Chicago Bears and Devin Hester: Are the NFC North Champions Super Bowl Bound?
The Chicago Bears clinched an NFC North title with a 40-14 pounding of the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
Playing on the frozen tundra at the University of Minnesota, the Bears ran, passed and knocked the Vikings to the ground during their march to victory. Chicago moves to 10-4 on the season and is guaranteed a playoff berth.
But the Bears don't just have the playoffs in mind. They want to avenge their Super Bowl loss in 2006, and coach Lovie Smith may finally have the players to do it.
Here are five reasons why the Chicago Bears could be playing football in February down in Arlington, Texas.
5. Devin Hester
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Hester broke the NFL record for return touchdowns by bringing back his 14th early in the third quarter against the Vikings—an untouched 64-yard punt return that put the game out of reach for Minnesota.
There are few players in football with the ability to single-handedly alter the course of a game, but Hester is one of those players. He's the best return man in the NFL and is a threat to score any time he touches the ball in the open field.
Hester becomes even more important in the playoffs when opposing teams will have to choose between punting to Hester or kicking it out of bounds and giving up good field position. With games in January usually resulting in low-scoring affairs, just a few yards can make a big difference.
4. The Competition
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Every team in the NFC, including the probable No. 1 seed Atlanta Falcons, has its share of flaws.
The Falcons, despite winning eight straight, have had one of the easier schedules among potential playoff teams (playing every team in the NFC West) and have lost their two toughest match-ups of the season: a 15-9 overtime loss to Pittsburgh in Week 1 and a 31-17 pounding in Week 6 to Philadelphia. The Falcons are playing their best football of the year when it matters most, but they won't get to face any patty-cake teams in the playoffs.
The 10-4 Eagles have dealt with injuries all season, and quarterback Mike Vick is only 2-2 in his career in the playoffs.
The 9-5 Giants have only beaten two teams with a winning record this season: the Chicago Bears in Week 3 (17-3) and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12 (24-20). They also failed to close what seemed like an easy win over the Eagles and foolishly punted to DeSean Jackson.
The 10-4 Saints were also playing great football right up to their disappointing 24-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens this week. Their only statement win of the season is a 20-10 victory over the Steelers, one of only two victories over teams with a winning record.
The Bears, meanwhile, have played one of the league's toughest schedules and still managed to beat Green Bay, Miami and Philadelphia. They will have played four of the league's top six teams (including the Patriots, Jets and Giants) by the time the season is over, and that experience will definitely help them come playoff time.
3. The Running Game
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The great Bears' teams have always been built on a strong rushing attack, and this year's team is no exception.
Leading the charge is Matt Forte, a third-year back who has already tallied 865 yards on the ground and is also a serious threat out of the backfield as a receiver (39 receptions for 431 yards).
Back-up running back Chester Taylor has contributed an additional 252 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns and is a good complement to Forte's bruising rushing style. Quarterback Jay Cutler has also been to scramble outside of the pocket on occasion, with 221 yards rushing so far on the season.
This trio combines for an average of 99 yards per game, good for 25th in the NFL. They may not put up huge numbers, but they are adept at moving the chains and not making the Bears' offense one-dimensional. This will come in handy during the playoffs, when passing the ball in the middle of a snowstorm might not be advisable.
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2. Jay Cutler
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Cutler has been surrounded by doubts about whether he was an elite NFL quarterback all his career. The Bears' quarterback finally answered some of his critics this year by having a monster season.
Cutler has thrown for 2,891 yards and 20 touchdowns, with an impressive 61.7 completion percentage. He's only thrown 13 interceptions (nine if you take out his four-INT game against the Redskins in Week 7) and owns a more than respectable 89.6 QB rating.
He's done all this despite a lackluster collection of weapons, with only two players (Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett) earning more than 40 receptions. Cutler's been able to limit mistakes by making smart decisions, a sign that he's matured into a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback.
The Bears will need Cutler to be at his best if they hope to go deep into the playoffs, and with the way he's been playing that just might be possible.
1. The Defense
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Just like during their championship campaign in 2006, the Bears' defense has been the key to the team's success.
The names on the back of the jerseys may be different, but the collection of players is as good as any that Chicago has had in recent memory. Between Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers and Charles Tillman, there is a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bears have the 14th ranked passing defense in the NFL and the 3rd ranked rushing defense. They also have the 3rd ranked scoring offense, giving up an average of only 17.3 points per game, a number that would be significantly lower if not for the 36 points they surrendered to the Patriots a week ago.
This is a team that has held opposing teams to 20 points or less an incredible 11 times in 14 games. If the defense can maintain that level of performance throughout the playoffs, then it should be enough to give the Bears' offense a chance to win the game.
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