The Chicago Bears (6-9) are going up against the Detroit Lions (2-13) on the road Sunday and both teams are missing the playoffs once again this year.  The Bears are coming off one of their best games of the year after beating the Minnesota Vikings in overtime last week, and if they play like that this week the Lions have no chance.  The Bears defense needs to be ready to stop the run, something they have not done a good job of this season.  They give up 128 rushing yards per game, but the Lions don’t have much of a passing game so the Bears should be able to key in on stopping the run.  Mathew Stafford is out for the Lions, so it will be either Drew Stanton or Daunte Culpepper taking the snaps.  The Bears will be without cornerback Charles Tillman, but neither Lions’ quarterback has done well in limited playing time this season, so it could be a good day for the Bears’ defense.

The Bears may be without Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox, who both have been big threats in the return game.  Knox has been a threat in the passing game too, and with Devin Hester still out the Bears will be very depleted at receiver if Knox cannot go.  That will make things harder for Jay Cutler, but he and receiver Devin Aromashodu had a lot of success last game.  Matt Forte will have to step up, and although it has been a disappointing season for Forte, he did have his best game of the season against the Lions in their last matchup with 121 yards and a touchdown.  The Bears should definitely win and head coach Lovie Smith needs a convincing win if he wants any chance of returning next season.

PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 24, Detroit Lions 13

The Bears will have to play their best game of the year to just make this a competitive football game.  These two teams played four weeks ago in Minnesota and the Vikings crushed them 36-10.  The Vikings have some issues on pass defense as they are allowing 220.7 yards per game through the air so the Bears should just start throwing the ball all around the field tonight.  While it’s true that Jay Cutler has sucked this season he is still a talented football player who might have a good game in him for tonight.  For him to be even somewhat effective tonight the Bears’ O-Line will have to keep Vikings’ DE Jared Allen away from him and that is easier said than done.  Matt Forte will likely have to fight for every yard he gets tonight as the Vikings are only allowing 89.6 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry this year.

The Bears must stop Adrian Peterson at all costs tonight but that will be easier said than done as the Bears are allowing 128.5 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry this season.  If the Bears have luck stopping Peterson (not likely) then they can focus on stopping Brett Favre and the Vikings’ passing game which has not been too good the last couple of weeks.  Still, Favre usually saves his best games for when his team really needs them……like tonight for instance.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 30, BEARS 10

The Chicago Bears (5-8) are on the road this week against the Baltimore Ravens (7-6), who are coming off a huge 48-3 win over the Lions.  The Bears played the Packers tough last week, but the disappointment continued for the Bears like it has all season.  On defense the Bears need to be ready to stop the run, something they have struggled with all season.  The Ravens are coming off one of their best running games of the year and with the combination of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee the Bears have a tough challenge.  Joe Flacco is no slouch either, so the Bears can’t just key in on the running backs.  I think the Bears are going to have a hard time stopping this Ravens offense.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears really need to establish their running game.  Without a running game, Jay Cutler is a bad quarterback.  If Matt Forte can get some success early, it will make a world of difference for the Bears and their passing game.  The problem is that Forte has been averaging only 3.4 yards per carry and has only 4 touchdowns on the year.  The Ravens still have a pretty talented defense too, and they keep opponents under 100 rushing yards per game, so it doesn’t look good for the Bears.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Baltimore Ravens 28, Chicago Bears 14

The Green Bay Packers (8-4) are coming to town, and the Chicago Bears (5-7) are hoping for a better result than their week one loss against the Packers.  It will be difficult though, as the Bears defense was in much better condition back in week one and the Packers have gotten better.  Aaron Rodgers has been getting more protection lately, and he has been putting up some very nice numbers.  Rodgers did throw two interceptions last week against the Ravens, but he may not be throwing as often this week in Chicago’s cold and windy weather.  That means the Bears need to be ready to stop Ryan Grant and the Packers’ running game.  They are ranked 25th at stopping the run though, so the odds are against the Bears in this one

Jay Cutler threw four interceptions in their last meeting, and that was some foreshadowing for how Cutler’s first season with the Bears would go.  He has thrown 20 interceptions this year, but the Bears have been limiting him lately so I don’t expect another four pick day.  Still, the Bears offense has been terrible, and without a good passing game Matt Forte is ineffective.  Maybe the Bears can get some extra inspiration playing their rivals, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

FINALS SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 13, Green Bay Packers 28

The Chicago Bears (4-7) need a win desperately and thankfully for them they are playing the St. Louis Rams (1-10).  The Bears are trying to avoid their fifth straight loss, and if they are not able to beat the Rams it will sum up this year’s season perfectly.  I do think the Bears will win this game though, because as bad as the Bears are the Rams are much worse.  Jay Cutler can use this game to build some confidence, as the Rams give up 375 total yards per game.  They give up nearly 150 of that on the ground, so maybe Matt Forte can finally have a big game rushing.

The Bears defense will probably have a lot more to do with the Bears winning this than the offense.  The Rams’ whole offense is basically Steven Jackson, who averages 4.7 yards per carry.  Jackson is battling a back injury, but is expected to play.  Although the Bears are not good at stopping the run, the Rams are a one-dimension offense and the Bears can key in on stopping Jackson.  The Bears should definitely win this game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 28, St. Louis Rams 14