Egads, how wrong can I be? I’m going to have to promise not to make references to quotes from Dave Wandstedt and John Shoop in these threads again. That may have been the cause of the Bears’ catastrophic game. Or maybe it was Cutler’s 3 picks and fumble.
This Bears fan didn’t see any major defensive problems. The Lions executed their offense really well, for the most part, (Bush tore us up) and yet the Bears did a good job stopping them in the red zone… until Jay got all bad-Rex on us. There is just no way to overcome that many turnovers by a QB.
On his 2nd INT I called it right when he let the ball go. “He’s throwing off his back foot, not a good sign! Yup, picked off.”
Cutler was just off. Unfortunate he can’t be more reliable. The Bears can beat anybody. AND the Bears can lose to anyone above average when Jay plays like that.
I’m a Vikes fan, and I watched parts of the game. I’d stick with Cassel for the time being. Let’s look at the first four Vikes games:
Wk 1: 34-24 loss to Detroit, with Ponder’s 3 INTs and 1 fumble lost not helping things
Wk 2: 31-30 loss to Chicago, with Ponder’s 1 INT (returned for TD) not helping things
Wk 3: 31-27 loss to Cleveland (really??), with Ponder’s 1 INT and 1 fumble lost not helping things
Wk 4: 34-27 win against Pittsburgh, with Cassel (and the team) making 0 turnovers
It looks like the Vikings can put up 30 or so points against anyone, but they will also give up 30 or so against anyone. The defense seems to be the biggest problem at this point, giving up the lead in the last minute of two games and almost a third this week. I would guess that if Ponder didn’t turn the ball over, he would be the better QB. But he does turn the ball over. I also think that defenses are not the least bit scared of Ponder, so they just key on Peterson. Cassel looked like he could throw the ball down field, at least. If I watched more closely this year, I would probably be questioning the play calling choices of the offensive coordinator.
Disclaimer: this week is the first time this year that I have watched the Vikings on TV.
We’re a quarter of the way through the season and I’m still not sure what is going on in the NFC North. I think the Bears are their usual bumslayers, and that beatdown by the Lions seems to agree, but they can play pretty well if they avoid mistakes. I think the Lions are an offensive team to be reckoned with, but they are too inconsistent and too undisciplined to make a long run. I think the Vikings have a solid team, but a troubling QB situation is holding them back. And I think the Packers are a lot better than the 1-2 record leads you to believe. At least that’s what I think, who knows whether I’m right, wrong, or partially right and partially wrong.
The Lions come to Lambeau for the only head to head NFC North matchup this week. With the bye week, playing at home, and an angry Aaron Rodgers looking for a bounce back, I predict a big win for the Packers. They will certainly have their hands full containing Bush and Johnson, but if they get Clay Matthews, Eddie Lacy and Morgan Burnett back, that will be a huge help on both sides of the ball. I like the Packers in a blowout.
The Bears go from the frying pan into the fire following last week’s pounding by the Lions by having to play the high rolling Saints. The Bears defense has not been the stoutest as it has, but the turnovers have come at a NFC leading clip, and that’s been a huge help to the team. With the significant dedication to the offensive side of the ball, the Bears hope to be able to win a few shootouts this year, but I’m not so sure they’ll be able to keep up with Jimmy Graham et. al. I don’t think the Saints can count on Jay Cutler giving them a win like last week, and Chicago is a much tougher place to play than the Superdome, so I think it will be a one score game. But I do think the Saints, if they avoid turnovers, will get the win.
I think this weekend will tell us a lot about these teams. I can’t wait.
Week 5:
Week 5: (Sun., Oct. 6) Saints (4-0) at Bears (3-1), 1 p.m.
Week 5: (Sun., Oct. 6) Lions (3-1) at Packers (1-2), 1 p.m.
Week 5: Vikings Bye (1-3) Bye
The Bears will have a tough challenge with the Saints offense this week. Bears defense needs some spark with their line and safety play and their offense is doing well but is not the same caliber as the Saints. I’d like to see the Bears win here, obviously, but I don’t know how they’ll keep up.
I’d hate to see either the Lions or the Packers win this weekend but I suppose I’d rather see the Lions win here. With their victory, the Packers will slip further down the standings and I just don’t see the Lions with the discipline to go the whole year without one of their trademark Lions meltdowns.
Vikings get a bye. Frazier says that Ponder will play week 6 if he’s healthy but I don’t know if that’s the best idea. But what do I know? I’m no NFL coach.
Reports are that Calvin will sit this one out. Not a good day to be a Lions fan.
Well crud on a cracker, why couldn’t he sit out last week?
Yep, the Packers catch a break and Megatron sits for he game and was sorely missed. Some credit to the Packer’s defense for playing well for most of the game, but it certainly is a lot easier when the best WR in the league isn’t there.
