The Bears have waived 29-year old strong safety Chris Harris.  Harris played in 3 games for the Bears this year and he had 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He played in 44 games in his four years with the Bears and he had 190 tackles, 21 passes defensed, 10 interceptions, 1 sack, 3 fumble recoveries and 6 tackles for a loss.  The Bears have claimed 22-year old LB Jabara Williams off waivers to replace Harris on the active roster.  Williams was a 7th round pick of the Rams in 2011.  He played in 2 games for the Rams this year but he didn’t have any tackles.

Jay Cutler really needs one of his WRs to step up and be the go-to man.  Johnny Knox has the potential to be that guy, but Cutler just hasn’t been able to connect with him enough.  He has caught 19 passes for 348 yards (18.3 avg) without a TD catch so far this year.  With his speed, he should be able to catch long passes at will, but to do that Cutler will need time to throw the ball.   Devin Hester is in the same boat as not too many WRs are faster than he is.  Hester has caught 21 passes for 308 yards (14.7 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  Veteran Roy Williams is a Mike Martz (Bears’ offensive coordinator) favorite as they worked together with the Lions.  Williams went to the Pro Bowl under Martz.  He has caught 13 passes for 190 yards (13.6 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  He has the potential to move all the way to the top of the food chain with this group.  Undrafted rookie Dane Sanzenbacher has been the tough guy willing to go over the middle and take a hit.  He has caught 19 passes for 172 yards (9.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs so far this year.  Sam Hurd has been the forgotten man of the Bears’ WRs as he has only caught 6 passes for 80 yards (13.3 avg) so far this year.  The Bears need this bunch to step up.

The Chicago Bears played solid football on both sides of the ball yesterday, which was the reason for the big road win in London yesterday.  Jay Cutler only completed 17 of 32 passes for 226 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs yesterday as the Bears won in spite of his play.  Matt Forte was excellent as he rushed the ball 25 times for 145 yards (5.8 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 38 yards.  Marion Barber pitched in with 6 carries for 39 yards (6.5 ypc) with 1 TD run in this game.  WRs Roy Williams (4 rec, 59 yards, TD), Johnny Knox (3 rec, 53 yards) and Devin Hester (4 rec, 46 yards) led the way for the Bears in the passing game yesterday.  The Bears finished up with 177 yards rushing on 33 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes (53.1%) for 218 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:12.

The defense played an excellent game for the Bears yesterday.  CB Charles Tillman (10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed), LB Lance Briggs (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) and LB Brian Urlacher (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Bears’ D in this game.  CB D.J. Moore and safety Chris Conte each pitched in for the Bears with 1 interception apiece in this game.  The Buccaneers finished up with 30 yards rushing on 11 carries (2.7 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 52 passes (55.8%) for 250 yards in this game.  The Bears are now back on the right track at 4-3 on the year.

The Chicago Bears look really solid last Sunday Night in their demolition of the Vikings.  The Buccaneers bounced back last weekend and they beat the Saints at home.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are going to come out trying to establish the running game with Matt Forte against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 114.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Bears have been going with max protection in the passing game, which has given Jay Cutler a lot more confidence.  The Buccaneers are giving up 276.0 yards passing per game, so if Cutler has time to throw…..he’s going to have success.  Cutler spreads the ball around to his WRs as he doesn’t have a clear cut favorite and that often works to his advantage.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers are also going to run the ball early in this game with Earnest Graham and Josh Freeman doing most of the work.  The Bears’ D shut down Adrian Peterson last weekend, but they are still giving up 121.8 yards rushing per game and 5.4 yards per carry so far this year.  Graham will also put pressure on the Bears’ LBs in the passing game as Freeman likes to throw to him.  Freeman is a lot like Cutler, as he doesn’t seem to have a favorite receiver, which works to his benefit.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 21, BUCCANEERS 20

The Chicago Bears need the running game to be a little more consistent.  They are averaging 104.3 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry, which are good numbers overall.  25-year old Matt Forte has been excellent this year for the Bears.  He has played in six games for the Bears so far this year and he has carried the ball 99 times for 527 yards (5.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Forte has also caught 36 passes for 381 yards (10.6 avg) with 1 TD grab so far in his career.  Marion Barber is finally starting to contribute the last couple of weeks.  He has played in 3 games for the Bears this year and he has carried the ball 17 times for 52 yards (3.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Barber has also caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg) so far this year.  Kahlil Bell has played in 5 games for the Bears already this year and he has carried the ball 11 times for only 23 yards (2.1 ypc).  The Bears need more consistency out of the running game going forward to keep defenses honest.

The Bears completely pasted the Vikings at Soldier Field last night!  Jay Cutler looked very solid as he completed 21 of 31 passes for 267 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Matt Forte led the way on the ground for the Bears in this game with 87 yards rushing on 17 carries (5.1 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 36 yards (6.0 avg) in this game.  Marion Barber pitched in with 11 carries for 32 yards (2.9 ypc) with 1 TD run last night.  Devin Hester had a HUGE game for the Bears last night as he caught 5 passes for 91 yards (18.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also returned 2 kickoffs for 107 yards (53.5) and one of those returns went for a 98-yard TD.  Hester also returned 1 punt for 27 yards as he was all over the place for the Bears.  WRs Roy Williams (3 rec, 50 yards) and Dane Sanzenbacher (1 rec, 13 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Bears in the passing game last night.  The Bears finished up with 119 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes (67.7%) for 258 yards in this game as they had possession of the ball for 30:40.

