Bears vs. Jets: What Experts Are Saying About Chicago
Have you caught your breath yet after the Bears' thrilling win Sunday night?
You get an extra day to recover but get ready, Bears fans, because the Bears make their second straight appearance on the road in prime time.
Can Jay Cutler keep his hot streak from last week going? Can Matt Forte finally put together some solid runs?
These are just a few of the topics that experts are talking about as the Bears invade the New York area on Monday night.
ESPN's Jon Gruden Looks Forward to Jay Cutler
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When you watch Jay Cutler's second-half performance against the San Francisco 49ers, it's easy to be impressed with what he did as the Bears came back to win on the road.
ESPN analyst Jon Gruden calls Cutler and his receivers against the Jets in their secondary as the matchup "everybody is going to be watching."
After watching Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers carve up the Jets defense last week, Cutler has to be licking his chops. The Jets are strong in their front seven, but if Cutler gets time, he could have another big game.
Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery should benefit from an extra day off. The Jets are also banged up in their secondary, so look for an aerial assault from Cutler and the Bears.
Yahoo Sports' Matt Becker Expects the Jets to Stay Grounded
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Despite playing a solid game against the 49ers, this Bears defense still has some questions when it comes to stopping the run.
One of the things the Jets are best at is running the football. Yahoo Sports' STATS editor Matt Becker looks at the numbers to decipher the Jets' offensive approach for Monday night:
"New York is just as strong when running the ball itself, ranking first in the NFL with 179.0 yards per game. Chris Ivory has rushed for 145 yards and two scores and is averaging 6.3 per attempt. The Jets will likely lean heavily on Ivory and Chris Johnson against a Chicago team that is giving up an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
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Jets wide receiver Eric Decker is hobbled with a hamstring injury. Without Decker and with a still erratic quarterback in Geno Smith, the Jets are likely to use a heavy ground game against the Bears.
The Bears can sneak some safeties and linebackers closer to the line of scrimmage. They will likely let Smith pass the football in an effort to slow down the run.
If the Bears can show containment like they did against San Francisco, then they have a good chance of taking away the Jets' only offensive threats.
CBSSports.com's Jamey Eisenberg Wants You to Start Martellus Bennett
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Monday night is the final chance for you to either pad your fantasy league or eke out a close game against your buddy.
If you have Martellus Bennett on your team, CBSSports.com's Senior Fantasy Writer Jamey Eisenberg wants you to start him with full confidence:
"He (Bennett) is second on the team in targets to (Brandon) Marshall (20), and the Bears have done a nice job featuring Bennett in the early part of the year. We hope it continues this week against a suspect Jets secondary.
The Jets haven't faced a tight end of note yet with matchups against the Raiders and Packers, but last year New York allowed seven touchdowns to opposing tight ends. There were nine tight ends against the Jets last year that had at least six targets and eight of them finished with at least eight Fantasy points in a standard league.
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As documented already, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery are still not 100 percent healthy. The Jets have a very good pass rush, which could force Jay Cutler to get rid of the ball quickly to his skilled tight end. There's a very good chance Bennett can walk away from Monday night with a touchdown or two.
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ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson Is Worried About the Run Game
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Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte wasn't able to get anything going on the ground against the 49ers. He struggled to get going in Week 1 as well, and now there's a little cause for concern.
The Jets boast a solid front seven that is very stout against the run. This concerns ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson going into Monday night. "Keep in mind, the Bears aren't exactly a power running team," he wrote. "They rely more on running outside the tackles with Forte. The ground game isn't the bread and butter of the offense."
The Jets are ranked first in the NFL right now in rushing yards given up.
Dickerson did say there's no reason to panic, but this might not be the week Forte gets it going. He could still be a valuable option as a grinder and will catch some passes out the backfield, but don't expect a huge breakout performance on the ground from Forte just yet.
The Washington Post's Mark Maske Thinks Kyle Fuller Is Ready for the Spotlight
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It was painful to watch veteran cornerback Charles Tillman go down with another triceps injury. Fortunately for the Bears, rookie Kyle Fuller was up to the challenge of filling Tillman's shoes.
The Washington Post's Mark Maske has some very high praise for Fuller coming off his Sunday night performance that earned him NFC Player of the Week honors.
"The league’s most eye-catching rookie on defense so far this season hasn’t been Jadeveon Clowney, the top overall selection in the NFL draft in May by the Houston Texans, nor fellow linebacker Khalil Mack, the fifth choice by the Oakland Raiders.
It has been Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller, who announced his arrival as a high-impact rookie with a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick during a nationally televised game last Sunday night on NBC. The Bears scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win, 28-20, and Fuller was among the main catalysts.
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Fuller is certainly talented enough to step into the starting role. He might catch a break this week by missing Eric Decker or at the very least going against him at half speed. Fuller can have another big game against the Jets this week and really make his presence known.
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