NFL Predictions for 2010 Season: Picks for All 16 Bears Games
Look, I know that the Bears have looked awful this preseason and that there is not much for many fans to hang their hat on in terms of hope. No worry, for I am here to tell you that all is not lost.
Why? Let me list the reasons.
- The preseason record means nothing
- See number one.
Sure, the defense continues to suck on third down, and yes, Jay Cutler still throws interceptions and the offensive line continues to be a huge question mark.
But the defense figures to improve with a healthy Brian Urlacher and the addition of pass rush specialist Julius Peppers.
Also, once Major Wright's finger is ready to go, and hopefully he is ready for Detroit, the safety position would seem to instantly be upgraded. Yes I realize he is a rookie but you have to like what you've seen so far with this young man.
Now we come to the offense. Well, Mike Martz would be an upgrade over Ron Turner as a play caller, assuming that Lovie Smith lets him call the game.
Now, that is a concern since we know that Martz wasn't Lovie's first choice and that the head coach's philosophy and Martz couldn't be more at odds.
Yet even if Lovie forces Martz to run more than he has historically preferred, two things give us hope.
First, Matt Forte is healthy and is hitting the hole like he did his rookie season. Second, the addition of Chester Taylor gives Cutler a big threat catching the screen pass.
So here we go, predicting all of the games this season. This is similar to flipping a coin probably but it is fun nevertheless.
Game One: Bears 28, Lions 17
1 of 16Yes, the Detroit Lions are heading in an upward direction. But after all, they really have nowhere to go but up following the disaster that was the Matt Millan era.
And true, they have a good young QB in Matt Stafford. Yet before Lions fans get too excited, they are still a team with flaws, like the Bears, and a team that can lose on any given Sunday, like the Bears.
So what's the difference? The Bears are playing at home, for one, and as bad as they looked last season, they still went 7-9 while the Lions won only two games.
Even with improvement by Detroit, did they do enough in one summer to make up five games? I don't think so.
You can expect the Bears to give offensive lineman Chris Williams some help so that he will not be as porous as he looked during the offseason. That is a good thing, since he will likely be trying to fend Ndamukong Suh off of his QB from the blind side.
The league fined Suh $7,500 for mauling Cleveland Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme in the third exhibition game.
It says here that the Bears win this game 28-17.
Game Two: Cowboys 30, Bears 27
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Buoyed by their first game success, the Bears make this game a lot closer than the point spread would indicate.
In fact, as crazy as this may sound, this could be a dangerous game for a Dallas team that some think are poised to make the Super Bowl this year.
Well, I, for one, think the 'Boys are a bit overrated and a lot of the optimism comes from the fact that they are playing the SB in Dallas this year. So, naturally, it would be a great story for America's Team to play the first Bowl in their home stadium.
While that could happen, don't expect Dallas to be at the top of their game so early in the season and facing an opponent they may be overconfident against.
The Bears will play up to the challenge and this game will go down to the wire, with the Cowboys kicking a field goal with one minute left to seal the game.
The Bears fall to 1-1 as they lose on the road.
Game Three: Packers 41, Bears 10
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While the Bears are at home and Lovie Smith has a good track record against the hated rivals, this one could get ugly.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is the real deal, folks, and is primed to have a truly outstanding season, perhaps even better than the one he had last year.
The Bears corners and safeties simply aren't equipped to deal with a passer this good, so expect Rodgers to put up great numbers against a Bears defense that crumbles on third down and gave up huge gains to QBs like Carson Palmer last year.
Sure, Major Wright, Chris Harris, Urlacher and Peppers, if healthy, weren't playing when the Bears got crushed last season, but then again Rodgers is that much better.
This game, in particular may propel the Pack past the Cowboys to the NFC conference championship.
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Game Four: Bears 24, Giants 21
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The Giants finished a disappointing 8-8 last season after starting the season a perfect 5-0. Following the end of the season, the Giants fired first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan and the defense hopes to rebound this season.
The Giants were only 4-4 at home and this is a game the Bears can steal on the road, despite the short week after playing the Packers on Monday night.
Despite Eli Manning, there are lost of questions about the Giants running game and the defense.
It's a close one but the Bears eek out a last minute victory to even their season record at 2-2.
Game Five: Bears 38, Panthers 31
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The Bears offense breaks out in a huge way this week as they
The Panthers, like the Giants, are another team that finished a disappointing 8-8 last season and they made a lot of changes this summer. The team has at least nine new starters in 2010, and that is a lot for the team to go through if they expect to jell and play as a cohesive unit.
The Bears, of course, stole Peppers from them so expect him to be fired up and playing well in this game. One of the other biggest changes for the Panthers is that quarterback Jake Delhomme is gone, so expect the Bears defense to tee off on Matt Moore, who has a strong arm and played well late last season but is inexperienced.
Where the team excels is running the football, but if the Bears can take an early lead and force the Panthers to throw, they can get a couple of takeaways and build a big lead. Sure, they have Steve Smith to throw the ball to, but he's lost a step and has some injury concerns.
The only trepidation is predicting consecutive victories on the road by a Bears team that really isn't all that great.
