The Bears Will Crush the Panthers (1 Viewer)

[BassNBrew]

A victory over the Giants isn't much fun to celebrate when you have to pack for a trip to the artic to face a rested pack of polar Bears who already beat you black and blue once this year. If that wasn't a tough enough task, the NFL slots the boys from the south with a late game that will see the temperature plummet as the game progresses.

OK, so let's analyze this game. These two teams met earlier in the year and Carolina was favored. As I pointed out then, Carolina was at the bottom of the league in ypc and Chicago was at the top. Carolina averaged 3.5 ypc and Chicago 3.9 in the first game. Once again I'm sure people will point to Chicago's weak schedule so let's break it down by common opponents, discarding a meaningless week 17 as Chicago sat it's starters.

Chicago

Sep 18 Detroit Won 38-6

Oct 16 Minnesota Won 28-3

Oct 30 @Detroit Won 19-13

Nov 6 @New Orleans (Baton Rouge, LA) Won 20-17

Nov 20 Carolina Won 13-3

Nov 27 @Tampa Bay Won 13-10

Dec 4 Green Bay Won 19-7

Dec 18 Atlanta Won 16-3

Dec 25 @Green Bay Won 24-17

Carolina

Sep 11 New Orleans Lost 20-23

Oct 3 Green Bay Won 32-29

Oct 16 @Detroit Won 21-20

Oct 30 Minnesota Won 38-13

Nov 6 @Tampa Bay Won 34-14

Nov 20 @Chicago Lost 3-13

Dec 4 Atlanta Won 24-6

Dec 11 Tampa Bay Lost 10-20

Dec 18 @New Orleans (Baton Rouge, LA) Won 27-10

Detriot: Chicago wins by 32 and 6, Carolina eeks out a 1 point win. Advantage Chicago.

Minny: Both win by 25. Push.

NO: Carolina splits the series, Chicago wins at NO. Advantage Chicago.

Tampa: Carolina splits the series, Chicago wins at Tampa. Advantage Chicago.

Atlanta: Both handle the Falcons with ease. Push.

Green Bay: Chicago wins easily twice, Carolina eeks out another win at home. Advantage Chicago.

This comprehensive review had me post the Bears as roughly a 7 point favorite in November when Vegas had them as a -3 dog. Chicago won that game by 10 and actually the Panthers were fortunate that it wasn't worse then that as the Bear's dominated every phase of the the game except for stopping Steve Smith. Obviously I sorely underestimated how good the Bears actually were.

Wow, doesn't look pretty for the Cats. Well maybe some things have changed since then that need to be explored.

* In November both teams were coming off an easy home win. This time the Panthers are coming off a road game while the Bears rested. Advantage Bears.

* In November the Bears had a dinged Jones and Benson didn't play, the Panthers had Davis and Foster. This go round Jones is healthy, Davis is on IR and Foster is taking shots for an injured toe. Advantage Bears

* In November it's 45 degrees in Chicago during the day, in January at night you might as well be playing in a freezer. Advantage Bears.

* Lovie Smith has been named coach of the year, Fox was a also ran. Big advantage Bears (unless it's mini Lovie and then it's advantage Bears).

* In November Orton started, now Grossman has the reigns. Grossman adds about another 10 ppg to the Bear's offense by himself.

In summary, the Bear's have a far superior defense, better special teams, and better running attack. Chicago has Urlacher who can survive and thrive with Hilton, the Panthers have Dan Morgan who was knocked out of a game by a Favre stiff arm. The Bear's have the Panther's full size #1 receiver, the Panther's have the smuff version. November was just a warm up for the thrashing looming this weekend. Take out a second mortgage and don't lose the man's number....Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

 

[Ghost Rider]

* Lovie Smith has been named coach of the year, Fox was a also ran. Big advantage Bears (unless it's mini Lovie and then it's advantage Bears).

An also ran? Smith deserved his coach of the year award, but that doesn't mean he is automatically a better coach than Fox, unless you are saying he is also better than Belichick, Shanahan, Cowher, etc.

 

[KevT]

Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

Steve Smith didn't score last game, but he did have 14 reception for 169 yards, he helped the Panthers get in good field position to score. So a shutout is doubtful. For the Bears to win, they've got to shutdown Smith, and Grossman can't have any turnovers.

 

[BassNBrew]

* Lovie Smith has been named coach of the year, Fox was a also ran.  Big advantage Bears (unless it's mini Lovie and then it's advantage Bears).

An also ran? Smith deserved his coach of the year award, but that doesn't mean he is automatically a better coach than Fox, unless you are saying he is also better than Belichick, Shanahan, Cowher, etc.