The defense was outstanding for the Bears last night.  CB Charles Tillman (11 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Chris Conte (6 tackles) led the way for the Bears’ D last night.  DE Julius Peppers (3 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits) and DT Stephen Paea (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 safety, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) also pitched in for the Bears in this game.  The Vikings finished up with 53 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 42 passes (66.7%) for 233 yards.  The Bears are now 3-3 on the season.

The Chicago Bears are 2-1 at home this year and they are looking forward to tomorrow night’s tilt with the Vikings.  The Bears have beaten the Vikings 9 of the last 10 times these teams have played in the Windy City.  The Vikings broke the seal last week in getting their first win of the season, 34-10 over the Cardinals.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  It looks like RB Matt Forte will have more success in the passing game than he will in the running game for the Bears tomorrow night.  The Vikings are only allowing 76.4 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.  Bears’ QB Jay Cutler is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly tomorrow night as the Vikings already have 16 sacks this year, while Cutler has been sacked 18 times so far in 2011.  That means that he’s going to have to get the ball to the WRs on the team with guts like Dane Sanzenbacher, Johnny Knox and TE Kellen Davis.

When the Vikings have the ball:  Everyone on the Bears’ D is going to have to deal with RB Adrian Peterson in this game.  The Vikings are averaging 160.0 yards rushing per game (5.4 ypc) so far this year while the Bears are giving up 135.6 yards rushing per game (5.7 ypc)!  Donovan McNabb looks like he’s toast, but the Bears will have to find a way to get pressure on him with DE Julius Peppers out of this game due to injury.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 20, VIKINGS 17

28-year old QB Jay Cutler is probably doing the best he can, especially when you consider that he has already been sacked 18 times and hit many more.  Cutler has played in all 5 games for the Bears so far this year and he has completed 99 of 169 passes (58.6%) for 1,209 yards with 6 TD passes and 4 INTs (82.7 QB Rating).  Cutler has also carried the ball 7 times for 28 yards (4.0 ypc) so far this year.  Cutler is proving his toughness this year and it’s time for his receivers to start showing theirs too on shorter passes so that Cutler can limit his hit count.

The Bears looked good in the first half last night as they were winning 10-7 at the break.  But then the Lions kicked their butts up and down the field for the rest of the game.  Jay Cutler was under attack all night long but he still managed to complete 28 of 38 passes for 249 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Matt Forte had another really solid game for the Bears last night with 116 yards rushing on 22 carries (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 35 yards (8.8 avg).  WRs Dane Sanzenbacher (6 rec, 64 yards), Sam Hurd (4 rec, 50 yards), Devin Hester (5 rec, 32 yards) and TE Kellen Davis (3 rec, 25 yards, TD) led the way in the passing attack for the Bears in this game.  The Bears finished up with 122 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 38 passes (73.7%) for 237 yards as they had possession of the ball for 39:03.

The defense was pretty putrid for the Bears last night.  LB Lance Briggs (9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), CB Charles Tillman (8 tackles) and CB D.J. Moore (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Bears on D in this game.  The Lions rolled up 181 yards rushing on 20 carries (9.1 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 26 passes (73.1%) for 214 yards in this game.  The Bears are now 2-3 on the year.

The Chicago Bears got blasted 30-13 by the Saints in their first (and only) road game so far this year.  The Lions are averaging 33.8 yards per game this year and they are off to a blazing start to 2011.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are going to try the same formula that worked last weekend against the Panthers.  They are going to feed the ball to Matt Forte in the running game as the Lions are giving up 113.0 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry so far this year.  Establishing a running game will slow the Lions’ pass rush a little bit as Jay Cutler is starting to look antsy in the pocket.  It’s hard to blame him as he has been sacked 15 times already this year.  The Bears need someone other than Matt Forte to step up in the passing game.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Bears can expect the Lions to throw a ton of passes on Monday Night.  That’s partially because the Bears are giving 301.5 yards passing per game, but it’s also because Lions’ QB Matt Stafford is off to an outstanding start in 2011.  The Bears are hoping that Julius Peppers and the rest of the D-Line will be able to put pressure on Stafford in this game, but it won’t be easy as he has only been sacked 5 times so far this year.  WR Calvin Johnson (24 rec, 321 yards, 8 TD grabs) is having a monster season but it will be hard for the Bears to double him.  That’s because TE Brandon Pettigrew, WR Nate Burleson, WR Titus Young, TE Tony Scheffler and RB Jahvid Best give Stafford a lot of weapons other than Johnson to throw to.  The Lions don’t have much of a running game but Jahvid Best will get his carries against a Bears’ D that is allowing 124.3 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 27, BEARS 17