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 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 have lost three games in a row with Caleb Hanie at QB and they have only scored 33 combined points in those games.  But, they are 5-2 at home, so maybe the fans at Soldier Field will inspire the troops this Sunday.  The Seahawks are red hot right now as they have won four of their last five games.  But, they are only 2-4 on the road this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears don’t trust Caleb Hanie, so look for them to be very run heavy in this game.  Marion Barber and Kahlil Bell are going to have a hard time finding a lot of running room against a Seahawks’ D that is allowing 104.3 yards rushing per game this year but only 3.7 yards per carry.  The Seahawks only have 25 sacks, so Hanie should have time to throw the ball, but the Seahawks also have 17 interceptions this year as they have ballhawks in the secondary.  Hanie will have to be careful this weekend for the Bears as they can’t afford him to make too many mistakes.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Bears are going to have to stop RB Marshawn Lynch this Sunday and it isn’t going to be easy as he is on a roll right now.  If the Seahawks are running the ball well, it sets up QB Tarvaris Jackson to make some throws down the field to WRs Doug Baldwin and Golden Tate.  Jackson has been hot lately, so the Bears are going to have to get after him with the pass rush.  If Jackson has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have some success against the Bears as they are giving up 256.5 yards passing per game so far this year.

PREDICTION:  SEAHAWKS 17, BEARS 13

The Chicago Bears are now 0-2 with Caleb Hanie at QB and they only have scored 23 points in those games.  The Denver Broncos have won five games in a row and Tim Tebow is 6-1 as the starting QB this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears would like to run the ball more this week against a Broncos’ D that is giving up 121.3 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  Marion Barber and Kahlil Bell will likely split the workload this week and they could be effective.  Caleb Hanie has been sacked 11 times already, so he’s going to have to get rid of the ball quickly this weekend.  The Broncos are giving up 245.2 yards passing per game so far this year, so Hanie should be able to make some throws down the field but he has to be more careful with the ball.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos are a run first team with Tim Tebow at QB.  The Broncos are going to run the ball with Willis McGahee (886 rushing yards) and Tim Tebow (468 rushing yards), so the defense is going to get challenged.  LBs Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher tend to like games like this one.  The Bears’ DEs will have to get a good pass rush on Tebow, while at the same time keeping him in the pocket….and that is easier said than done.  Tebow is getting a little better throwing the ball, so the secondary will have to keep close to WRs Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas.

PREDICTION:  BRONCOS 17, BEARS 16

The Bears lost a tough one last weekend in Oakland, but they are returning home where they are 5-1 on the season.  The Chiefs have lost four games in a row in which they have been outscored 95-25!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears will likely come out running the ball with Matt Forte and Marion Barber against a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 133.7 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  After the Bears establish the running game, I look for Caleb Hanie to get his shot to throw the ball around a bit.  He should have a lot more time to throw the ball this weekend as the Chiefs only have 13 sacks this year.  But, he will still have to be careful with the ball as the Chiefs do have 14 interceptions so far this year.  That being said, Johnny Knox has been a beast the last two weeks, so I look for Hanie to target him with some deep throws.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are planning on starting Tyler Palko at QB.  I look for that to last one quarter or less, with Kyle Orton replacing him.  Palko doesn’t have the arm to get the ball to his WRs in the NFL as he has 0 TD passes and 6 interceptions so far this year.  But, if and when Kyle Orton gets into the game, it opens up the whole playbook for the Chiefs.  The Chiefs have a nice set of WRs in Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin….so the Bears’ secondary will be challenged when Orton comes into the game.  The Chiefs will likely come out running the ball in this game though, splitting the carries between Jackie Battle, Dexter McCluster and Thomas Jones.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 23, CHIEFS 17

