionable

 

The Eagles are a little banged up at some positions, but it doesn’t appear as if anyone is going to miss any time in this game.  

The Bears may be without Tinoisamoa, even though he says he will be back and ready to play on Sunday.

 

Analysis

This game will be a study in how the Bears are going to stop Vick. 

On one side of the fence, people believe there is no way that the Bears will be able to stop the Eagles’ offense, while others believe that the Eagles have met their defensive match. 

Which side is right?

The Eagles have not played against a defense like the Bears’ this season. 

What makes the Bears defense different from others?  Speed.  The Bears’ defense is one of the fastest in the NFL and the Eagles, a fast offense, will discover that the Bears’ defense will give them some problems.

Pass pressure will be the biggest way to contain Vick and the offense, and with the front four they have, they should be able to do this.

The secondary may have to play its best game of the year.  The safeties, in particular, will have to be spot-on with their assignments, and help the corners cover these guys, because any slip up could turn into points. 

The linebackers will have to help out in coverage, in addition to helping keep Vick contained.

The offense will have no room for mistakes against the Eagles’ defense. 

Philadelphia’s defense is known for being able to create turnovers, and the Bears, before their winning streak, were well adept at turning the ball over. 

The formula for success on offense for the Bears will be ball control.

As long as the mistakes are eliminated and the offense can move the ball, the Bears should win this game.

 

Prediction

The game will be in Soldier Field and the weather might be cooperative for the kind of football the Bears need to play. 

Both teams will want this game, and the winner will be the team that has the least mistakes.

Chicago should be able to get a victory here and continue its march towards the playoffs.

Chicago 24 Philadelphia 20

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