The Bears were predicted to finish last in the division by most (except that visonary Gridiron Assassin who nailed the Super Bowl run) and that was before Grossman went down. This team was left for dead entering September and Smith them to a #2 seed in the NFC with a rookie QB. Pretty impressive in my book and kind of reminds me of Belicheck's rise to the top.

 

[jwvdcw]

solid shtick here.

 

[BassNBrew]

Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

Steve Smith didn't score last game, but he did have 14 reception for 169 yards, he helped the Panthers get in good field position to score. So a shutout is doubtful. For the Bears to win, they've got to shutdown Smith, and Grossman can't have any turnovers.

Don't really follow...Smith went nuts and Carolina posted 3 points.

 

[Spiderman]

Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

Steve Smith didn't score last game, but he did have 14 reception for 169 yards, he helped the Panthers get in good field position to score. So a shutout is doubtful. For the Bears to win, they've got to shutdown Smith, and Grossman can't have any turnovers.

Except for one deep pass in that game, I believe everything Steve Smith caught was underneath the coverage - the Bears were happy with him catching the short passes, and not doing any major damage.If the Bears play the type of defense they played all season at home, they will win this game, plain and simple.

 

[KevT]

Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

Steve Smith didn't score last game, but he did have 14 reception for 169 yards, he helped the Panthers get in good field position to score. So a shutout is doubtful. For the Bears to win, they've got to shutdown Smith, and Grossman can't have any turnovers.

Except for one deep pass in that game, I believe everything Steve Smith caught was underneath the coverage - the Bears were happy with him catching the short passes, and not doing any major damage.If the Bears play the type of defense they played all season at home, they will win this game, plain and simple.

Okay take away his one deep pass. 13 for 121. I'm sure the Panthers will be more than happy to have that same kind of production as it'll keep the chains moving, and the offense on the field. Giving Smith opportunities to do things with the ball is never a good idea. As for the game, I really couldn't care less who wins. It should be an enjoyable game, though.

 

[gman8343]

the reverse jinx lives on!

 

[KevT]

Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

Steve Smith didn't score last game, but he did have 14 reception for 169 yards, he helped the Panthers get in good field position to score. So a shutout is doubtful. For the Bears to win, they've got to shutdown Smith, and Grossman can't have any turnovers.

Don't really follow...Smith went nuts and Carolina posted 3 points.

Like I posted, a shutout is doubtful.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

31 points scored by the Bears....LOLI almost spit out my Sunny D.The Bears average 16 points a game and are playing the 5th best scorign defense in the league.

 

[BassNBrew]

31 points scored by the Bears....LOL

I almost spit out my Sunny D.

The Bears average 16 points a game and are playing the 5th best scorign defense in the league.

Vasher not playing?16 ppg really isn't valid when Orton accumulated most of that playing time.

 

[Spiderman]

Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

Steve Smith didn't score last game, but he did have 14 reception for 169 yards, he helped the Panthers get in good field position to score. So a shutout is doubtful. For the Bears to win, they've got to shutdown Smith, and Grossman can't have any turnovers.

Except for one deep pass in that game, I believe everything Steve Smith caught was underneath the coverage - the Bears were happy with him catching the short passes, and not doing any major damage.If the Bears play the type of defense they played all season at home, they will win this game, plain and simple.

Okay take away his one deep pass. 13 for 121. I'm sure the Panthers will be more than happy to have that same kind of production as it'll keep the chains moving, and the offense on the field. Giving Smith opportunities to do things with the ball is never a good idea. As for the game, I really couldn't care less who wins. It should be an enjoyable game, though.

The game should be a smash mouth game....barring any big plays from Steve Smith, and to a lesser extent, one of the Bear's WRs.The problem with the last game was that, despite the production from Smith, the offense wasn't able to substain drives. He caught a bunch of passes for 1st downs, but was contained underneath, and Carolina, with the pressure on Delhoomme/no running game, had no other options.

 

[tommyGunZ]

 

[fridayfrenzy]

31 points scored by the Bears....LOL

I almost spit out my Sunny D.

The Bears average 16 points a game and are playing the 5th best scorign defense in the league.

Vasher not playing?16 ppg really isn't valid when Orton accumulated most of that playing time.

Oh, so you are thinking that a QB who has 195 total passing attempts in his career, 39 this year, and only 2 games started this year, will do alot better versus the 5th best defense. LOL

 

[BassNBrew]

In version one, Chicago did move the ball pretty effectively. Carolina has only been effective on defense when blitzing. The front four were shut down by the Bears lines. I would expect to see a more aggressive game plan on by the Panther's defensive staff. This should open up some big play opportunities for the Bears. Lucas can handle his man, but I expect the off WR to score a long TD. If the Bear's o-line doesn't play as well as they did in game one, then I'll revise my prediction to 20-10. Have the Bear's substained any key injuries since the last game?

