This certainly has been a troublesome week for Bears fans after a confounding opener in which Jay Cutler threw four interceptions and Brian Urlacher dislocated his wrist, ending his season. With a load of criticism being heaped Jay’s way and a depth chart shuffle since Monday, the Bears now have to focus on Sunday’s match-up to avoid starting this season 0-2. Unfortunately their mountain to climb is steep, as the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are coming to town.
Thankfully, Chicago’s offense won’t have to worry about the ball-hawking Steeler safety Troy Polamalu adding to Cutler’s interception total for the season. Out with an MCL injury, Polamalu may be the heart of Pittsburgh’s defense, but they certainly aren’t to just roll over for Cutler. Tyrone Carter will be filling in at free safety, and the Steeler linebackers will be anxious to get after the quarterback.
Matt Forte is sure to have another slow day against another 3-4 defense, so the pressure is on Cutler to stretch the field and pull men away from the line of scrimmage. He’ll need to make infinitely better decisions with his throws, and avoid throwing off his back foot, a mechanical issue that got him into trouble against the Packers. With tight end Desmond Clark out with a rib injury, Greg Olsen will be the focal point of the defense for the second straight week. He’ll see plenty of double coverage unless a wide receiver can alter their thinking. Kellen Davis will be sliding into that second tight end spot, giving a bigger and younger alternative to Clark.
Sans Brian Urlacher, you might think the Bears will have trouble stopping the run. That might be true, if Pittsburgh had any running game to speak of. Coach Mike Tomlin sat his top two running backs in their game against Tennessee because they couldn’t produce. Their offensive line is suspect at best, failing to open up holes or protect franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger. I’d argue that half of Pittsburgh’s sacks come from a shoddy o-line, with the other half coming because Ben holds onto the ball forever.
Chicago needs to find and plant Big Ben on a regular basis, limiting those zany plays where he scrambles in the pocket for ten seconds and finds a receiver downfield. The rule is simple, if you hit him, you better bring him down. Otherwise a still uncertain Bears secondary will be torn apart by a Pro Bowl quarterback, silencing a normally raucous Soldier Field. Ben will be minus a big weapon however, as wide-out Limas Sweed is not expected to be on the field.
Danieal Manning will be replacing Kevin Payne at free safety this week, and he will also be the nickel cornerback on passing downs. Another expected shuffle in the secondary, Zack Bowman will start in place of Nathan Vasher. This is the best secondary line-up I think the Bears can currently put on the field, let's see if it works.
I’ve heard some analysts call this game “a flip of the coin.” I don’t think the Bears have the chance some are giving them. The Steelers prove time and time again that they can win in crunch-time (thanks mostly to Roethlisberger), while the Bears are struggling to find their identity with Cutler at quarterback. I wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Bears pulled out a victory for their home opener, but it won’t be pretty. The Steelers are bigger, meaner, and hit a lot harder (at least on defense anyway).
Still, I expect a competitive game where both defenses will prove their mettle without their most popular players. Jay should have a much smarter outing if the coaching staff did their job preparing him and maintain a consistent running game on Sunday.
Have fun watching this one! It should be plenty brutal! Catch my Opening Drive of Week 2, currently online! Remember, for all things me, follow @JoeAnello on Twitter!
