Last week's game was interesting for us Bears fans. It had a little bit of everything. Cutler looked very good in leading the offense down the field, and then (almost on cue) the offense would turn it over. The Bears ended up with 463 total yards of offense, and only 19 points to show for it. The defense only gave up 168 total yards of offense to the Lions, but very nearly (probably should have) gave up the game winning touchdown in the game's waining seconds. I still think the Calvin Johnson play probably should have been a catch, but hey, I'll take the win.
Anyways, all of that was against the Detroit Lions, who I thought were going to be improved, but really haven't improved that much (aside from their defensive line, which will be very good for them very soon). This week the Bears go on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys. This team will be a totally different animal. I know they didn't play particularly well in their season opener, a 13-7 loss on the road against the Washington Redskins, but that is what has me worried about this game. It's their home opener, so they'll be jacked up for that, and they are pissed about the way they played last week. They have all the motivation in the world to be ready go from bell to bell in this game.
Offensive Line: Advantage Cowboys
Dallas: Doug Free, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis, Marc Columbo: The Cowboys' O-line is massive, and should be a good run-blocking line. Dallas didn't run the ball particularly well last week, and the Bears defense is typically one of the tougher units in the NFL to run against when they are healthy, so I would expect the Dallas running game to hit the wall again this week. However, they should get better play than they got last week. Alex Barron has been passed by Doug Free on the depth chart (Barron was the lineman called for holding on the last play of the game, negating a Cowboys' game winning touchdown). Playing at home should help this unit as well. They normally do a great job of keeping Tony Romo on his feet, and giving him time to look downfield to find his receivers. I think they'll probably do the same this week.
Chicago: Frank Omiyale, Lance Louis, Olin Kreutz, Roberto Garza, Chris Williams: This is definitely the weak link on the Bears offense. They gave up four sacks last week, and didn't run block well either. The Bears had 101 yards rushing, but alot of that was on scrambles by Cutler on broken down pass plays. The O-line better get their act together, and gel quickly, because they are going up against one of the top defensive lines in the NFC in the Cowboys. If the Bears are going to be successful with their new offensive scheme on Sunday, they need Cutler on his feet, and the offensive line is going to have a tough time doing that.
Quarterback: Advantage: Even
Dallas: Tony Romo: Alot of people think that Romo is a way better quarterback than Cutler. He has gone to the playoffs (Cutler hasn't), and he doesn't throw nearly as many interceptions. He also has better weapons, and a better offensive line at his disposal, as he has throughout his career. I don't know though. I am not a big Tony Romo fan (eventhough I went to Eastern Illinois University, and currently live in Charleston, IL). Something about him just doesn't click with me. It's probably the fact that he's on the Cowboys. I know he's a decent quarterback, and I do expect him to play well on Sunday.
Chicago: Jay Cutler: Cutler is coming off a very impressive opening week of the season. He was 23-35, for 372 yards, 2 TD's, 1 interception. That is not a bad game. He probably would have had another touchdown pass, maybe even two, had the Bears not turned the ball over twice in the redzone (neither of which were Cutler's fault). The Detroit secondary was banged up, not very experienced, not talented, and Cutler took advantage. Playing against Dallas this week will be a different story. Their secondary is more experienced and athletic. I would expect Dallas to put up alot more resistance to the Bears' passing attack. I still think Cutler will play well though. I like what I saw from him last week, and I think he builds off of that. I will say 275 yards, 2 TDs, 1 interception. If he can put up those kinds of numbers against Dallas, I might start to think that Cutler can be a top level quarterback in the NFL. We'll see.
Running Backs: Advantage: Even
Dallas: Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, Felix Jones: The Cowboys have three elusive tailbacks that all run with confidence, power, and swagger. Choice had a rough game last week, and I think the Cowboys will work him in this week slowly, trying to rebuild his confidence. The Bears' d-line is revamped, but the Cowboys are going to be so worked up that I think the running backs will have a great week.
Chicago: Matt Forte, Chester Taylor: Matt Forte was outstanding last week, despite fumbling the ball twice (costing the Bears points on one fumble). He had 7 catches for 151 yards, and 2 touchdowns, including the game winner with 1:32 remaining, and an 89 yard score before the end of the first half. Taylor played well when he was in, but Forte looked very good in the passing game, so I would expect to see alot of Forte again this week. Hopefully the Bears can use both backs in the screen game to offset what should be an aggressive Cowboys front seven.
Receivers: Advantage Cowboys
Dallas: Roy Williams, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten Sam Hurd, Kevin Ogletree: The top 4 guys here are pretty good. Roy Williams has underachieved so bad, but Miles Austin is the real deal, and Dez Bryant and Jason Witten are great options over the middle as well. Tony Romo is a pretty accurate quarterback, and likes going down the field. I would expect the Cowboys to have an aggressive passing attack, and all of these receivers can stretch the field.