 

[Spiderman]

31 points scored by the Bears....LOL

I almost spit out my Sunny D.

The Bears average 16 points a game and are playing the 5th best scorign defense in the league.

Vasher not playing?16 ppg really isn't valid when Orton accumulated most of that playing time.

Oh, so you are thinking that a QB who has 195 total passing attempts in his career, 39 this year, and 2 games started this year, will do alot better versus the 5th best defense. LOL

Actually, if you are attempting to compare the offensive production of Orton vs. Grossman, I would suggest that the Bears stand a much better chance of being at least average on offense - that was not the case with Orton, who managed the game, and didn't turn the ball over. Grossman gives the Bears a passing threat. Orton reached his high point in the game vs. Carolina. After that, he fell off, and never recovered. With Grossman in the game, the Bears offense is capable of score 17-20 points a game now. Before, they couldn't say that.

 

[Spiderman]

In version one, Chicago did move the ball pretty effectively. Carolina has only been effective on defense when blitzing. The front four were shut down by the Bears lines. I would expect to see a more aggressive game plan on by the Panther's defensive staff. This should open up some big play opportunities for the Bears. Lucas can handle his man, but I expect the off WR to score a long TD. If the Bear's o-line doesn't play as well as they did in game one, then I'll revise my prediction to 20-10. Have the Bear's substained any key injuries since the last game?

Watch out for Bernard Berrian in this game. He has been playing well down the strech, and his the Bears best deep threat. With the attention given to Muhammed and the running game, I think Grossman looks deep to him a few times....

 

[BassNBrew]

31 points scored by the Bears....LOL

I almost spit out my Sunny D.

The Bears average 16 points a game and are playing the 5th best scorign defense in the league.

Vasher not playing?16 ppg really isn't valid when Orton accumulated most of that playing time.

Oh, so you are thinking that a QB who has 195 total passing attempts in his career, 39 this year, and only 2 games started this year, will do alot better versus the 5th best defense. LOL

Rank Player Team G Cmp Att Pct Yds Yds/Att TD Int 1st Sck Rtg 1 Jeff Blake CHI 2 8 9 88.9 55 6.1 1 0 4 0 129.2 2 Jay Fiedler NYJ 2 8 13 61.5 107 8.2 1 0 5 0 113.3 3 Peyton Manning IND 16 305 453 67.3 3747 8.3 28 10 197 17 104.1 4 Carson Palmer CIN 16 345 509 67.8 3836 7.5 32 12 197 19 101.1 5 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 12 168 268 62.7 2385 8.9 17 9 111 23 98.6 6 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 16 294 449 65.5 3459 7.7 24 9 182 24 98.2 7 Patrick Ramsey WAS 4 15 25 60.0 279 11.2 1 1 11 4 95.3 8 Marc Bulger STL 8 192 287 66.9 2297 8.0 14 9 109 26 94.4 9 Chris Weinke CAR 3 7 13 53.8 64 4.9 1 0 4 0 93.1 10 Tom Brady NE 16 334 530 63.0 4110 7.8 26 14 193 26 92.3 11 Jake Plummer DEN 16 277 456 60.7 3366 7.4 18 7 162 22 90.2 12 Trent Green KC 16 317 507 62.5 4014 7.9 17 10 182 32 90.1 13 Byron Leftwich JAC 11 175 302 57.9 2123 7.0 15 5 101 23 89.3 14 Drew Brees SD 16 323 500 64.6 3576 7.2 24 15 182 27 89.2 15 Brad Johnson MIN 11 184 294 62.6 1885 6.4 12 4 92 23 88.9 16 Jake Delhomme CAR 16 262 435 60.2 3421 7.9 24 16 153 28 88.1 17 Mark Brunell WAS 16 262 454 57.7 3050 6.7 23 10 154 27 85.9 18 Kurt Warner ARI 10 242 375 64.5 2713 7.2 11 9 134 23 85.8 19 Kelly Holcomb BUF 10 155 230 67.4 1509 6.6 10 8 74 17 85.6 20 Donovan McNabb PHI 9 211 357 59.1 2507 7.0 16 9 116 19 85.0 21 Drew Bledsoe DAL 16 300 499 60.1 3639 7.3 23 17 177 49 83.7 22 Steve McNair TEN 14 292 476 61.3 3161 6.6 16 11 164 20 82.4 23 Charlie Batch PIT 3 23 36 63.9 246 6.8 1 1 12 1 81.5 24 Chris Simms TB 11 191 313 61.0 2035 6.5 10 7 107 29 81.4 25 Brian Griese TB 6 112 174 64.4 1136 6.5 7 7 54 12 79.6 26 Billy Volek TEN 5 50 88 56.8 474 5.4 4 2 21 9 77.6 27 Kerry Collins OAK 15 302 565 53.5 3759 6.7 20 12 181 39 77.3 28 David Carr HOU 16 256 423 60.5 2488 5.9 14 11 135 68 77.2 29 Trent Dilfer CLE 11 199 333 59.8 2321 7.0 11 12 101 23 76.9 30 Eli Manning NYG 16 294 557 52.8 3762 6.8 24 17 172 28 75.9 31 Josh McCown ARI 9 163 270 60.4 1836 6.8 9 11 84 18 74.9 32 Michael Vick ATL 15 214 387 55.3 2412 6.2 15 13 126 33 73.1 33 Brooks Bollinger NYJ 11 150 266 56.4 1558 5.9 7 6 76 32 72.9 34 Daunte Culpepper MIN 7 139 216 64.4 1564 7.2 6 12 77 31 72.0 35 Joey Harrington DET 12 188 330 57.0 2021 6.1 12 12 101 24 72.0