Moore hits a couple deep passes to make the game close in the fourth quarter, but the final score really isn't indicative of the way the game will go, as the Bears win to go 3-2 on the young season.
The D-line gives Cutler time to throw and that spells doom for Carolina.
Game Six: Bears 17, Seahawks 9
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Seattle hired former USC coach Pete Carroll to run their team, and usually a winning college coach does not necessarily parlay that into a successful NFL career. Case in point: Carroll himself, who got fired by the Jets after only one season.
Plus, this is the third new scheme in three seasons, and a new GM, so this thin roster will not be ready to win this season and the Bears will take advantage.
Matt Hasselbeck is the starting QB right now, but by this time, Charlie Whitehurst may be at the helm.
This is a solid linebacker corps in Seattle, with Lofa Tatupu back in the middle after missing 10 games. Sound familiar, Bears fans?
But Carroll will be playing his rookies and this is clearly a rebuilding year for the Panthers, so the Bears win a boring game.
Game Seven: Redskins 21, Bears 10
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Did Daniel Snyder fix what ailed this team over the summer? Well, it doesn't matter as the Bears are simply not good enough to go 5-2, and they lose a game at home that they probably could have won.
A new GM and the hiring of head coach Mike Shanahan brings optimism to Washington, and despite a 4-12 record next season, this team will improve. They may not be good enough to contend, but they are good enough to steal a game on the road.
Expect the Skins defense to pummel Cutler and bait him into a couple of interceptions and this game is one to forget for the Bears.
While the offense may struggle, Donovan McNabb brings just enough veteran experience to lead Washington to a win over the inept Bears offense.
Game Eight: Following The Bye Week, Bears Beat The Bills 19-7
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This is another rebuilding team that features many new players. CJ Spiller may eventually be a top back, but against the Bears it won't be enough.
Buffalo is not exactly set at QB, as they staged a competition for the starting job among Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm during the preseason. Who knows who will be at the helm by this time?
Fred Jackson and Spiller lead a strong rushing attack, but if they get behind the Bears can feast on the QBs and the offensive line, which is not expected to be very solid.
Still, the DBs keep the game close but the Bears win to improve to 5-2.
Game Nine: Bears Hopes Begin To Unravel As They Fall To Vikings 40-13
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Just when you thought it was safe to get back into the Bears playoff water, along comes a stinker of a game that reminds you that this is a team not ready for prime time.
Brett Favre picks apart the Bears secondary and their defense takes the ball away five times as the Bears get crushed in a game not even as close as the lopsided score would suggest.
The Vikings concerns at wide receiver gets better as Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin return to help Favre lead Minnesota past the Bears.
After a tough early schedule, the Vikings will be in no mood to take the Bears lightly and this gets very ugly.
Game 10: Dolphins 28, Bears 21
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With their tails between their legs, the Bears travel to Miami and once again get their butts handed to them as the Dolphins stuff the ball down Chicago's throats and force Cutler to beat them, which he doesn't do.
Regardless of which Chad starts at QB in game 10 of the regular season, Henne or Pennington, having Brandon Marshall will certainly help the offense. Miami's Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combine for over 200 yards rushing,
Miami may not be an offensive juggernaut this season, but they are good enough to defeat the Bears in game 10.
Game 11: Eagles 34, Bears 28
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McNabb is gone, but Kevin Kolb gets the ball out quickly and accurately, two traits that doom the Bears weak secondary in this game.
DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin have big days against the Bears d-backs, and a solid offensive line keeps Peppers and company at bay.
However, the Eagles defense keeps this game close. The Eagles allowed 27 passing touchdowns, tied for eighth-worst in the league, and Cutler gets a couple of long TD passes to Johnny Knox to make the game interesting late.
But in the end, Philly prevails and the Bears fall under .500 for the first time this season.
Game 12: Bears 17, Lions 10
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The Bears get back on the winning track vs. the Lions in game 12, though it is an uninspired and unimpressive victory.
The Lions are improved, but not enough to topple the Bears, who are smarting over three consecutive losses.
Matt Forte has a big day as he gains over 100 yards for the first time in 2010.
Game 13: Patriots 35, Bears 21
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Tom Brady, Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Need I say more?
Behind a solid offensive line and a good defense that makes plays, this game is never close as the Bears fall under .500 once again, going 6-7 in a season that started so promising.
Boom goes the dynamite and there goes the Bears season in flames.
Game 14: Vikings 44, Bears 17
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Following the disaster versus the Pats, it doesn't get any easier for the Bears who travel to Minnesota and get absolutely annihilated and fall to 6-8.
I could predict what Favre does, or what Cutler doesn't do, but does it really matter at this point?
Game 15: Jets 23, Bears 20
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Mark Sanchez and a very good Jets team take the Bears lightly and almost blow the game, but have enough talent to still beat the Bears.
Game 16: Bears Lose To Packers To Finish Season at 6-10
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At this point, the score doesn't matter and the stats do not either, as the Bears fall to a Green Bay team that rests some of its starters and that is the only reason this game is close, as the Pack defeat the Bears 21-13.
The Bears end the season a miserable 6-10, as they lose six of their last seven games.
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