10 Games the Chicago Bears Should Win in 2010

Fans are usually going to be biased toward their favorite teams.

I am no doubt guilty when it comes to our Chicago sports teams.

In a journalistic sort of attempt to remain objective, I studied the upcoming 2010 matchups and tried to come up with 10 games the Chicago Bears should win, especially if they plan to make any real noise in the NFL breaking out of the NFC North.

What I discovered is that the real competition is right here in the division with the highly touted and much disdained Packers, the Vikings, and even potentially the Lions.

A lot of the teams listed here have new players and/or coaches. The Bears also are in sort of a rebuilding phase with the coaching staff.

However their core players have at least one year of experience playing together, and that should at least mean fewer interceptions for the offense.

With an upgraded defense, including the return of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher(sounds good), we should be watching a different caliber team than the one we saw last year.

I realize some of you will probably laugh me to scorn but I welcome your comments.

So, without further ado I give you the 10 teams the Chicago Bears should be able to defeat in 2010.

Bears @ Cowboys Sunday September 19, 2010

The Dallas Cowboys have been seen as potential Super Bowl winners every year for as long as I can remember, and this year is no exception.

They do definitely seem talented enough to make such a run.

Yet, this Cowboys team is beatable. They remind me of a less experienced, less disciplined Indianapolis Colts team.

The Bears have to generate a consistent pass rush, but if they do they should defeat the 'Boys in Dallas.

Unfortunately for the Bears, one of the best things about the Dallas Cowboys is their premier offensive line—a line Chicago could envy.

But the Bears will counter with a defensive line that most teams would envy—one full of players who were all feared at one point in their careers.

The Bears win this one 23-10.

Bears @ Giants Sunday October 3, 2010

Whatever has happened to the New York Football Giants?

Tom Coughlin had these guys on point for quite some time. But then Eli got the big contract that triggered a QB contract firestorm and got that planter-fashi-what-cha-call-it (foot injury), and the Giants fell off the map and haven't been back on it since.

This is pretty much the same team that in the past has done just enough to make the playoffs and then, before you know it, is in position to compete for a championship.

I don't know how competitive the Giants will be this season, but they might be playing with the same sense of desperation as the Chicago Bears.

I still say the Bears win this one 34-17.

Bears @ Panthers Sunday October 10, 2010

Much has been made about Julius Peppers' return to Carolina this coming season to compete against his hometown Panthers as the newest member of the once-feared Chicago Bears' pass rush/defensive line.
It's sure to dominate the local sports headlines leading up to the game.

However, this one may be an offensive explosion for the Chicago Bears.

By this point in the season, if the offense isn't beginning to gel, it will be hard for the club to gain confidence (or momentum), and they may be forced to explore other options for the rest of the ride.

The Carolina Panthers' Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams both had huge seasons last year, and with veteran Steve Smith at WR, they have some playmakers on offense.

This is the type of situation the Bears' defense will have to be able to contain if the team hopes to have a chance against opponents that are stacked offensively.

The Panthers always seem to game-plan well for games against the Bears, and the only difference may be some of the starters taking the field.

Bears should take this one 44-20.

Seahawks @ Bears Sunday October 17, 2010

The Seattle Seahawks drafted some talent this year that should definitely make some noise in the NFL, including OT Russell Okung, SS Earl Thomas, and WR Golden Tate.

But I'm not sure if the Seahawks are rebuilding or tearing down. They have undergone as many major changes in one offseason as the Chicago Bears have over a few, and some may be too significant for them to be a factor in the NFC West.

But what about in this game? If they wear those hideous lime unis again they don't stand a chance. Assuming they learned their lesson, how would these teams stack up based on their current rosters?

Honestly, the Seahawks' roster doesn't look that bad on paper. But they did completely turn over their staff.

The urgency the Bears will be playing with at this point in the season combined with the lack of experience the Seahawks' players and coaches have together means I have to give the edge to the home team.

35-7 Chicago Bears win it.

Redskins @ Bears Sunday October 24, 2010

So what that they have Donovan McNabb?

The Bears are still going to hand them their you-know-whats in whats sure to be a good one, as McNabb always shows up in front of his hometown crowd.

Somewhere inside I think McNabb envies Cutler's fortune of landing in Chicago.

And somewhere inside I think a lot of Bears fans envied the great quarterback play the Eagles got from McNabb while Chicago struggled at the position.

Many fans of the Bears had considered the ungrateful Philadelphia crowd and said we would trade for him any Sunday.