It was a heartening win for the Packers. Their offensive line played well against the D line (including a nice tripping penalty called on Suh. Heh.), their kicker seems to be over last year’s meltdown and went 5 for 5, and they did a great job containing Reggie Bush. There were certainly concerns (why McCarthy eschewed Eddie Lacy and the running game on 3rd and shorts was beyond me), but a much needed win against a division foe is always nice. Of course the Packers being the Packers, they also suffered injuries, with Clay Matthews breaking his thumb, Brad Jones hurting his hamstring, and Jones’ backup and special teams ace Robert Francois tearing his Achilles and out for the year. Still, the defense finally played a good game and there is hope for another division title.
Meanwhile, the Lions and Bears both lose, so they remain a half game up on the Packers. The Lions offense without Calvin Johnson were toothless, in large part because the offensive line had a bad game. Their defense played very well for the first half, holding the Packers to only two field goals. But a few big plays (wow, was James Jones ever open) cost them the game. The Packers are a good team, and were playing at home, so it’s not time to give up hope, but they really need Calvin Johnson back soon.
Speaking of losing to good teams, the Bears lost to the undefeated Saints. I didn’t see much of this game, but it seemed to be a nice statement game for Alshon Jeffrey, who is seeing a lot of single coverage with Marshall being double teamed. The Bears can use that to their advantage in the future, especially if Brandon continues to bemoan his lack of opportunities in the offense. Rex Ryan’s defense made enough big plays to compensate for giving up big plays and Sean Payton’s use of the screen game put the game out of reach. I like Mark Trestman, but I thought he was outcoached this game, which really isn’t a shame when it’s Sean Payton.
Outside of holding the ball too long against a blitz and having a strip sack, Cutler had a nice statistical game. No interceptions, a 73% completion rate, and a outstanding 128 passer rating. Good Jay showed up. Unfortunately for him, the offensive line and the defense didn’t.
I forgot. The Bears have a short week this week, playing at home against the unwinned NY Giants. I keep expecting the Giants to wake up and be a better team, and they keep failing miserably. The Bears, at home, against a team with an 0-5 record. They have to win, don’t they? Don’t they?
In the “news that no one who knows him will be even the slightest bit surprised by” category, Detroit center Dominic Raiola is a douchebag. Story here. Apparently Raiola continuously insulted members of the UW band that were performing at Lambeau Field, including homophobic slurs. Stay classy Detroit!
The Bears get to be in primetime again this week, with a Thursday Night matchup against the Giants. Before the season, this appeared to be a pretty good game, but the Giants have been godawful this season. I know there is some thinking about wounded dogs and cornered rats, but the Giants, who lead the league in turnovers have a bad matchup against a team that excels at getting turnovers. Add in the worst scoring defense in the NFL, a bunch of injuries, and that the game is in Chicago and it should be a cake walk for the Bears. Barring a meltdown game by Cutler and those Bears’ safeties being even more exposed in coverage, I don’t foresee the Giants even getting close. I can hope, but I think the Bears get an easy win tonight.
The Bears should remember that the Giants got 10 sacks against them 2 years ago and I hope they use that to get 10 (or more) sacks tonight. That being said, the Bears have issues on their D line due to injuries and are playing one of their ends as a 3 technique tackle. Maybe this would be a good opportunity for Chicago to remember how to pass rush and use it as a springboard into the rest of the season.
Hey, we’re into week 6 already!
Week 6: (Thur., Oct. 10) Giants at Bears, 8:25 p.m.
Week 6: (Sun., Oct. 13) Lions at Browns, 1 p.m.
Week 6: (Sun., Oct. 13) Packers at Ravens, 1 p.m.
Week 6: (Sun., Oct. 13) Panthers at Vikings, 1 p.m.
Bears got their win last night but they’re having issues with their D line. Hopefully with a long week to prepare for the Redskins and a bye, they’ll get Stephen Paea back and get their new tackles ramped up. Putting Wootton at DT and McClellin in on running downs isn’t the best use of either.
Hopefully the rest of the NFC North loses, blah blah blah, OK I got the homer thing out of the way. Browns haven’t quite given up yet, the Ravens aren’t so good right now, and the Panthers are struggling. I can see the Lions game going either way, Packers should win, and Vikings could win if they don’t crap all over themselves.
A 3-1 week for the NFC North this week with the Bears winning against the horrible Giants Thursday, the Lions having a strong second half to beat the Browns, the Packers ekeing out a win against the Ravens, and Minnesota got their asses handed to them by the Panthers. A pretty good showing by the NFC North.
The Bears get the win, but I’m not sure they’re too happy about how they played. The defensive line continues to have problems and it took a third interception from Eli to put the game away against a bad team.
