The Chicago Bears have lost five games in a row, and they have looked awful doing it as they have been outscored 121-68 in those contests.  The Vikings snapped a six game losing streak with a 33-26 win last weekend over the Redskins.  The Bears beat the Vikings 39-10 in Chicago earlier this year, but both teams looked a lot different back then.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are likely going to be run heavy this weekend against the Vikings.  Kahlil Bell looked really good last weekend against the Packers but he’s going to have to fight for every yard against a Vikings’ D that is allowing 108.0 yards rushing per game but only 3.9 yards per carry.  If the Bears’ O-Line can protect Josh McCown, he will likely have some success throwing the ball down the field.  The protection is a big if as DE Jared Allen (18.5 sacks) and his buddies on D have 43 sacks already this year.  McCown doesn’t have a lot of guys left to throw to as Roy Williams, Devin Hester and Dane Sanzenbacher will probably be his top targets in the passing game this weekend.

When the Vikings have the ball:  Toby Gerhart will be the Vikings’ main RB in this game, and he’s a power runner so the front seven of the Bears better be ready for battle.  The Bears will also have to be ready for WR Percy Harvin as he runs the ball a handful of times per game for the Vikings.  Rookie QB Christian Ponder can he forced into making some mistakes when the opposing team puts a lot of pressure on him, so look for the Bears to bring some heat.  Percy Harvin is Ponder’s go to receiver in the passing game as none of the other Vikings’ WRs or TEs should worry the Bears’ DBs too much in this game.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 17, BEARS 16

The Bears are sending five players to the Pro Bowl this year.  31-year old LB Lance Briggs had earned this honor as he has played outstanding ball this year.  Briggs has played in 15 games for the Bears so far this year and he has 100 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception.  33-year old fellow LB Brian Urlacher is making another trip to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games for the Bears so far this year and he has 92 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 2 fumble recoveries, 7 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.  30-year old CB Charles Tillman has turned in a really solid season for the Bears.  He has played in 15 games for the Bears so far this year and he has 93 tackles, 11 passes defensed, 2 interceptions (one returned for a TD), 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 tackles for a loss.  26-year old CB Corey Graham was selected to the Pro Bowl as a special teams player.  He has played in 15 games for the Bears so far this year and he has 13 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 3 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.  26-year old RB Matt Forte won’t play in the Pro Bowl, but he has been elected to it.  Forte played in 12 games for the Bears this year and he carried the ball 203 times for 997 yards (4.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 52 passes for 490 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab this year.

The Bears were down 35-10 early in the 4th quarter before showing signs of life.  But it was far too little and far too late.  Josh McCown looked a lot better than Caleb Hanie last night…..but that’s not saying a whole lot.  McCown completed 19 of 28 passes for 242 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 8 times for 38 yards (4.8 ypc).  Kahlil Bell was a beast on the ground last night with 121 yards rushing on 23 carries (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5 avg).  RB Armando Allen pitched in with 11 carries for 40 yards (3.6 ypc).  WRs Roy Williams (6 rec, 81 yards), Dane Sanzenbacher (4 rec, 51 yards) and Earl Bennett (1 rec, 49 yards) led the way for the Bears in the passing game last night.  TE Kellen Davis pitched in with 3 receptions for 21 yards with a TD grab.  The Bears finished up with 199 yards rushing on 42 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 28 passes (67.9%) for 242 yards as they had possession of the ball for 35:48.

The defense was not too good for the Bears last night as Aaron Rodgers was moving the Packers at will with his arm last night.  Safeties Major Wright (7 tackles) and Craig Steltz (6 tackles) led the way for the Bears’ D in this game.  CB Charles Tillman (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) also made some good plays for the Bears last night.  The Packers finished up with 81 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 29 passes (72.4%) for 282 yards last night.  The Bears were eliminated from the playoffs last night with this loss as they are now 7-8 on the year.

The Chicago Bears are in a giant tailspin right now as they have lost four games in a row, in which they have been outscored 86-47!  They still somehow have a shot at the playoffs, if they win their last two games and the Falcons lose their last two games.  The Packers finally lost a game last weekend, so they are going to be fired up for tonight’s game.  The Packers beat the Bears earlier this year, 27-17 in Chicago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears will have a new look on offense tonight with QB Josh McCown and RB Kahlil Bell heading into the starting lineup.  The Bears are likely going to be run heavy with Kahlil Bell aiming at a Packers’ D that is allowing 108.4 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.  They want to control the clock and keep the Packers’ offense on the sidelines tonight.  The Bears must give Josh McCown time to throw or they are going to be in trouble.  That is because the Packers already have 27 interceptions so far his year.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Packers are going to come out throwing the ball tonight, so the Bears are going to have to get pressure on Aaron Rodgers.  Rodgers will spread the field and use all of his receivers in this game.  That is going to put a ton of pressure on the corners and safeties of the Bears.  Ryan Grant has also been running the ball really well lately for the Packers, so the Bears’ front seven is going to get challenged tonight.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 38, BEARS 16

