Keys to the Bears vs. Broncos Game

            Tim Tebow's impressive 6-1 record this season as a starter will be tested when he faces the Chicago Bears in Denver today. Tebow will have the hardest time scoring today out of any regular season game this season, but the Broncos will have great chances at winning.

Keys to the Game:
Bears: Force turnovers on defense, getting good field position on special teams, have a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter, scoring on defense/special teams
Broncos: Don't turn the ball over, put pressure on Caleb Hanie, keep the game close in the first three quarters
           
            The Bears defense has wreaked havoc this season, intercepting sixteen passes, forcing eleven fumbles, and recovering nine of them. Tebow will have more pressure than ever to play smart. The few times he throws he will have to place the ball in places where only his receivers can catch the ball. When he scrambles, he'll have to hold onto the ball very tightly because Chicago is the best team in the league at stripping the ball. With Chicago's top two offensive players, Matt Forte and Jay Cutler, out with injuries, the Bears will need the defense to give them the best field position possible so that they can settle for field goals if they can't put the ball in the endzone. Caleb Hanie has struggled in the two games that he has played, completing less than half of his passes. His touchdown to interception ratio is 1:3, throwing three picks in both games. As we saw last year in the playoffs, Hanie does have the ability to perform well, we just haven't seen it in 2011. He may need a few games under his belt to get warmed up, but if that is not the case, a defensive touchdown would be critical to the Bears winning the game. If there was ever a game where Chicago needs  Devin Hester to be a big-time playmaker it's today. If he can get to a least the Bears own forty yard line a two or three times on kickoffs, Chicago will have a much shorter field to work with and will take some of the pressure off of Caleb Hanie. The Chicago Bears will need to have at least a two score lead going into the fourth quarter because of Tim Tebow's ability to lead the Broncos to comeback victories.  The longer the Bears hold onto the ball in the fourth quarter and the more they slow the game down, the less time Tebow will have to put together a potential game-winning drive.

Courtesy of http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/6ilGKu3ghRf/Houston+Texans+v+Denver+Broncos/QxLpplhlnIb/Tim+Tebow

            I think that the Chicago Bears will play the Broncos very tough and Tebow will have one of his worst statistical games this season. Chicago's offense is missing too much of its firepower and will struggle offensively. Caleb Hanie will have his best game this season, throwing for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one interception. The Bears will force three turnovers and have one defense or special teams touchdown. However, the Broncos defense will keep the game close in the first three quarters so that Tebow can win the game in the fourth. Denver Broncos win 24-20 over the Chicago Bears in a close game at Denver.

Top NFL Plays of Week 10



3. Yesterday in the Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, half of Tim Tebow's completions were touchdowns. Considering that he only had two completions make that stat much less impressive, but nonetheless, I think he deserves credit for his sole passing touchdown after lulling the Chiefs' secondary to sleep in a game that featured fifty-five Broncos rushing plays. In the fourth quarter, while the Broncos were only up by three points, Tebow connected with wide receiver Eric Decker for a fifty-six yard score. I give props to Decker for his salute to the American troops in honor of Veterans Day even though the officials did not agree. He was flagged for excessive celebration.


Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/extramustard/hotclicks/11/14/catrinel-menghia-eric-decker-penalized-for-saluting-to-troops/?xid=cnnbin 

2. Chicago Bears speedster Devin Hester scored his third touchdown return of the year against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. As so many great special teams plays often start, Hester bobbled the punt, but doing so caused the Lions punt team to overcommit on Hester, allowing him to run to the outside and sprint down the sideline virtually untouched for his 12th punt return touchdown of his career. What was most impressive about his touchdown is that he returned the punt while he had an unspecified sickness. I would hate to be the opposing team when he's completely healthy!

Courtesy of  http://www.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey/8813736-419/why-teams-still-kick-to-the-bears-devin-hester-is-a-mystery.html

 1. Easily the most spectacular play from last Sunday was Kansas City wide receiver Jonathon Baldwin's catch, that ended up not counting because of a penalty on the play. Matt Cassel underthrew Baldwin, who was streaking down the field, and then amazingly, Baldwin caught the ball blindly behind the back of Broncos saftey Brian Dawkins. Baldwin went down with both the ball and Dawkins, but his efforts were nullified by the penalty.

 Couresy of http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/13/jonathan-baldwin-catch-chiefs-broncos-dawkins_n_1091370.html



It's Hard to Lose with Chicago's Defense

                The Chicago Bears got revenge at Soldier Field today after losing to the Detroit Lions in Week 5 at Detroit. The Bears were able to score in four different ways today and what is most promising for Chicago is that they were able to win despite Jay Cutler having a mediocre game. Cutler went 9-19 for 123 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Matt Forte also had a bit of an off-night with only 64 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. However, the Bears defense and special teams carried the team against the Lions. Detroit never got into an offensive rythm after turning the ball over on their first two possessions in both halves. Detroit's fumbles, both lost by wide receivers, turned into ten easy points for the Bears and they never looked back. The second quarter started with a Robbie Gould field goal and less than a minute later, after the Lions went three-and-out, Devin Hester returned his NFL-leading 12th career punt for a touchdown. Despite being questionable leading up to the game he turned a mishandled punt into his third special teams touchdown this season. The Lions went into halftime down 20-6 and their woes continued when quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two pick-sixes on consecutive possessions to Major Wright and Charles Tillman. After Stafford's third interception to Tim Jennings, he took his anger out on Bears defender D.J. Moore, tackling him by his helmet, setting off a chain reaction that escalated along the Lions' sideline. Moore ended up charging back at Stafford before getting pummeled by two Lions players. Moore ended up getting ejected from the game, but that was the least of his worries since his team was up 37-6 in an absolute rout of Detroit.

Courtesy of  http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14112011/5/photo/14112011004810.html (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

                     The Lions picked up a touchdown in garbage time, but seven more points could not heal Detroit after such a bad loss. While I wasn't thrilled with the Bears' offense, this was the type of game I love watching Chicago play. They didn't rely on Cutler trying to throw the ball across the field and be Tom Brady, but their defense forced six turnovers and they scored three touchdowns while their offense was on the sideline. Chicago definitely has a long way to go to make it to the playoffs, but having such a potent defense and special teams that can both limit their opponent's scoring opportunities and find their way to the endzone will give them an extra advantage against most of the Bears' opponents. As seen by Stafford's temper tantrum, a defense as good as Chicago's gets in the heads of their opponents and causes them to make more mistakes later in the game.The Chicago Bears are in great position at 6-3 in second place in the NFC North behind the Super Bowl Champion Packers. With a few more stellar performances by the Bears defense and if Hester can continue to tear it up on special teams, Chicago has great chances at making it to the playoffs, hopefully after finishing first place in the NFC North.