Chicago: Devin Hester, Devin Aromashodu, Johnny Knox, Greg Olsen, Earl Bennett, Desmond Clark: I almost want to add Matt Forte to this list too, but we already discussed how he'll be used in the passing game. Hester was quiet last week, only making one catch. Aromashodu had 5 catches for 74 yards, but he dropped a sure touchdown in the opening series, and had a couple of other passes that he should have made plays on. Johnny Knox might be their best receiver. I liked him last year, and I think he'll get even better this year. The Bears need to find ways to get him the ball downfield. They have two speed receivers in Hester and Knox, and need to use their speed to stretch the Dallas secondary. Still an inexperienced group, but improving.
Defensive Line: Advantage Cowboys
Dallas: Igor Olshansky, Jay Ratliff, Marcus Spears: The Cowboys traditionally play a 3-4 base defense, but many times you'll see Demarcus Ware down on the line, and that's when you are in trouble. The Cowboys' D-line is strong. Spears is a solid player on the end opposite Ware, and Olshansky and Ratliff are very good on the inside to stop the run. The generally do alot of blitzing with their front seven, but their line is strong enough with Ware to get to the quarterback consistently.
Chicago: Julius Peppers, Tommie Harris, Israel Idonije, Mark Anderson: Peppers had a strip, sack, fumble last week in his Bears regular season debut, and Tommie Harris had a fumble recovery. The D-line did a great job stopping the run, as the Lions never even had a chance in that department. I was disappointed at the lack of consistent pressure they were able to generate on the quarterbacks. It seemed like the Bears needed to send linebackers to get to Stafford and Hill (Urlacher had a sack), but that leaves their secondary exposed. The D-line needs to get alot more pressure on Romo to be effective.
Linebackers: Advantage Bears
Dallas: Anthony Spencer, Keith Brooking, Bradie James, Demarcus Ware: Ware is obviously the focus of this group. The other three are solid as well, but Ware is the guy you game plan for. He's consistently in the top five (if not higher) in sacks by the end of the season. Ware did have that neck strain, but I don't think it will limit him come game time.
Chicago: Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Pisa Tinoisamoa: This group was outstanding against the Lions. Urlacher is healthy and flying around the field again. Briggs is what he always has been: a impact player and pro-bowl caliber linebacker (that play last week on the goal line was unbelievable). Tinoisamoa just has to tackle well when the ball carrier comes his way. Playing with Urlacher and Briggs should definitely improve his game. I fully expect this unit to show up and play very well against Dallas.
Secondary: Advantage: Even
Dallas: Terrence Newman, Mike Jenkins, Gerald Sensabaugh, Alan Ball: Newman is an all-pro cornerback, and Mike Jenkins is very good as well. Going deep down the field on the edges could be tough, but I think the speed of the Bears' receivers could make the Cowboys susceptible to intermediate and deep routes over the middle. If the Cowboys secondary cheats up to stop the run/screen game, the Bears should look to exploit their secondary. This unit is better than the Lions secondary that the Bears faced last week, but they aren't a top notch unit, and the Bears should be able to make some plays in the passing game.
Chicago: Zack Bowman, Charles Tillman, Danieal Manning, Major Wright: The Bears secondary played well in my opinion, although they weren't really tested much. They shut down one of the league's best receivers in Calvin Johnson for a majority of the game (although he did have that non-touchdown at the end of the game). I was surprised the Lions didn't try to go downfield until the end of the game, when they had success in the two minute drill. The Bears secondary is going to have a tough time with the Cowboy receivers. Covering Miles Austin will be tough, and I would expect the Bears to roll coverage to him at times. The Cowboys have 4 legitimate receiving options, and covering all of them will be very tough.
Special Teams: Advantage Bears
Dallas: Their kicker (David Buhler) missed on a field goal attempt early in the game last week. The coverage units were decent on punts and kickoffs, and the return units didn't do anything special, although Felix Jones can be electrifying if you give him space.
Chicago: I will take Robbie Gould anytime over many kickers in the league, and this is no exception. The Bears have 3 dynamic return options (Danieal Manning, Johnny Knox, Devin Hester). Hester is just aching to break one, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him do it this week in Dallas. The kickoff and punt coverage teams were fantastic last week, although they did have a personal foul for blocking out of bounds on a punt. They need to get rid of those stupid penalties to have a chance to win this week.
Prediction: I think this could be a close game, as long as the Bears don't turn the ball over. If the Bears have 4 turnovers as they did last week, forget about it. Dallas will convert on their opportunities off turnovers, despite their offensive struggles in the preseason and week 1. I think Cutler plays well, and I really think the defense will rise to the challenge again. Any chance the Bears have of being a playoff team rests on their defense. Final score: Cowboys 27, Bears 20. The combination of playing on the road, and playing a hungry, motivated Dallas team, will probably prove to be too much for the Bears this week.
I hope I am wrong, and I will definitely be cheering loud for the Bears this week. It would be nice to get a second win before hosting the Packers in week 3. The Bears schedule is tough to open the season, and winning games will be very difficult over the next 3-4 weeks. Leave your comments, or offer predictions if you'd like. Go Bears!
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