Because of this, McNabb will be playing harder than ever this season to prove that Philadelphia made a huge mistake, yet, he will probably be playing under less pressure as a confident, proven veteran.

To tame the wily veteran, the Chicago Bears will have to be on their best behavior defensively. Having their defensive leader back should help.

Asked about missing the entire season in '09, Urlacher said, “It was horrible. It was very frustrating. After the offseason I had last year, I felt great coming into the season. To get hurt in the first game like that was very disappointing.

I would say Urlacher and Donovan McNabb will be feeling about the same as they take the field opposite each other. Both will feel that this is a season to shut up a lot of big mouths who think they have nothing left.

Unfortunately for Donovan, Urlacher may have the easier job and will have more help.

Bears take it 24-10.

Bears Vs. Bills in Toronto, Canada Sunday November 7, 2010

I won't spend much time on this one except to say the Bears can't take it lightly. This could very well be a trap game for Chicago if they are doing well.

The Bears were 3-1 by the bye in '09. But after the bye they won one out of their next seven games, and their season was essentially over.

This season, the Buffalo Bills could have some players trying to break their team out of this perpetual cycle of losing that they have endured. Players like Marshawn Lynch (if he's still there), Fred Jackson (if he's still effective) and rookie addition C.J. Spiller (if he is what he looks to be). They have nice depth in the defensive backfield as well.

Bears 35-3.

Bears @ Dolphins Thursday November 18, 2010

This Miami Dolphin team will surely be one of the tougher challenges for all of the NFC North teams.

With the effectiveness of their Wildcat offense, the Fins are dangerous and will provide a litmus test for where the Bears are defensively.

In an hour-long interactive conference call moderated by Jeff Joniak (a radio play-by-play announcer), six-time Pro Bowler Urlacher talked to season ticket holders.

Listen to what Urlacher said when asked about the state of the Bears D, including the addition of Julius Peppers and the re-acquisition of safety Chris Harris: “I love what I see. We’re a fast football team. It’s exciting.

“Chris being back helps a lot. ‘Pep’ in there is awesome. If you add a good player like that, it’s going to help your defense right away. We’ve got a lot of guys that can run. We get to the football.”

It kind of reminds me of what everyone was expecting from Urlacher and his teammates before last season began. In hindsight those expectations were ridiculously high, but the Bears must live up to every bit of them and more to take this one.

33-30 Bears.

Eagles @ Bears Sunday November 28, 2010

It will be very interesting to see if the Eagles fans ever boo Kevin Kolb, or if it was just a personal vendetta they had with McNabb dating back to his draft day. I know they are known for their fanaticism.

That aside, the Bears should be duly equipped to handle this one.

There could be tension brewing in the Eagles clubhouse at this time, as well as possibly the Cowboys and maybe even the Vikings among the personalities, despite all the budding and blossoming talent on these teams' rosters. Just something to watch.

This will be the Bears' second or third tough game in a row. I think the Eagles offense will stall somewhere in this game, but the defense of this Eagles team will put Martz's and Cutler's skills to the test.

We will see if there's a real improvement in the Bears new offense and if they can do what the 2006 Bears offense failed to do in the rain of Super Bowl 41.

Bears will win this one 13-6

Patriots @ Bears Sunday December 12, 2010

With the return of Wes Welker and the addition of several intriguing draft picks, New England may surprise those who think the Pats' better days are behind them.

As for the Chicago Bears, I believe that the upcoming defensive lineup will pose all types of problems for Mr. Brady and Belichick.

Obviously the revamped defensive line will have to be a big part of that. Julius Peppers will add the necessary degree of difficulty to a defense full of Pro Bowlers and playmakers.

Peppers has already been making an impact since the first days of minicamp and was, apparently, effective on both ends.

"Before I actually signed to come, that was something that was discussed, as far as where I was going to play and how they were going to use me and those type things," Peppers said. "I expected to be moved around, and right now, we're just trying to figure it out."

"He's a good player, but offensively, we've just got to clean some stuff up," Cutler said as the Bears' three-day minicamp started. "I do. We're all learning. I think we're all learning at a pretty good pace so far."

According to the Associated Press, Cutler also expects everyone to "understand" the new playbook by the July 29th reporting deadline for training camp.

I couldn't find out if there was any significance to Tommie Harris practicing only once a day.

Bears 21-14.

Jets @ Bears Sunday December 26, 2010

What an upgrade Rex Ryan has been from the Mangenius days.
This may be the single toughest team to defeat in 2010.

