Come To Think of It: Chicago Bears Key To Victory is To Pressure Donovan McNabb

The biggest difference between last week's tilt against the 49ers and this week's contest versus the Philadelphia Eagles is the quarterback play.

No, not Jay Cutler, although better ball protection for the Bears offense is a key. I'm talking about the difference between Alex Smith and Donovan McNabb.

For good QBs with time to throw the ball have picked apart the Bears defense. And McNabb is a much better QB than Smith at this point.

To avoid another Carson Palmer debacle, the Bears need to generate pressure on  McNabb. With one less weapon to go to (Brian Westbrook is out with an injury), the defense needs to force bad decisions and off-balance throws from the Eagles QB.

That won't be easy.

Still, these teams seem strikingly similar. They both are desperate, coming off of two game losing streaks. Both have had trouble running the ball.

Despite 450 passing yards and two scores while tying his own franchise record with 35 completions, McNabb was unable to rally his team to victory against the Chargers last week.

Expect the Eagles to throw the ball a lot Sunday night, with McNabb utilizing tight end Brent Celek (46 receptions, 5 TD) and young wideouts DeSean Jackson (34 receptions, 621 yards, 6 total TD) and Jeremy Maclin (31 receptions, 4 TD), who both have speed to burn and excel at gaining yards after the catch.

If the Bears defense allows McNabb time to throw, he will pick them apart and the Bears will suffer yet another embarrassing defeat on national TV, come to think of it.