The Bears finally got to see the Jay Cutler they traded for last season as he was outstanding.  Cutler completed 14 of 21 passes for 247 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 17 yards (2.4 ypc) in this game.  Matt Forte also turned in a outstanding game for the Bears with 117 yards rushing on 14 carries (8.4 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 22 yards (11.0 avg).  WR Devin Hester (3 rec, 86 yards), WR Johnny Knox (3 rec, 68 yards), WR Earl Bennett (4 rec, 56 yards) and TE Greg Olsen (1 rec, 9 yards, TD) led the way for the Bears through the air in this game.  The Bears finished up with 131 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 21 passes for 218 yards.

LB Brian Urlacher (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and safety Chris Harris (2 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Bears on D yesterday.  The Eagles finished up with 105 yards rushing on 22 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 44 passes for 293 yards.  The Bears are now in sole possession of first place in the NFC North with a 8-3 record.

The Bears and Eagles are both hot right now.   The Bears have won three games in a row by a combined score of 65-32!  The Eagles have also won three games in a row by a combined score of 112-69.  Something has to give this Sunday and here’s a look at the matchups:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears have been sticking with the running game whether it’s been working or not.  I see them doing the same thing this weekend with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor as the Bears will be attempting to control the clock.  The Eagles are allowing on 99.7 yards rushing per game but 4.0 yards per carry.  Also look for Taylor & Forte to be used a lot in the passing game as the Eagles have 26 sacks so far this year.  Jay Cutler isn’t likely to have a lot of time to throw the ball so he’s going to be depending on his WRs and TEs to catch short passes and make something happen after the catch.  Johnny Knox could have a big game with Asante Samuel out do to injury this Sunday.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Eagles are likely to come out passing in this game.  It will be up to Julius Peppers & Israel Idonije to put pressure on Vick while keeping him in the pocket.  The Bears have only allowed 6 TD passes this season and they have 15 INTs so they aren’t scared of Vick and his explosive WRs.  To me, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs are big keys to this game.  If they can hold Lesean McCoy and Michael Vick’s rushing yards down the Bears are going to win this game.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 20, EAGLES 17

The Bears were ballhogs in this game as they had possession of the ball for 37:51!  That’s because they ran the ball well and played great defense which is usually the recipe for a win.  Jay Cutler didn’t have his best game as he completed 16 of 25 passes for 156 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 28 yards (7.0 ypc) in this game.  Matt Forte worked hard in this game as he carried the ball 25 times for 97 yards (3.9 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 7 yards (3.5 avg) in this game.  Chester Taylor couldn’t get anything going on the ground in this game for the Bears as he rushed for only 10 yards on 11 carries (0.9 ypc).  Johnny Knox (5 rec, 55 yards), Devin Hester (4 rec, 41 yards) and Greg Olsen (4 rec, 40 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Bears in Miami.  The Bears finished up with 135 yards rushing on 40 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 25 passes for 133 yards.

The defense was OUTSTANDING in his game for the Bears!  DE Julius Peppers was unstoppable for the Bears in this game as he finished up with 6 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 3 QB hits!  That was the player they thought they were getting when they signed him for the big bucks.  LB Lance Briggs (7 tackles) and CB Charles Tillman (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also pitched in with big games.  The Dolphins could only muster 39 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.0 ypc) and they completed 17 of 29 passes for 148 yards.  The Bears are now 7-3 on the season.

The Bears have won two games in a row while the Dolphins have won 3 of their last three games.  This is a huge game tonight for both teams as the Dolphins need it to keep in the AFC Wildcard hunt while the Bears still have their sites on winning the NFC North.  Here is a look at the matchups tonight:

When the Bears have the ball:  The O-Line has been pass blocking better lately but that is the direct result of playing the Vikings & Bills who have not even breathed hard on a QB this year.  The Dolphins have 23 sacks this year and Fins’ OLB Cameron Wake (8.5 sacks) is likely going to meet up with Jay Cutler a couple of times tonight.  The Bears would be smart to run the ball and throw short passes.  That means another week of watching Matt Forte and Chester Taylor trying to help out and that’s a scary proposition.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  Tyler Thigpen is going to start at QB tonight for the Fins and he’s a gunslinger just like Cutler.  He will throw the ball where he shouldn’t making either a big play for his team or the Bears tonight.  The Bears’ linebackers are going to be challenged tonight with the Fins likely running a lot of Wildcat Formation with Ronnie Brown under center.  Ricky Williams will also likely have a decent workload also.  The Dolphins have a talented trio of WRs in Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Brian Hartline so the secondary is going to be challenged.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 20, DOLPHINS 17

The Bears were pegged as a third place team in the NFC North coming into this year by most experts.  Most experts thought that Jay Cutler was going to have a big year but that the Bears wouldn’t be able to keep the other teams from putting up points.  Well, Mike Martz’ offense hasn’t been flying too high (95.0 yards rushing, 202.3 yards passing per game) while the defense is stepping up especially against the run (82.3 yards rushing, 3.5 yards per carry).  I will give a lot of credit for the Bears’ 6-3 record to Lovie Smith who in somehow waving his magic wand and getting positive results on the scoreboard.  The Bears are now 58-47 under 52-year old Lovie Smith during the regular season in his 7 years in charge.