The offense will have to get off so to speak. At least it shouldn't be quite as predictable as it has been in previous seasons.

In minicamp, after a number of completions to Dez Clark and Olsen (contrary to popular belief), Cutler said , "We're going to spread it around, get everyone touches."

Urlacher admitted the new offense is a challenge, saying, “Offensively, they do a lot of stuff. It’s confusing for our defense. We’re not going to see anything that’s harder than what we see in practice, which is good for us.”

Well Rex Ryan's team could come close this season, but back to the Bears offense:

“You can’t prepare for the speed of it,” said the middle linebacker. “You can practice all you want, but when you get to the games it happens so fast. There are so many different things they do. They’ve got unbalanced lines. They’ve got formations you’ve never seen before.”

The question is whether they put it together against good game-planning teams. The Jets will put up a fight. But the Bears can win in front of the home crowd if they call a good game and execute.

14-13 da Bears.

Conclusion / Divisional Games vs Lions, Packers, and Vikings

This team, especially the Bears offense, is very much a work in progress. As indicated earlier, Julius Peppers reportedly wreaked havoc at one point, forcing a sack/fumble in the non-contact scrimmages by pressuring Cutler.

But expectations are again high for the Bears' starting QB and their offense.

“Jay’s awesome,” Urlacher said. “He throws the ball as well as any quarterback in the NFL. If we can protect him—which I think we will do—I think he’s going to have a great year.”

Protecting Cutler and, as Cutler said himself, learning the Mike Martz system quickly and thoroughly will determine how far this team goes.

"That's the game plan," Cutler said. "We've got a lot of time. But we've got to keep putting a lot of pressure on myself and the rest of the guys to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, but be able to retain all the information throughout the year -- that's going to be the hard part."

No one seems to doubt that, when done correctly, this style of offense is dangerous.

"It is a little bit different," Cutler said. "It's a high-paced, high-octane offense. Guys are flying around. Quarterbacks have to make quick, precise decisions, and you have to be really accurate with the ball. It puts a lot on the quarterback, puts a lot on the receivers."

There was talk on here about the Cover 2 and whether or not it is washed up. To quote from the professionals again, I give you Brian Urlacher on that interactive conference call:

“The second year we ran it [in 2005], I was defensive player of the year,” Urlacher said. “If you do it right, it works. There’s no doubt about that. We’ve changed it a little bit. We’ve tweaked it. When you do it right, when you play hard and when you have the right players at the right positions, you’re going to be successful in this defense.

“It’s all predicated on pressure on the quarterback, and we went out and got a great defensive end, and our defensive linemen are going to have to [generate a consistent pass rush].”

Of course that's why they went after number 90.

"There are certain guys that, No. 1, you pay a lot of money to for a certain reason, and he's going to earn every dime," coach Lovie Smith said.

Who do you game plan for if you are an opposing offense?

Rod Marinelli is still a favorite of the players, even in his new position. Brian Urlacher spoke about him:

“He’s great,” Urlacher said. “He gives us a couple coaching points every day in our defensive meeting, and he doesn’t put up with anything. When he’s talking, you listen and you do what he says.

“I have a lot of respect for coach Marinelli. I think every guy on our defense and our team does too. Just talking to him for any amount of time you can see how much he loves football and how much he loves being around here.”

I didn't speak much about the divisional matchups, but I think the Bears will sweep the Lions and may be good enough to sweep the Vikings and maybe even the Packers.

But realistically I'd have to say they will at the very least sweep the Lions and split the Packers and Vikings series. I don't see them being swept in either.

Also, Johnny Knox is moving up the depth chart, per my WR predictions article. He didn't start at all last season but still had an impact when he got on the field.

Here's some of what Knox said about it.
"It’s a big opportunity, me going with the ones,” said Knox, who caught two touchdown passes in red-zone drills in Wednesday's OTA practice. “But I’m going to still try to take the same approach whether I’m starting or not.”

The Chicago Bears' linebackers may be the best in football and their leader's return should plug what last season was a porous defense.

Lovie Smith said, "Brian missed most of last year, but he's been here every day in the offseason (working out), He's a good football player, we're expecting great things from him. It seemed like old times out there today with him. Also with guys like Chris Harris. Getting Chris Harris, it seems like he never left us."

I hope I made a decent case for why the Bears should win more than 10 games this season.

That will give me the confidence for my next article: Why the Bears will win the NFC North.

Thank you for reading.