Four Downs; What to Watch for in Bears vs Eagles..................

4 downs: Bears have won 4 of 5 under Lovie after open week

What to watch when the Bears play the Eagles


Brad Biggs, Tribune Reporter 6:00 p.m. CST, November 6, 2011


1. Refreshed and ready

The Bears hope to find any edge possible and having a week off to prepare generally has served them well. They have won four of their last five games coming off an open date under Lovie Smith and are 14-8 all-time in the regular season since off weeks were introduced in 1990. Only four franchises have better records. But is it really an aid? Teams coming off an open date have won 52.6 percent of the time. Teams coming off a week of rest are 2-7 on the road this season. Lance Briggs said the timing — near midseason — was ideal for players to be fresh. But it only helps if they win.

2. Drawing the line

The Bears offensive line will feature the same lineup for the third consecutive game and the hope is communication problems that plagued the unit in road losses at New Orleans and Detroit won't pop up. The offense had 12 false starts in those games — nine by the line. The Bears aren't where they want to be with rookie Gabe Carimi still out, but a little continuity has made a difference. The first-round pick should be available soon, and that leaves the coaching staff with a little more time to evaluate what the line should look like in the future. Will Lance Louis or Chris Spencer play right guard?

3. Counting on Cutler

Running back Matt Forte is in the midst of the finest season by a Bears running back since Walter Payton, and it's the primary reason why the Bears have a winning record. But if the Bears want to achieve their goals, it's time for quarterback Jay Cutler to rise to an elite level. His name isn't mentioned among the NFL's elite passers because he doesn't perform on a consistent basis. Top defenses and top quarterbacks rule the landscape in January. For the Bears to get there, they need both to play at a higher level.

4. Back stoppers

Stopping the Eagles offense is challenging because they have achieved rare balance in recent weeks with the use of running back LeSean McCoy. Usually, the Eagles are tilted toward being a heavy passing team, but they're excelling in both areas and that makes them difficult to stop. It starts for the Bears up front with the defensive line Lovie Smith has challenged, but the safeties should be a focal point because they're on the radar of Michael Vick. The Bears can't afford the breakdowns in the back end that have crippled them. Young players Chris Conte and Major Wright have a chance to establish themselves.

Well there you have a brief synopsis of what to look forward to tonight. Even though Lovie's Bears have done well following a bye the odds this year don't favor teams with a weeks rest playing on the road. Like I said it's gonna take a near perfect outing to beat the Eagles on their home turf. Thirty minutes of great football coupled with another 30 minutes of sloppy play won't get it done.

Let's hope that OLine is finally getting around to gelling as a unit. It couldn't have come at a better time as far as Jay Cutler is concerned. It seems he's finally had it with all of the criticism that's been directed at him for his inconsistency and put pretty strong demands on the table as far as his running the show is concerned. It has made a difference in his game and you can also see that his whole attitude and approach have changed. For the first time under Mike Martz he's being allowed to be who Jay Cutler is and not Mike Martz's version of him. He's not a Kurt Warner type of QB and Martz needs to stop trying to make him into one. Matt Forte can't carry this offense on his back any more than Walter Payton could before we got some better offensive tools and went on to win a Super Bowl. Jay Cutler needs to take over that passing game and put it on par with the year Forte is having.

Lovie's taking a huge risk gambling on Conte and Wright as his last line of defense. Both have a lot of talent but you can bet Philly will challenge them with the deep ball just like other teams have done and it's gotten then some big strike scores. The Dline and Linebackers have to bottle up LeSean McCoy so that the Bears Safeties can stay back and defend the pass. This is one of those games where everybody upfront needs to get it done.

I'm not saying we can't win this game but anyone who thinks the Eagles aren't very good based on their record to date is kidding themselves. They're a very dangerous team right now and we need to be even more dangerous. It's in their house and you know it's gonna be noisy so concentration and lack of stupid penalties is huge.