Bears-Rams: A Preview

The Bears will try to rebound following a dismal performance against the Pack.

Chicago rolls into St. Louis needing to improve on every facet of their game if they're going to make a run for the division title.

St. Louis is at the bottom of the weakest division in the NFL. There hasn’t been many bright spots for them this season.

Much like when the Bears face the Lions, avoiding turnovers is paramount. The Bears cannot afford to give the Rams any momentum, whatsoever.

I’d like to see the defense take advantage of a very poor offensive line in St. Louis. Look for lots of blitzes from the corners and eight-man fronts. Marc Bulger has had good seasons in the past but hasn’t been able to avoid the rush and make plays down the field. This could be the breakout game the Bears' front four needs.

Offensively, the Bears didn’t do anything right a week ago. Running the ball was effective but abandoned as the deficit grew larger. Kyle Orton needs to shake off the rust and find his rhythm again, while avoiding one of the hottest defensive backs in the league: Oshiomogho Atogwe.

Matt Forte and Kevin Jones needs to get a lot of carries to take the pressure off the passing game. The Bears' offensive line has been adequate so far this season but needs to step it up in the final months.

The Bears cannot panic and start forcing their offense to do things it just can’t do. Stick to what’s worked in so far this season; a decent run game with a few big plays down the field.

I cannot stress enough how the Bears have to avoid the panic button on both sides of the ball this week. The defense may benefit from taking a few chances with pressure and coverage schemes, but the offense needs to stick with what it’s best at.

5-5 isn’t ideal but is a better record than most predicted the Bears would have at this point. A six-game season is on tap for the NFC North.

The scramble for first place is just beginning, as through 10 games this season, the head-to-head matchups break down like this; the Packers have beaten the Vikings and Bears, Vikings have beaten the Packers, and the Bears have beaten the Vikings.

As for Detroit, they’ve been playing better lately and get to play potential spoiler to both Minnesota and Green Bay.

Such a tight race is stressful for fans but is why we love this game.

Players to Watch

Matt Forte: He’s been running well all season and needs to continue to do so.

Tommie Harris: Harris is the anchor of that line and needs to bust out and have a big game. We all know what he’s capable of doing, time to do it.

John St. Clair: He’ll probably be covering rookie defensive end Chris Long most of the day and can’t let the rookie force Kyle Orton to move around, something Orton can’t do very well with a healthy ankle.

Key to the Game

Running game. Whoever has the most rushing yards and establishes the line of scrimmage will win this game.