There were whispers before training camp that 32-year old inside linebacker Brian Urlacher might be rusty after only playing in 1 game in 2009 in which he finished with 3 tackles due to wrist surgery.  Nothing could be further from the truth as Urlacher is not only healthy but he’s trying to make up for lost time.  Urlacher has played in all 9 games for the Bears so far this year and he has 62 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, 6 passes defensed, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries.  Urlacher is one of the main reasons why the Bears are so stubborn against the run as they are only allowing 82.3 yards rushing and 3.5 yards per carry.  Tonight will be a big test for Urlacher and the Bears’ D as they are going up against Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams of the Dolphins.

The Bears pushed the Vikings around yesterday at Soldier Field.  Jay Cutler was more good than bad yesterday as he completed 22 of 35 passes for 237 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 24 yards (4.8 ypc) in this game.  Matt Forte led the way on the ground for the Bears yesterday with 69 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.3 ypc).  Chester Taylor pitched in with 11 carries for 33 yards (3.0 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 8 yards (2.7 avg).  Johnny Knox led the way in the passing game for the Bears yesterday with 5 grabs for 90 yards (18.0 avg).  Devin Hester did it all yesterday for the Bears as he caught 4 passes for 38 yards with a TD grab.  He also returned 2 kickoffs for 100 yards and 2 punts for 47 more yards often setting the Bears up with short fields for the offense.  TEs Greg Olsen (3 rec, 31 yards, TD) and Kellen Davis (1 rec, 19 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Bears in the passing game yesterday.  The Bears finished up with 130 yards on 38 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 35 passes for 230 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:39.

The defense was incredible for the Bears yesterday.  LB Brian Urlacher led the way for the Bears’ D in this game as he finished up with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  The Bears forced Brett Favre into turning the ball over 4 times in this game and here were the guys who did him in:  DT Tommie Harris recovered a fumble and CB D.J. Moore, safety Chris Harris and LB Lance Briggs each intercepted one pass apiece.  The Vikings finished up with 70 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 31 passes for 170 yards.  The Bears are now 6-3 on the year.

The Bears can tie the Packers for the lead in the NFC North with a win tomorrow while the Vikings are just trying to stay alive in the playoff hunt.  The Bears are 2-2 at home this year but they have only outscored their opponents 73-71.  The Vikings have been a horrible road team where they are 0-4.  They have been outscored 99-71 on the road this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the football:  The Bears are likely going to have to run the ball and throw short passes this week.  The Vikings D-Line woke up last weekend and they will be coming after Jay Cutler who has been sacked 28 times already this year.  Matt Forte & Chester Taylor will be heavily involved in both the running & passing games this Sunday as the Bears will need to throw to the backs a lot to slow the Vikings’ pass rush.  Johnny Knox, Greg Olsen, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester are going to have to step up if the Bears are going to win this game.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings are likely going to throw the ball more on first down in this game so that they can open up running lanes for Adrian Peterson.  Make no mistake though, the Vikings are going to get the ball in Peterson’s hands a lot in this game as he is by far the best weapon they have on offense.  The Bears need to get after Brett Favre because he’s starting to rev things up a bit.  Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian, Visanthe Shiancoe and Percy Harvin give the Bears’ DBs a lot to worry about tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 20, BEARS 17

If you were making a bet on who would lead the Bears in sacks I bet you would have taken Julius Peppers.  Up to this point in the year you would be losing that bet as he only has 2 sacks.  If you placed a bet on the other DE of the Bears (Isreal Idonije) you would be winning that bet right now.  Idonije has played in 8 games for the Bears so far this year and he has 25 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.  The sacks and forced fumbles are already both career highs for Idonije while his career high in tackles is 28 so he should eclipse that number this year.  Idonije has now played in 94 games in his career (7 years) with the Bears and he has 148 tackles, 14 passes defensed, 13 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.  The Bears need him to keep up the good work.

28-year old WR/PR Devin Hester appears to be getting phased out on offense by the Bears.  He has played in 8 games so far this year and he has caught 20 passes for 205 yards (10.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) so far this year.  It appears as if offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz of the Bears just doesn’t seem to like what Hester has to offer on offense.  At least he’s still a great punt returner.  He has returned 18 punts for 287 yards (15.9 avg) with 2 TD returns so far this year.  So even if Hester doesn’t help much on offense, he’s still an asset to the Bears.