The Lions pull together in the second half to get a win against a tough Brown’s defense. Sure Senor Beef will tell you it was the officials, but the Lions won that game in the trenches. As much as I dislike Schwartz, he made some nice halftime adjustments to stop a offense that was gashing them in the first half. It was against Brandon Wheedon, so it’s not a huge win, but it was a win.
The Vikings sucked. Offense. Defense. Special Teams. Coaching and Preparation. They were just awful. Christian Ponder might feel a bit better knowing that he’s not the only reason the Vikings are losing, but outside of that, it was a bad game by a team that shouldn’t be that bad.
And the Packers get a tough road win against the Ravens. Once again, it was the defense that came up big, including a goal line stop on a questionable decision to go for it by Harbaugh. Nick Perry and Mike Neal had very good games as OLB’s, Eddie Lacy provided some nice yardage in the running game, and Aaron Rodgers did very well with a crew of receivers decimated by injuries. There was a typical Jerron McMillan meltdown that made the game closer than a should have been, but a win is a win.
And, of course, there are injuries. Randall Cobb and James Fucking Jones both left the game with injuries, which are huge losses. I know it’s “next man up” and all, but fuck, I’d love to see the Packers with a healthy team for once. Hopefully a bit softer schedule coming up will help them out.
Week 7:
Week 7: (Sun., Oct. 20) Bears at Redskins, 1 p.m.
Week 7: (Sun., Oct. 20) Bengals at Lions, 1 p.m.
Week 7: (Sun., Oct. 20) Browns at Packers, 4:25 p.m.
Week 7: (Mon., Oct. 21) Vikings at Giants, 8:40 p.m.
The last time the Bears played the Redskins, Cutler was intercepted 4 times by DeAngelo Hall and lost the game 17 - 14. Here’s to hoping that doesn’t happen again this time around. The Bears get Paea back and while I don’t think his return will automagically fix their d line issues, it will help. Maybe with him there, they can step up and have a good day. Jon Bostic also steps into the middle linebacker spot after DJ Williams tore his pectoral and was placed on IR. Bostic made some great plays in the preseason but he’s a rookie and will make rookie mistakes, blah blah, I think he’ll be OK.
Lions and Packers are playing AFC North teams.
Will the Giants get their first win on Monday?
The 4-2 Bears are only a 1.5 point favorite going against the 1-4 Redskins. The Bears wins this year have been against the 1-4 Vikings, the 1-4 Steelers, the 0-6 Giants, and the 4-2 Bengals. Not exactly awe inspiring, but there is a very good reason the Redskins are 1-4, they aren’t very good. As long as the Bears defense continue to get turnovers, I expect a win. If not … it could be anyone’s ball game.
The Lions get the Bengals at home and are a 2.5 point favorites. For the Bengals, it’s simply a question of which team (and which Andy Dalton), is going to show up. The mistake ridden, turnover machine of weeks 1 and 4, or the good defense/game manager of 2, 5, and 6. The Lions defense is still no great shakes, but that offense can play with anyone (if Megatron is healthy). Could be a fun game to watch. I think the Lions get the win at home, but I hope the Bengals take one.
The Packers are 9 point favorites at home against the Browns. Once again, the Packers are decimated by injuries, possibly missing two starting WR’s, two starting OLB’s, a starting CB, and a couple linemen. Luckily, this team gets the Brandon Weeden led Browns, who have struggled moving the ball lately. It will be interesting to see if the players forced into starting positions can keep up with a NFL team. At least interesting for me. For others… not so much. With Aaron Rodgers v. Weeden, it should be a Pack win, and I really want to get through one fucking game without losing a starter to injury.
Finally, the Vikings are underdogs to the worst team in the NFL NY Giants. What a dogshit game. The Vikings are so desperate they’re starting castoff Josh Freeman, and the Giants haven’t won a game yet this year. I think I’ll find a pottery class to take on Monday night this week. Who will win?.. Who cares?
Packers win, but Jermichael Finley gets taken off on a stretcher with a neck/head injury. Sigh.
I think the Lions are a pretty solid team, with an obvious flaw (secondary). With that being said, they were even in that game today because of their very clear strength, which is their offense. The Bengals are a more talented team overall, though.
Yesterdays Packers win was a testamant to Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy. Rodgers cause he’s so good that he makes everyone look good and McCarthy for his ability to keep a deep talented roster.
It must be a joy to be a receiver and play with Rodgers.
The Bears appear to be up poop creek without locomotion. Cutler went down yesterday with a groin injury and this photo was posted from a local sports reporter:
In addition to that, it has been reported that Lance Briggs will be out 4 - 6 weeks with a shoulder injury. What the heck is in the water at Halas Hall?