Bears vs. Bills: Five Reasons Why the Win Was Absolutely Necessary

The Bears victory on Sunday against the winless Buffalo Bills was not only expected, it was vital.

The reasons are many, but can be summed up in the five main points as outlined in the following slideshow. Look, the Bills are no pushovers despite their record. The took their last two opponents to overtime and almost beat the Bears this afternoon.

But with the path to the playoffs having to come through the NFC North division title, and probably not the wild card, remaining as close to the Green Bay Packers as possible is absolutely essential.

Heck, it may not matter as this Bears offense still doesn't look to match up well against the better teams in the NFL, but for some reason it just seems like the NFL is weaker this year, and that every contending team has a chance if they can just get into the dance.

Meanwhile, it was nice to see offensive coordinator Mike Martz do the smart thing and come up with a game plan that focused on max protection for Jay Cutler, and as a result, Cutler did not throw an interception in Toronto.

Not only was the game relatively mistake free for the Bears, minus the Cutler fumble and the stupid penalties that is, but the Bears stayed true to establishing the run.

The Bears 3.4 yard per rush wasn't very impressive, especially when that number includes the 7.8 average that Cutler produced in his five runs. But what it did was to chew up the clock and prevent the team from self destructing as it had so many times this season.

Again, no interceptions is a good thing, Bears fans.

Buffalo was one dimensional due to the Bears defense stopping the run, and while Ryan Fitzpatrick looks like a good QB, the secondary got to him with a couple of key interceptions by forcing him to throw more often due to a 2.6 rushing average.

Again, a win is a win and it was a good thing for the reasons described herein.

1. The Dreaded Green Bay Packers

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

GREEN BAY, WI - NOVEMBER 07: Brandon Jackson #32 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a touchdown with fans against the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on November 7, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Yes, the hated rivals over in cheese land are playing some really good football, and they are going to be 6-3 after their game against Dallas on Sunday night.

With the wild card probably not going to a team in the North, the Bears have to win the division to make the playoffs. And that won't be easy as the Packers have the great QB in Aaron Rodgers, and a defense that is really getting the job done. Oh, by the way, that defense has Clay Matthews.

The Bears do get the Packers one more time but it will be in Wisconsin, so there is a decent chance the season series between the two teams will end in a tie, with one win apiece.

So the Bears needed to win in order to keep pace with the Pack and Sunday's win was absolutely critical to avoid falling two games behind. That would have probably meant the end of the Bears chances.

Meanwhile, the Packers head into a bye week so if the Bears can win against next Sunday, they both will be 6-3.

2. The Second Half of the Schedule Is Brutal

Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

CLEVELAND - NOVEMBER 07: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots throws the ball against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on November 7, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

If you thought the Bears had struggled in their first eight games, wait until you see what the schedule brings the remaining eight weeks.

Next Sunday, the Bears play Minnesota at Soldier Field. While the game is at home for Chicago, that Brett Favre magic still seems to be casting its spell on opponents, as Minnesota came from two touchdowns back late in the game to beat .

After Minnesota, the Bears travel to Miami for a Thursday night game, so it will be a short week to prepare for Chicago against a Dolphins team that, while only 4-4, did beat Green Bay in Wisconsin.

Then the Bears play Philadelphia at home, go to Detroit, then play New England at home, and end the season by playing Minnesota and the Packers on the road, sandwiched with a visit by the Jets.

Needless to say, the Bears simply could not afford a loss to Buffalo with this brutal schedule coming up.

3. The Confidence Factor

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 30: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears takes in a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Notre Dame Stadium on October 30, 2010 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Gett

It's one thing to face such a challenging schedule, but to do it after three losses in a row would have been even more difficult.

Even worse, it would have meant that those losses would have come to three very mediocre teams, and two of them in the Bears home den. So from a confidence standpoint, they needed a win like worse than Tiger Woods.

Of course, confidence is a fleeting thing, so a win next Sunday against Minnesota is also essential. To play teams like Miami, New England, the Jets and Green Bay coming off of three losses in their last four games would not put the team in the right frame of mind.

Still, nobody should worry about over confidence as they barely beat the Bills. However, keeping close to the first place Packers has to have the Bears feeling good about their chances going forward.

You never want to be the first team to lose to a winless team.

4. Coming out of the Bye Week, Coaches Show They Can Adjust

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO - OCTOBER 24: Offensive coordinator Mike Martz of the Chicago Bears watches a play against the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field on October 24, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Redskins defeated the Bears 17-14. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Im

Speaking of confidence, how confident would the Bears players have been if their coaching staff couldn't come up with a game plan good enough to beat a winless team, especially with an extra week to prepare? Not very.

Well, Mike Martz showed he is willing to compromise, after all. Yes, he ran the ball against Carolina, but that was because Cutler was out. With Cutler in there, to run the ball as much as the Bears did proves this coaching staff does get it after all.

And the ability to adjust will be critical going forward. They simply must keep the pressure off of Cutler as much as possible or he will throw too many picks. Running the ball may not be exciting to Martz, but it's the best thing the Bears can do right now.

The Bears didn't beat themselves today. True, they didn't run the ball effectively today, but the point is they did make a commitment to it and that's a start.

5. The Bears Keep Their Playoff Hopes Alive

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 07: Chris Williams #74, Chester Taylor #29 and Brandon Manumaleuna #86 of the Chicago Bears celebrate Taylor's touchdown in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Rogers Centre on November 7, 2010 in Toronto, Canada. Chicag

While a loss to Buffalo wouldn't have mathematically eliminated the Bears from contention, you might as well have stuck a fork in the team because at 4-4, they would have been two games behind the Packers (let's face it, we knew the Packers would beat the trainwreck Dallas squad).

With a tough schedule that still has the Bears traveling to Green Bay, their early win against the Pack probably won't count for much. So to win the division and make the playoffs the Bears needed this win desperately to stay within one game of the Packers.

Look, this team may not scare anyone except its fans, but at 5-3 they are legitimate contenders. At 4-4, with three losses in a row? No chance.

And let's be real, this town is a lot more fun when the Bears are winning. It makes the talk shows more fun, and it gives fans something to hope for. That is important after watching the White Sox choke away a division lead and the Cubs stink up Wrigley Field. Hell, even the Blackhawks are playing poorly.