The Chicago Bears (4-5) have been terrible lately and will be trying to salvage their season as they host the Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) on Sunday.  The Eagles have not been playing well lately either, so the Bears may have a chance despite their two terrible losses in a row.  Jay Cutler needs to stop throwing interceptions, as it is getting a little ridiculous.  With all the Cutler hype and money given to Cutler coming into this season, it is unacceptable the way he has played.  Rex Grossman played better for the Bears than what Cutler has shown lately.  The 5 interceptions was embarrassing last week, and only putting 6 points on the board against a .500 team was pathetic.  I’m guessing Cutler will be throwing a bunch of screen passes to Matt Forte again, as that is the only positive thing that has come out of the Bears’ offense lately.  Forte caught 8 passes for 120 yards last week, so hopefully for the Bears’ sake they can continue that success.

The Bears defense played well last week, but with the offense as bad as it is they weren’t given much of a chance.  The Eagles are still without Brian Westbrook, so LeSean McCoy will be the starting running back for the Eagles.  He probably wont get too many carries anyway though, as McNabb has to throw the ball a lot for the Eagles to put points up.  This could be a pretty ugly game, as both teams have been pretty bad lately.  I’ve been pretty fannish in my Bear’s picks this year, but I have lost all faith in them (especially Cutler) so I am going with the Eagles.  Who knows though, Cutler could decide to show up and put his money where his offseason mouth was and finally have a good game.  I wouldn’t bet on it though.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 28, Chicago Bears 24

The Chicago Bears (4-4) and San Francisco 49ers (3-5) are playing Thursday night on the NFL Network.  Both teams have been under-performing after promising starts, and their playoff chances are slipping away.  The Bears defense was embarrassed last week against the Cardinals, who put up 41 points on the Bears.  The Cardinals have lost four in a row and the Bears have lost their last three out of four games.  Bears’ legend Mike Singletary is the head coach of the 49ers, and this will be his first game against his former team.

The Bears defense needs to get their act together, but they do not have as big of a challenge this week against the 49ers.  Tommie Harris can hopefully keep his cool and not punch anyone in this game, as the Bears sorely missed Harris on Sunday after his early ejection.  The 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has been struggling though, so the Bears defense may be able to get back on track tomorrow night.  He had three interceptions and two fumbles last game, so a turnover or two should be expected for the Bears defense.  The Bears don’t have to worry too much about Smith, but they do need to worry about Frank Gore and not just in the running game.  Gore had 158 total yards last week, with 75 coming in the passing game.  Both teams are desperate for a win, but I think Jay Cutler is going to step up in this game and finally lead the Bears the way he should.  The 49ers give up 241 passing yards per game, which makes me think even more that Cutler will have a big game and lead the Bears to a win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 31, San Francisco 49ers 24

The Chicago Bears (4-3) and Arizona Cardinals (4-3) face off at Soldier Field Sunday and it is an interesting NFC matchup.  Both teams have been underachieving and inconsistent throughout the season.  The Bears are coming off an easy win against a weak opponent in the Cleveland Browns, while the Cardinals lost to the Carolina Panthers after winning three straight.  If the Bears can establish Matt Forte like they did last week they will be in good shape.  Forte has not been an impact at all throughout the season, but had a 90 yard effort last week.  The Cardinals give up 96 rushing yards per game so Forte could be effective.

It wont matter whether or not Forte has a good game if Cutler keeps turning the ball over.  He has now thrown six interceptions in his last three games.  He only has three touchdown passes in that same period of time and failed to hit the endzone last week.  The Bears defense will have a big challenge in slowing down Kurt Warner and the Cardinals passing game.  Warner has the best receiver in the league to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald.  Warner and Fitzgerald have hooked up 47 times this season for 509 yards and five touchdowns.  The Bears need to do a better job of pressuring Warner than they have done to other quarterbacks lately.  They only have one sack in the past three games, and if they don’t get to Warner he can eat up the Bears secondary.  When pressured Warner does make mistakes.  He threw five interceptions last week and likes to gamble, so the Bears should look to take advantage of any erratic throws by Warner.  This is a tough one to call, but with the Bears coming off their best running performance of the year and being at home, I will give them the slight edge.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 31, Arizona Cardinals 27

The Chicago Bears (3-3) looked awful last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, losing 45-10, and are looking to bounce back this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns (1-6).  The Browns are not a good team, but with the way the Bears have looked lately they aren’t either.  The defense gave up 448 yards last week, including 198 rushing yards to Cedric Benson.  The defense will have to do better than that, but they should have an easier time slowing down Jamal Lewis who only has one 100 yard rushing game this year, with the rest all under 60 yards.  There is no Carson Palmer to deal with in this game either, as the struggling Derek Anderson is still the starting quarterback for the Browns.  He has thrown six interceptions in the last four games, so if the Bears can get some pressure on him they could get some turnovers.

On offense, Jay Cutler and Matt Forte really need to step their play up.  Cutler needs to take care of the ball and stop throwing interceptions.  He has five picks in the last two games, but he has been doing a good job finding Devin Hester.  Hester was the only good offensive player in last week’s embarrassment for the Bears, catching eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.  Cutler should continue to look for Hester since it looks like he is finally coming into his own as a receiver.  Forte continues to be a non impact player, but he may be able to break out of his funk and have a good game against a Browns defense that gives up 170 rushing yards per contest.  The Bears are also honoring Walter Payton before the game, as it is the 10th anniversary of his death.  Hopefully Sweetness can inspire the Bears to play like they are capable of.  The Bears should win this won easily, but it could be close if they play like they did last week.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 28, Cleveland Browns 14

The Chicago Bears (3-2) are on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) Sunday and are looking to shut up running back Cedric Benson.  Benson, who was the Bears’ first round pick four years ago, says the Bears “blackballed” him.  Benson has turned into an elite back this season and is very bitter towards the Bears, and has not been afraid to let the media know about it.  The Bears have denied such accusations, but this has added some extra drama to what should be a close and exciting football game.  Benson was held to only 44 yards last week against a Texans’ defense that gives up an average of 125 rushing yards per game, so I think the Bears will be able to limit what Benson does.

The Bears need running back Matt Forte to have a good game.  Forte has had himself a “sophomore slump” so far this season with only one game over 100 rushing yards.  The Bengals give up 97 rushing yards per game, so Forte should be able to get himself going in this one.  Jay Cutler needs to play mistake free football, as the two interceptions last week really hurt the Bears.  They did a terrible job in the redzone last week, something they really need to do better this week.  Carson Palmer is a very good quarterback and has proven he is very clutch as well.  If the Bears can slow the running game down, they can blitz Palmer into some mistakes.  The Bears really need a win and I am going to keep my faith in “Monsters of Midway” and predict a close win on the road for them.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 31, Cincinnati Bengals 27