Affirmitive. Grossman is a major upgrade over Orton. We're talking Ditka typr proportions.

 

[BassNBrew]

In version one, Chicago did move the ball pretty effectively.  Carolina has only been effective on defense when blitzing.  The front four were shut down by the Bears lines.  I would expect to see a more aggressive game plan on by the Panther's defensive staff.  This should open up some big play opportunities for the Bears.  Lucas can handle his man, but I expect the off WR to score a long TD.  If the Bear's o-line doesn't play as well as they did in game one, then I'll revise my prediction to 20-10.  Have the Bear's substained any key injuries since the last game?

Watch out for Bernard Berrian in this game. He has been playing well down the strech, and his the Bears best deep threat. With the attention given to Muhammed and the running game, I think Grossman looks deep to him a few times....

Really depends on who Lucas lines up against.

 

[Ghost Rider]

* Lovie Smith has been named coach of the year, Fox was a also ran. Big advantage Bears (unless it's mini Lovie and then it's advantage Bears).

An also ran? Smith deserved his coach of the year award, but that doesn't mean he is automatically a better coach than Fox, unless you are saying he is also better than Belichick, Shanahan, Cowher, etc.

The Bears were predicted to finish last in the division by most (except that visonary Gridiron Assassin who nailed the Super Bowl run) and that was before Grossman went down. This team was left for dead entering September and Smith them to a #2 seed in the NFC with a rookie QB. Pretty impressive in my book and kind of reminds me of Belicheck's rise to the top.

I know what you are saying. Smith has done a fabulous job with the Bears this season, but that doesn't mean I am ready to give him the coaching edge over John Fox (who is now 3-0 on the road in the playoffs). Smith is a very good up-and-coming head coach, but let's not overrate him yet.

 

[BassNBrew]

SEASON PASSING STATS - OrtonYear G Cmp Att Pct Yds Yds/Att TD Int 1st Sck Rtg 2005 15 190 368 51.6 1869 5.1 9 13 92 30 59.7

Well the list above stopped at #35 (Harrington) so I dug deep for Orton. :X

 

[After the Rain]

On top of all that you point out, let's not lose sight of the fact that should it come down to 3rd string QBs, Chicago has a guy who was the top rated passer in the entire NFL!

Rank Player Team G Cmp Att Pct Yds Yds/Att TD Int 1st Sck Rtg

1 Jeff Blake CHI 2 8 9 88.9 55 6.1 1 0 4 0 129.2

2 Jay Fiedler NYJ 2 8 13 61.5 107 8.2 1 0 5 0 113.3

3 Peyton Manning IND 16 305 453 67.3 3747 8.3 28 10 197 17 104.1

4 Carson Palmer CIN 16 345 509 67.8 3836 7.5 32 12 197 19 101.1

5 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 12 168 268 62.7 2385 8.9 17 9 111 23 98.6

6 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 16 294 449 65.5 3459 7.7 24 9 182 24 98.2

7 Patrick Ramsey WAS 4 15 25 60.0 279 11.2 1 1 11 4 95.3

8 Marc Bulger STL 8 192 287 66.9 2297 8.0 14 9 109 26 94.4

9 Chris Weinke CAR 3 7 13 53.8 64 4.9 1 0 4 0 93.1

10 Tom Brady NE 16 334 530 63.0 4110 7.8 26 14 193 26 92.3

 

[BassNBrew]

On top of all that you point out, let's not lose sight of the fact that should it come down to 3rd string QBs, Chicago has a guy who was the top rated passer in the entire NFL!