The Bears are likely going to pull the plug on 26-year old Caleb Hanie.  Hanie has played in 6 games for the Bears this year and he has completed 51 of 102 passes (50%) for 613 yards with 3 TD passes and 9 INTs (41.8 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 13 times for 98 yards (7.5 ypc) so far this year.  The Bears have decided that they have seen more than enough of Hanie to know that he is not NFL starting QB material.  Enter 32-year old Josh McCown.  He has played in 1 game for the Bears this year and he completed 1 of 2 passes (50%) for 12 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (29.2 QB Rating).  McCown has not started in a NFL game at QB since the 2007 season with the Oakland Raiders.  McCown has played in 48 games in his NFL career and he has completed 611 of 1,060 passes (57.6%) for 6,596 yards with 35 TD passes and 41 INTs (70.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 127 times for 569 yards (4.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  McCown is going to be an upgrade over Hanie….but that’s not saying much.

The Bears have signed 24-year old WR Max Komar from the practice squad.  Komar played in 8 games as a rookie for the Cardinals last year and he caught 12 passes for 117 yards (9.8 avg).  He also returned 5 punts for 31 yards (6.2 avg) last season.  Komar will likely be the Bears’ #5 WR, so don’t expect him to put big numbers up the next couple of weeks….especially with the Bears’ current situation at QB.

The Chicago Bears have placed 22-year old rookie safety Chris Conte on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a foot injury.  Conte played in 13 games for the Bears this year and he had 28 tackles, 1 interception and 2 passes defensed.  He was a third round pick for the Bears last June out of California.  The Bears are going to miss Conte as they have really been hurt by injuries lately.

25-year old WR Johnny Knox is done for the year for the Chicago Bears.  He will undergo surgery today to stabilize a vertebra in his back.  He will have a 3-4 month recovery period if his surgery today is successful.  Knox played in 13 games for the Bears this year and he caught 36 passes for 712 yards (19.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also returned 14 kickoffs for 374 yards (26.7 avg) this year for the Bears.  Knox has now played in 44 games in his first three years with the Bears and he has caught 132 passes for 2,199 yards (16.7 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  He has also returned 54 kickoffs for 1,483 yards (27.5 avg) with 1 TD return for the Bears.  The Bears are going to miss Knox as he was the one receiver that they could really count on.

The Chicago Bears were winning 14-7 at the half and things were looking good….but then the roof caved in.  Caleb Hanie was pathetic once again today as he completed 10 of 23 passes for 111 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions (two of which the Seahawks returned for TDs).  Josh McCown finished the game and QB and he completed 1 of 2 passes for 12 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT. He also carried the ball 5 times for 34 yards (6.8 ypc) in this game.  Kahlil Bell led the way on the ground for the Bears in this game with 65 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 43 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Marion Barber (11 carries for 33 yards) and Dane Sanzenbacher (2 receptions for 26 yards) also pitched in for the Bears in this game.  The Bears finished up with 132 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 25 passes (44%) for 89 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:23.

The defense actually played pretty well for the Bears today despite what the scoreboard looked like.  Safety Craig Steltz (8 tackles), LB Brian Urlacher (6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss), safety Brandon Meriweather (6 tackles) and DE Isreal Idonije (5 tackles and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD) led the way for the Bears on D today.  The Seahawks finished up with 60 yards rushing on 33 carries (1.8 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 31 passes (61.3%) for 226 yards.  The Bears are now 7-7 on the season.

The Bears have waived 26-year old WR Sam Hurd.  This decision was really easy for the Bears after Hurd was arrested earlier this week for trying to buy a huge amount of drugs off an undercover cop.  Hurd is considered a drug dealer by the police and he supposedly sold the drugs he was getting to dozens of NFL players.  Hurd played in 12 games for the Bears this year and he caught 8 passes for 109 yards (13.6 avg).  He also returned 1 kickoff for 24 yards and he had 5 tackles as he played on a lot of the Bears’ special teams units.  Hurd has now played in 74 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has caught 53 passes for 739 yards (13.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also has 67 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries.  This is likely the end of Hurd’s NFL career as he is facing a sentence of up to 40 years, if convicted.