The Bears come into this game red hot, winning five games in a row by a combined score of 161-85!  The Raiders are also hot as of late as they have won their last two games by a combined score of 51-38!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are likely to be more run heavy than usual with Caleb Hanie starting at QB.  Matt Forte could have a huge game as the Raiders are giving up 131.6 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry.  Marion Barber will also get in on the action wherever Forte needs a breather.  The Bears have played better on the O-Line lately but the Raiders will probably be blitzing a lot to put pressure on Caleb Hanie and force him into making some mistakes with the ball.  Hanie will likely spread the ball around against a Raiders’ D that is giving up 240.1 yards passing per game this year.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are a run first team, so the Bears’ front seven better tighten up the chinstraps.  Michael Bush is a power runner who is very hard to take down and the Bears are giving up 4.9 yards per carry so far this year, so this is going to be a big challenge for the D.  Carson Palmer has shaken off the rust and he has been very efficient the last couple of weeks for the Raiders.  The Raiders like to throw deep, so the Bears need to get to Palmer before he can throw it.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 20, BEARS 17

The Bears are red hot right now as they have won four games in a row by a combined score of 130-65!  The Chargers are going the other way as they have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 119-96.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are going to likely get the ball into Matt Forte’s hands a lot tomorrow as the Chargers are giving up 127.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The Chargers don’t have a really good pass rush, so look for Jay Cutler to throw the ball down the field quite a few times to try to make a big play with his right arm.  Cutler will be fine as long as he steers clear of Chargers’ safety Eric Weddle as he already has five interceptions so far this year.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are likely going to try to pound at the front seven of the Bears with RBs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert.  That seems to be a solid game plan as the Bears’ are giving up 106.7 yards rushing per game and a stunning 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  The Bears need to get to Chargers’ QB Philip Rivers early in the game, as he gets skittish and makes bad throws when under a heavy rush.  Rivers does have a good set of targets in Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, Vincent Brown and his RBs out of the backfield.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 31, CHARGERS 21

The Lions won the first matchup between these teams 24-13 in Detroit, five weeks ago.  A lot has changed since then as the Bears have caught fire and won their last three games, while the Lions have lost two of their last three games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are going to likely come out running the ball with Matt Forte and Marion Barber against a Lions’ D that is giving up 137.6 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry.  After they establish the running game, I look for the Bears to take some shots deep with Jay Cutler throwing to his pretty speedy corps of WRs.  The key will be the O-Line giving Cutler time to throw the ball and they have been much better at that as of late.  I have a feeling that the Bears are going to move the ball pretty well this Sunday against the Lions.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Bears are going to have to go all out to get pressure on QB Matt Stafford.  If he has time to sit back in the pocket and look around, the Bears could be in trouble.  The Bears will need to give whichever CB is covering WR Calvin Johnson help over the top with a safety.  That won’t be easy as the Lions have two good TEs (Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler), so the safeties are going to have to be the big key to stopping the Lions’ passing game.  The Lions don’t have much of a running game, so the Bears will be focused on stopping the passing game.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 26, LIONS 23

The Bears have won two games in a row and they are coming off their bye week, so things are looking good for them coming into this game.  The Eagles have won two games in a row as they are finally looking like the team everyone thought they would be.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are probably going to build the gameplan around Matt Forte’s running and receiving in this game and that makes a lot of sense.  The Eagles are giving up 118.3 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry, so Forte should have little problem racking up yards in the running game.  The Eagles are a good pass rushing team, and screen passes to Forte would be a good way to make them pay for blitzing.  Jay Cutler is going to have to be very careful with the football as the Eagles’ secondary has played up to their expectations the last couple of weeks.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Eagles don’t change for anyone.  They are going to run the ball with Lesean McCoy and Michael Vick, as the Eagles are averaging 179.9 yards rushing per game and 5.8 yards per carry so far this year.  Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs are going to be challenged big time in this game.  The Bears must find a way to keep Michael Vick in the pocket, where he is much less effective throwing the ball.  That will be up to DEs Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije on Monday Night in Philly.  Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, Lesean McCoy and Jason Avant are going to give the Bears’ secondary fits on Monday Night.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 30, BEARS 21

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