Rank Player Team G Cmp Att Pct Yds Yds/Att TD Int 1st Sck Rtg

1 Jeff Blake CHI 2 8 9 88.9 55 6.1 1 0 4 0 129.2

2 Jay Fiedler NYJ 2 8 13 61.5 107 8.2 1 0 5 0 113.3

3 Peyton Manning IND 16 305 453 67.3 3747 8.3 28 10 197 17 104.1

4 Carson Palmer CIN 16 345 509 67.8 3836 7.5 32 12 197 19 101.1

5 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 12 168 268 62.7 2385 8.9 17 9 111 23 98.6

6 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 16 294 449 65.5 3459 7.7 24 9 182 24 98.2

7 Patrick Ramsey WAS 4 15 25 60.0 279 11.2 1 1 11 4 95.3

8 Marc Bulger STL 8 192 287 66.9 2297 8.0 14 9 109 26 94.4

9 Chris Weinke CAR 3 7 13 53.8 64 4.9 1 0 4 0 93.1

10 Tom Brady NE 16 334 530 63.0 4110 7.8 26 14 193 26 92.3

[post=4144614][/post]

Blake >>>>>>>>>>> LeFors

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

Good gracious.... The Bears will be lucky to eek out a 3 point victory this Sunday.They won't catch Carolina overconfident twice in one year, and John Fox won't be stupid enough to give up on the running game again, thus allowing the Bears DEs to tee off on Jake Delhomme.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

the reverse jinx lives on!

In related news, the Broncos will crush the Pats.

 

[UFO]

Lets see Chi has Detroit/Minn and Chicago in their division, Car probably would have went undefeated if they were in that division. TB and Atl would have won that division as well. Lets not get too excited.Fox will have a game plan to shut down possibly the worst offense in the playoffs just like he shut down Tiki and Co, arguably a much better O. As long as the O line plays better and Jake limits mistakes I'll take the team with recent playoff and Super Bowl experience over the team that played in a Division II conference and has a QB that's played in 10 or so NFL games.CAR 21 CHI 10CAR SEA Championship game

 

[BGP]

This will be the Panthers third consecutive road game. Clubs almost never have to play three straight road games in the regular season.

 

[sho nuff]

What hurts the Bears is the playoff inexperience...and the fact that Grossman, by games played, is basically still a rookie.But if the Panthers play anything like they did Sunday...the Bears are in trouble.I do not think it would be going out on a limb to say the Giants offense is better than the Bears...and Carolina shut them down.The Bears will need Delhomme to make those same mistakes he did last game to win.

 

[Hamstring]

What hurts the Bears is the playoff inexperience...and the fact that Grossman, by games played, is basically still a rookie.

But if the Panthers play anything like they did Sunday...the Bears are in trouble.

I do not think it would be going out on a limb to say the Giants offense is better than the Bears...and Carolina shut them down.

The Bears will need Delhomme to make those same mistakes he did last game to win.

Grossman might be better than Eli, or not as bad. The BEars need to scare Delhomme and force mistakes, but thats what they do. I would have rather played the 3 seed, but it should be a good game. The Bears can run on anybody. The Bear Oline is underrated.

 

[snogger]

Take out a second mortgage and don't lose the man's number....Da Bears 31, Panthers 0

3-0 Maybe.. 10-3 maybe.. 10-7 maybe...

31-0???

 

[RBM]

Bears have no shot here

 

[Spiderman]

I think the Bears are underrated in general because they don't have the star power on offense. Outside of Thomas Jones, and Mushin Muhammed, they don't really have any players who you have to gameplan for, and it may be a stretch to say you have to do special things against them, given how the Bears play on offense.Saying that, the Bears are underrated because they aren't flashy on offense. They're not going to score 30 points a week like Indy, Seattle, etc.What they do have is similar star power on the other side of the ball - Pro Bowl caliber players throughout that defense, and I think Carolina, after playing against the Giants, are going to be in for a similar problem this weekend that they faced before.Not suggesting that the Bears win big or anything - a blowout for Chicago is 10 points, but I will say the Bears at home with that defense aren't losing unless the defense struggles, which hasn't happened at home this season.

 

[sho nuff]

What hurts the Bears is the playoff inexperience...and the fact that Grossman, by games played, is basically still a rookie.

But if the Panthers play anything like they did Sunday...the Bears are in trouble.

