Bears 10, Bills 3

In the first preseason game of the summer, the Bears beat Buffalo by a score of 10-3. For preseason, we will do post-game stories in a "notes" style post, meaning they will be bullet point observations rather than a story.

-Offensive Line: The o-line stole the show on Saturday - in a bad way. They gave up 9 sacks and at some points it didn't even look like they were trying. It reminded me of last year's regular season game against the Seahawks in which Seattle defenders blew right through our line and sacked Cutler within 2 seconds of the snap.

-Marion Barber: He was the most positive story of the night. He had 7 carries for 45 yards and one touchdown. With Forte in contract disputes (although he did show up for the game on Saturday), Barber has a nice opportunity to show what he can do.



-Johnny Knox: Knox impressed in the return game as well as the recieving game. He had a nice return that almost went for a touchdown (although the offense squandered the opportunity) and also made a case for himself at wide reciever. I hope we don't see this guy leave any time soon.

-Kahlil Bell: Bell, who's been under the radar for three years now, carried for 73 yards and raised a lot of eyebrows. Expect to hear a lot of "What the hell, give it to bell!" shouts at Soldier Field this year.



-Robbie Gould: A little bit of a dissapointing night for Gould, as he missed a field goal before making up for it and hitting a 40-yarder. Not anything to be concerned about, of course, but it is mentionable.

-Punters: The Bears are trying out a couple different punters after Maynard's release (he signed with Houston the other day), and I think they will soon regret releasing Maynard. Chicago had some dismal punts on Saturday.

-Bears coaching staff: The coaches stole the show after the game, when it was realized that the Bears kicked off from the 30 instead of the 35 for the entire first half of the game. The rule was changed this year for the kickers to kick closer to the far endzone to increase touchbacks and decrease injuries. The Bears voted against this rule and refused to obey it (although it has been speculated that the real motivation was to get a better look at their players). They complied when instructed to at halftime.

The next preseason game for the Bears is in the Meadowlands as they visit the New York Football Giants. Expect a post-game story from that, as well as any news that pops up concerning Notre Dame, Illinois, Northwestern, and, of course, the Chicago Bears.

Bears-Packers: NFC Championship Preview

We are one day away from the most anticipated Conference Championship in a long time. The Bears and the Packers haven't met in the playoffs since 1941, and they meet again, the winner going to Super Bowl XLV. This is the greatest rivalry in all of sports, and it is going to be a fun and intense game tomorrow. Here is my breakdown of the 2010 NFC Championship.

Offense
The Packers' offense is on fire. Scoring the second most points in a playoff game in NFL history last week, it appears that Aaron Rodgers is getting better and better. Jay Cutler and the Bears' offense was able to produce 35 points last week and got out to an early lead with a TD pass to Greg Olsen. The Packers have a clear advantage in the passing game, even though I was happy to see Cutler make big improvements against Seattle in last week's playoff game. Many will be watching Jay closely to see if he can handle the pressure that will be on him, and it is up to him to prove himself to the skeptics.

Running-wise, Green Bay has started to develop a run game towards the end of the season. The Bears, however, also made a presence last week. Chester Taylor caught a TD pass and he and Forte are looking like a good combination. The Bears have the advantage in the running game, but not by all that much, and not by enough to overcome Green Bay's adavantage passing the ball. On the offensive side of the ball, I think it is clear who has the advantage.

Edge: Green Bay


Defense
Both of these teams have impressive defenses, and both are ranked in the Top 5 overall defenseively. Green Bay's Clay Matthews has been an eye-opener and has emerged as one of the best defenders in the league. Bears DE Julius Peppers has also had a great season, and it is time for Peppers to earn his money, the playoffs is where it counts the most. Bears Safety Chris Harris is questionable for the game, but he says the only way he won't play is if his "leg was cut off." Harris is the only question the Bears have coming into the game. Harris has played well so far and has made the Bears' backfield satisfactory.

I see these defenses as different, yet equal. The Bears have excellent run coverage, while Green Bay has excellent pass coverage. If the Bears can run the ball, they can win. If the Packers can throw sucessfully, they have a chance. Overall, though, this is going to be a close, defensive battle, and niether team has clearly the better defense.

Edge: Split


Special Teams
Special Teams could play a big part in Sunday's game. Devin Hester could give the Bears a lot of momentum by running back a kick or punt. It will be interesting to see if Green Bay kicks to Hester. If they do, he could do some serious damage. Kicker Robbie Gould could also have an effect. I envision this as being a close game, and Gould has hit a number of game winning kicks in his career. He has won games against the Packers, and he has also won games in the playoffs, for his team. Green Bay's special teams have been very questionable. Kick/punt returning has not been a bright spot for the Packers, and kicker Mason Crosby has been just alright. The Bears have been well known for having excellent special teams over the past 5-10 years, and they have a clear advantage.

Edge: Chicago


Coaching
Both head coaches have fallen under scrutiny this year, but both have also had sucess as head coaches. In fact, both coaches have been here before, with their current teams. In 2006 Lovie Smith coached the Bears to the Nfc Championship in which they beat New Orleans, and in 2007 Packers' coach Mike McCarthy brought the Packers to the NFC Championship, losing to the Giants. The head coaches are pretty even, in my opinion.

The Bears, however, have a stacked coaching staff, including three former head coaches on the staff below Lovie Smith: offensive genius Mike Martz, Mike Tice, and Rod Marinelli. The Packers have had some nice signs from their coaching staff, but Chicago has the edge (as long as Martz stays away from the wildcat formation).

Edge: Chicago


Prediction
This is going to be a fun game. It is nice to know that a team from the NFC North will be going to the Super Bowl. It would be nice to have bragging rights over the cheeseheads (those bragging rights wouldn't go away any time soon). This is going to be a very close game that I see coming down to the fourth quarter, or maybe even overtime. I can see either team coming out with a win tomorrow, but my gut tells me Robbie Gould kicks a game winning field goal to send the Bears to the Super Bowl.

Prediction: Chicago 23, Green Bay 20


Lovie Smith said in his first press conference as Bears' head coach, "Our number one goal is to beat Green Bay." Have fun watching the game tomorrow, and GO BEARS!

Bears playoff situation

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is playoff time for the Bears, the first time since their '07 Super Bowl run. The Bears are the #2 NFC seed heading into the postseason, which means they get a first round bye and home-field advantage over every NFC team except Atlanta, the #1 seed. The Bears will host their first game on Sunday, January 16, at Noon. The opponent in that game is undecided, but it will be either the Eagles, Seahawks, or Saints.

The Bears are going to have a tough time getting to the Super Bowl, having to get passed some teams that looked weak early, but came back big, like the Eagles and Saints. The Falcons are also a big challenge, as they have shown that they can do a lot of damage.

Overall, however, any team could go to Dallas. The Falcons look to be dominant, but New Orleans has already beaten them once, and Green Bay nearly beat them. It will be interesting to see how things go.

Make sure you stay with Windy City Sports both here on Blogspot as well as on Twitter (search WCSBlog and click follow). WCS will have in-depth coverage with statistics and opinion on the Bears as they make their playoff run.