Christmas Day NFL Sunday Night Football Preview

            After suffering their first loss of the season last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Chicago announced this week that backup quarterback Josh McCown will start for the first time this season. For the Packers, tonight's game is about how the defending Super Bowl Champions will respond after losing their first game in their last twenty. They have secured the number one seed in the playoffs in the NFC, which means that the next two weeks are opportunities for the Packers to fine-tune their offense for when it really matters--the post-season. For the Chicago Bears, they are trying to stop their four-game losing streak with a win against their division rivals. In their first matchup of the season, the Bears played the Packers close, losing 27-17. The second time around, however, the game will be much different. The Bears will be without three of their biggest offensive weapons--quarterback Jay Cutler and running backs Matt Forte and Marion Barber. Instead, Chicago will have to rely on McCown and third-year running back Kahlil Bell. Bell has had limited snaps inthe NFL, with only 79 carries for 382 yards rushing.

Courtesy of http://www.yoursportsfan.com/index.php/sports/nfl

            Being a Chicago Bears fan, I wish I could sugar-coat this game and talk about how great the Bears defense is but it's impossible. I can't talk about the Bears losing by less than two touchdowns with a good conscience. Aaron Rodgers is a contender for MVP with 4,360 passing yards, 40 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions, and he's ocmpleted nearly 70% of his passes. The state of Wisconsin has forgotten about Brett Favre. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are loaded with offensive weapons. Being a pass-first offense, Green Bay doesn't need much of a rushing attack but between James Starks, Ryan Grant, and Rodgers, they can count on 100 yards per game. While the Packers do not have a player with over 1,000 receiving yards, they do have seven with over 200 yards this season. It's hard for a defense to to pick out one wide receiver or tight end and say "We're going to shut him down," because any player that is an eligible receiver can beat any defense in the league.


Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bryan_armen_graham/01/09/packers.eagles.grades/index.html

            The Bears will be lucky to rush for more than 100 yards and throw for more than 150. They're relying on third-string players at quarterback and running back. While Green Bay's defense is second to last in passing yards allowed per game, they played against the likes of Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford, and Eli Manning, to name a few opposing quarterbacks. They have not been playing against Josh McCowns all season, but rather elite quarterbacks in half of their games. McCown has not started since 2007 and will struggle tonight. Green Bay is excellent at stopping the run, so Kahlil Bell will likely have a rough first start. Chicago's defense have better luck in stopping Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense than most of Green Bay's opponents this season, but the Bears have no way of scoring. The combination of the game being at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers coming off of their first loss of the season, and the Bears having arguably the worst offense in the league playing tonight, I predict the Packers win 31-10.

Bears in Need of Quarterback, Should Have Pursued McNabb

            After the Chicago Bears announced that recently signed quarterback Josh McCown will be starting on Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers, it is apparent that the Bears desperately need a new quarterback. Jay Cutler had been playing very well for the Bears and Chicago had forgotten about his debatable injury last year in the playoffs. Backup QB Caleb Hanie was horrendous in the four games in which he replaced Cutler, completing less than half of his pass attempts, throwing for 600 yards, only three touchdown passes and nine interceptions (two were returned for touchdowns). The Bears lost by a touchdown or less in three of the four games thanks to their defense, but they lost all four games that Hanie started. McCown has jumped from team to team in his nine seasons in the NFL, with most of his experience coming from his time on the Arizona Cardinals from 2003 to 2005. He has already made Chicago Bears fans nervous in his relief of Caleb Hanie against Seattle, where he threw two passes, one of which was intercepted. With any quarterback currently on their roster, the Bears are unlikely to beat the Packers. The Packers have won nineteen of their last twenty games for a reason--they're the best team in the NFL. McCown has not had significant playing time in years and even when he did he was a mediocre quarterback. The Bears are technically still in the playoff picture even though they would have to win their final games and need the Cowboys, Giants, Lions, Seahawks, and Cardinals to lose their last games. The Bears should have contacted Donovan McNabb the minute they found out that Cutler was done for the year.

Courtesy of http://chicago.sbnation.com/chicago-bears/2011/12/21/2652027/packers-vs-bears-week-16-2011-news-injury-odds-score-update-recap

            Sure, the Minnesota Vikings were not having success with McNabb but he is still capable of playing at a high level in the NFL. He is a tested quarterback with playoff experience and would be mature enough to step into a new situation and lead the Bears to the playoffs as a Wild Card team. If Chicago's playoff chances weren't so slim, I would be tempted to call McNabb's agent, fly him to Chicago for practice, and have him start against the Packers on Sunday.

Courtesy of http://www.topusatrend.com/2011/12/02/vikings-donovan-mcnabb-research-stops-with-waiving-of-experienced-qb/

            The Chicago Bears had won five straight games before Cutler was injured and were one of the hottest teams in the NFL at 7-3. With Cutler for the rest of the season, they would have been a lock for the playoffs. McNabb may not have been able to have a winning record with the Bears, but it would have only taken three or four wins for the Bears to make the playoffs. The Bears were essentially without an offense their past four games since Matt Forte and Cutler are sidelined with injuries. Hopefully Lovie Smith and Chicago's front office has learned from their mistake and finds a solid backup quarterback in the off-season through free agency or the draft.