I do not think it would be going out on a limb to say the Giants offense is better than the Bears...and Carolina shut them down.

The Bears will need Delhomme to make those same mistakes he did last game to win.

Grossman might be better than Eli, or not as bad. The BEars need to scare Delhomme and force mistakes, but thats what they do. I would have rather played the 3 seed, but it should be a good game. The Bears can run on anybody. The Bear Oline is underrated.

While Eli has had his bad moments...Grossman has done nothing in his limited time as a starter to make me think he is better than Eli.Bears can run on anybody? Really?

Did not run all that well on Carolina last time.

The Panthers actually have a better run defense than the Bears...and are not too far behind overall.

The Giants are a better offense than the Bears...and Carolina played them very well.

Like I said, if Delhomme can limit the mistakes (and yes, the Bears do force them), they should win.

 

[sho nuff]

I think the Bears are underrated in general because they don't have the star power on offense. Outside of Thomas Jones, and Mushin Muhammed, they don't really have any players who you have to gameplan for, and it may be a stretch to say you have to do special things against them, given how the Bears play on offense.

Saying that, the Bears are underrated because they aren't flashy on offense. They're not going to score 30 points a week like Indy, Seattle, etc.

What they do have is similar star power on the other side of the ball - Pro Bowl caliber players throughout that defense, and I think Carolina, after playing against the Giants, are going to be in for a similar problem this weekend that they faced before.

Not suggesting that the Bears win big or anything - a blowout for Chicago is 10 points, but I will say the Bears at home with that defense aren't losing unless the defense struggles, which hasn't happened at home this season.

I do not think it is being underrated...I think it is the reality that it is very dificult to win in the playoffs with very little offense.Look at the numbers and Carolina is very close to the Bears (and even better in rushing D) in every defensive category...and they surpass them in every offensive category except rushing yards.

Not to say it will really make the difference...but those rankings...coupled with playoff inexperience vs. playoff experience for the Panthers...does not make it look all that easy for the Bears.

homefield will be big...but the obvious key is turnovers.

 

[Spiderman]

I think the Bears are underrated in general because they don't have the star power on offense. Outside of Thomas Jones, and Mushin Muhammed, they don't really have any players who you have to gameplan for, and it may be a stretch to say you have to do special things against them, given how the Bears play on offense.

Saying that, the Bears are underrated because they aren't flashy on offense. They're not going to score 30 points a week like Indy, Seattle, etc.

What they do have is similar star power on the other side of the ball - Pro Bowl caliber players throughout that defense, and I think Carolina, after playing against the Giants, are going to be in for a similar problem this weekend that they faced before.

Not suggesting that the Bears win big or anything - a blowout for Chicago is 10 points, but I will say the Bears at home with that defense aren't losing unless the defense struggles, which hasn't happened at home this season.

I do not think it is being underrated...I think it is the reality that it is very dificult to win in the playoffs with very little offense.Look at the numbers and Carolina is very close to the Bears (and even better in rushing D) in every defensive category...and they surpass them in every offensive category except rushing yards.

Not to say it will really make the difference...but those rankings...coupled with playoff inexperience vs. playoff experience for the Panthers...does not make it look all that easy for the Bears.

homefield will be big...but the obvious key is turnovers.

The key to beating the Panthers is playing tough in the front seven. The Bears need to bring heavy pressure on Delhomme and fill the gaps to prevent DeShawn Foster from getting into the open field. In the meantime, they need to keep Steve Smith out of the endzone. They can bend in that department, but have proven this year that Steve cannot carry the team on his back. He needs help. The Bears have to deny that help. Offensively, the Bears cannot turn the ball over. They need to grind out the clock and concentrate on generating some sort of points on their drives. They cannot rely on weather dictating this game, as the predicted temeprature is supposed to be around 40 degrees. Not exactly cold, by Chicago standards, 40 degrees is a typical winter night in the Carolina's. That will not be of any help. The crowd will have to be a factor.

Control the clock, don't turn the ball over, pressure Delhomme into turnovers, and stuff the run and the Bears will win this game. They have the blueprint. Now they just have to execute.

 

[Great Grinchy Trick]

 

[simey]

Control the clock, don't turn the ball over, pressure Delhomme into turnovers, and stuff the run and the Bears will win this game. They have the blueprint. Now they just have to execute.

Isn't this the same recipe the Panthers could use to beat the Bears? Control the clock, don't turn the ball over, pressure Grossman into turnovers, and stuff the run. The Panthers aren't as one dimensional as they were when they met the Bears in the regular season, and the defense is playing well. The Bears have home field advantage, have Grossman back, and have a great defense. I hope the Panthers win, but it's gonna be tough game.

