The Outcome
With Jay Cutler nursing a mild concussion on the sidelines, Matt Forte managed to pick up the slack and lead Chicago to a 23-6 victory in Bank of America Stadium. By improving to a 4-1 record on the season, Chicago finds itself in a tie for first place in the NFL.
Offense
The Bears always claim they need to "get off the bus running", but today they followed through on this by handing off the rock early and watching Forte do the rest. He ran for 166 yards on the day (which is more than every other game this year combined), including two early scores to help the Bears to an early 17-3 lead. In total, Chicago rushed for 218 yards on 42 carries, an average of 5.2 YPC.
In relief of Cutler, Todd Collins threw 4 INTs and saw a passer rating of 6.2. He was pulled in the fourth quarter for third string QB Caleb Hanie, who completed 2 of 3 passes for 19 yards and an 84.0 rating. Because of Collins' struggles, Bears' receivers were unable to help Chicago through the air as the leading receiver, Forte, caught two balls for 22 yards.
Defense
Despite offensive troubles, the defense created huge plays by way of 5 sacks and 3 interceptions. But the only number that matters is points allowed, and I'm sure nobody on the Bears' D is complaining at 6. Although Carolina is the lowest scoring team in the league, the Bears still allowed 5.5 points less than the Panthers' 11.5 average.
Coming into this matchup, the spotlight on the Panther's offense was on running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Despite early success out of the backfield, Chicago managed to limit the total damage to 20 carries for 81 yards combined.
Individually speaking, I thought Israel Idonije had the strongest game with 7 tackles, 2 assists, a forced fumble and 3 sacks. His consistent pressure, along with Peppers', provided more than enough to get Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen out the pocket. Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman and Peppers saw interceptions as well.
Special Teams
Despite being a unit often overlooked, special teams set up the Bears' first touchdown and was directly responsible for 9 of the Bears 23 points. Devin Hester and Danieal Manning saw some great returns and Robbie Gould nailed a career-long 53 yard field goal.
If Cutler can't go next week, should it be Collins or Hanie under center?
If anyone would've answered Todd Collins at noon on Sunday, I'm pretty sure they would've changed their answer by 3:15.
Collins didn't look good in the preseason, he didn't look good against the Giants last week and he looked atrocious against the Panthers on Sunday. There's a reason he has only started 21 games in 16 years.
Meanwhile, the Bears have a young talent sitting on the bench thinking, "Why am I not on the field"? Hanie has proven he can manage a game, or at least much moreso than Collins. I don't mean to say that I think he should be a starter in the NFL just yet, but at the moment he makes for a textbook backup. Also, considering the speed in the Bears' receiving core, Hanie's stronger arm is an added incentive, as the ability to stretch the field is usually a key component in a Mike Martz gameplan.
Looking Ahead to Next Week
Next Sunday, the Bears try to keep sole possession of first place in the NFC North when they take on the 2-2 Seattle Seahawks in Soldier Field.
Seattle is coming off a bye week, but in Week 4 they saw a 20-3 defeat to St. Louis in the Edward Jones Dome. On the year, Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck has completed 77 of 126 passes for 814 yards, 4 TDs, 6 INTs and a passer rating of 70.7. Seattle's running back, Justin Forsett, has seen limited action in 4 games this year with 51 carries for 215 yards and no touchdowns. Through the air, Hasselbeck likes to spread the ball around and get all his receivers involved.
Defensively, Seattle looks to provide pass rush with DEs Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock, who have 6 sacks combined this year. In the backfield, saftey Earl Thomas and cornerback Marcus Trufant look to slow a Chicago offense that should have QB Jay Cutler back in the mix.
With Cutler back at it under center (most likely) and Forte's newfound rhythm running the ball, I am expecting the Bears to come out looking solid in all phases, also factoring in their home field advantage for the first time this month.
*Preliminary Prediction: Seahawks 17, Bears 27
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*My official predictions are released on Thursdays
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