 

[Spiderman]

Control the clock, don't turn the ball over, pressure Delhomme into turnovers, and stuff the run and the Bears will win this game.  They have the blueprint.  Now they just have to execute.

Isn't this the same recipe the Panthers could use to beat the Bears? Control the clock, don't turn the ball over, pressure Grossman into turnovers, and stuff the run. The Panthers aren't as one dimensional as they were when they met the Bears in the regular season, and the defense is playing well. The Bears have home field advantage, have Grossman back, and have a great defense. I hope the Panthers win, but it's gonna be tough game.

Of course, the Panthers can use this - but the Bears have to use this. Steve Smith could make 2 big plays and that could be enough to win the game. Delhomme is a more accomplished QB than Rex Grossman so it's very important for the Bears to stick to what got them here - great defense basically.

 

[Two Deep]

Da Bears defense manhandles the Panthers offense, while the Bears offense does just enough to win. Not unlike most of their wins this season.

 

[Wolfpacker]

Keep workin' it, Bass. While you're at it, could you start a thread declaring that the Redskins have no chance against Seattle. Maybe the reverse jinx can work for both games and we'll have the N.F.C. Championship game here.

 

[Bad_Mo]

I just can't see the Bears scoring more than 10 points.Fox should take out his gameplan from last week and replace tiki Barber's name with Thomas Jones and Eli Manning's name with Rex Grossman.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Da Bears defense manhandles the Panthers offense, while the Bears offense does just enough to win. Not unlike most of their wins this season.

= sums up my thoughts on this game.I predict Da' Bears win 16 to 6 = FG kickers delight, with Jones getting one, one yard run for a TD (and it's his second try from the one to get it).

 

[Gold Plated Nails]

The weather will dictate the winner. Unseasonably warm (40F) Panther win, if it resembles the Atlanta game, the Bears win. I am betting strictly on the weather.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

THE PANTHERS WILL BEAT THE BEARS THIS WEEKEND. YOU WATCH!

 

[Your Mom]

Good gracious....

The Bears will be lucky to eek out a 3 point victory this Sunday.

They won't catch Carolina overconfident twice in one year, and John Fox won't be stupid enough to give up on the running game again, thus allowing the Bears DEs to tee off on Jake Delhomme.

This is coming from the same guy that predicted the bears to go to the super bowl before the season started when everyone thought they sucked. Hmmmm

 

[Spiderman]

Here's an article from Mike Mulligan (SunTimes) about the keys to a Bears victory:How to win and Bear it Things couldn't have turned out any better for the Bears on wild-card weekend. Road upsets in both NFC games mean the Bears play the lowest-seeded team possible, the Carolina Panthers. So why does one feel a sense of dread about the divisional playoff matchup Sunday at Soldier Field? Perhaps it was the way the Panthers embarrassed the NFC East-champion New York Giants. Maybe it's the idea that it's tough to beat a team twice in the same season. Most likely it's the fact the Panthers are a team most observers figured would be in the Super Bowl picture at this time of year. The good news is the Bears know they can beat Carolina, having pulled off a 13-3 victory on Nov. 20. It was a statement game for the Bears, who announced their legitimacy as an NFC contender one week after a difficult 17-9 home victory over lowly San Francisco. Here's a look at five things the Bears need to do to beat the Panthers again: 1 -- PLAY GREAT DEFENSE Defense dominated the opening weekend of the playoffs, which bodes well for the Bears, who have the most dominating defense left in the postseason. It has been said that playoff football exaggerates the identity of any team. If you rely on the long ball, you need it more than ever. If you struggle on special teams, you get buried in that area. If you need to win by playing dominant defense and complementing that unit in all areas, that is what you have to do come playoff time. The first meeting with Carolina was important to the Bears' defense for a couple of reasons. The Panthers were the most respected opponent the Bears had faced at that point in their eight-game winning streak, and coach Lovie Smith later said defensive ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown were motivated by the pregame hype that centered on Carolina's end tandem of Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker as the league's best. The Bears had eight sacks, all by linemen, led by Ogunleye's three and Brown's two. It was the most sacks in one game for the Bears in 14 years and came against a Carolina team that had surrendered only 12 in their previous nine games. The pressure from the front four was largely responsible for a bad outing by Jake Delhomme, who threw two interceptions. Delhomme can cause problems when he's able to sit in the pocket. He's significantly less effective when forced to throw on the move or roll out. Most of the Bears' damage was done late in the game, with six sacks coming in the second half. The Bears shut down the Carolina running game, limiting the combination of Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster to 55 yards. Foster now is the starter with Davis shut down for the year because of a knee injury. Foster has run the ball well on occasion, and it will be important to zero in on him early. The defense should benefit from the extra rest. And if the defense is at its best and playing with a frenzy, the Bears can beat anyone. 2 -- RUN THE BALL Much of the playoff talk has centered on quarterback Rex Grossman and the unknown factor he presents for opponents with only 39 passing attempts this season and seven career starts -- six in different schemes than the one he's running now. But the most important element Grossman adds is the threat of the long ball. He's a much more accurate deep passer than rookie Kyle Orton. Thomas Jones has faced a steady diet of eight- and nine-man fronts all season. No doubt the Panthers will load up to stop the run and dare the Bears to beat them with the passing game. If Grossman can make a couple of throws, that will loosen the grip on Jones, who had 87 yards on 25 carries in the first meeting. Adrian Peterson added 37 yards on four carries as the Bears controlled the tempo by rushing for 122 yards. Running the ball does a lot of good things for any team. Cedric Benson missed the first game with a knee injury and is now available. The Panthers lost middle linebacker Dan Morgan during that game and feel they will play better run defense with him in the lineup. No doubt it would have been easier to run the ball against the Giants, but the Bears need to attack the Panthers the same way Carolina attacked the Giants. 3 -- PROTECT THE BALL If there was a theme to the opening weekend that bodes poorly for the Bears, it was the struggle of first-time playoff quarterbacks. The Giants' Eli Manning threw three interceptions, Tampa Bay's Chris Simms threw two and Jacksonville's Byron Leftwich was overwhelmed by New England. Cincinnati's Carson Palmer had the worst luck of all, suffering a blown ACL in his left knee early in the first quarter. You can assess blame on the inexperience and point out that the veterans who had been there before -- Mark Brunell, Tom Brady and Delhomme -- all led their teams to victory. But you also have to credit defenses for creating turnovers and taking advantage of mistakes. Protecting the ball is important in any game because turnover differential has such an impact on wins and losses. The Panthers have a plus-16 turnover differential for the season, third best in the NFL. Given Grossman's gunslinger mentality, he's more inclined to try to squeeze passes into tight spaces in the opponent's territory, and the Bears can't afford to lose so much as one field-goal opportunity. 4 --CONTAIN STEVE SMITH The bread-and-butter play of the Carolina offense is the "zero-route'' pass in which Delhomme takes the snap and throws down the line of scrimmage to Steve Smith, who always seems to make one defender miss. Smith has broken that play for a touchdown on several occasions. The way to defend it is to play him tight on the line and be sure in your tackling. The problem with playing press coverage on a player with Smith's speed is that he'll run past cornerbacks and wind up alone deep. Because Smith seems to catch everything thrown his way, this can lead to a dilemma. But you can't let him catch the ball, collect himself and start making people miss. Smith caught 14 passes for 169 yards in the first meeting, and the Panthers still scored only three points. But he's the kind of guy who gives the Bears' cornerbacks fits because he's too quick and fast for a tall corner such as Charles Tillman and can get off the line easily against a smaller one such as Nathan Vasher. Smith has had monster games against every team, but the simple fact is he's the playmaker and touchdown producer for the Panthers, so you have to be aware of his on every play. Shut him down, and this offense stops. 5 -- CATCH THE BALL The game will be of great significance for Muhsin Muhammad, who spent his entire career in Carolina before signing with the Bears in the offseason, when he was a salary-cap casualty. The Panthers put their money in Smith and couldn't afford to keep Muhammad, who was owed a huge bonus. The Bears' top receiver had six catches for 49 yards and a TD against his old team, but he also dropped three passes, including a 15-yarder in the end zone. Muhammad needs to be at his best in this game, as does every other Bears receiver. Kyle Orton enjoyed his best game as a pro in the first meeting, though it wasn't reflected in his passer rating because of Muhammad's drops and two others by Desmond Clark. If those passes had been caught, instead of going 15-of-26 for 136 yards with one touchdown and an interception, Orton would have been 20-of-26 for 175 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a 103.8 rating.

 

[3nOut]

I just can't see the Bears scoring more than 10 points.

Fox should take out his gameplan from last week and replace tiki Barber's name with Thomas Jones and Eli Manning's name with Rex Grossman.

Unfortunately for Carolina you cannot replace the Giants' D with the Bears' D. The Giants couldn't tackle ANYONE last weekend. No way the Bears will play the same kind of D that NY did.

 

[BassNBrew]

Bumping the proper analysis for Levin.

 

[bullitt]

No way the Bears will play the same kind of D that NY did.

The Bears played like that against the Steelers.