Chicago Bears MVP Watch: Top 4 Players on the Team

Bears head coach Lovie Smith likes to break the season down in quarters and the first quarter of the 2011 Bears schedule has the Bears sitting at .500 after the most grueling September schedule any team in the league had to face this year.

Coming out of the first four games with a 2-2 record, the Bears are already in a two-game hole behind the perfect Packers and Lions.

But it could be worse.  The Bears managed to topple the Falcons and the upstart Panthers and made some progress along the way in figuring out what they must do to win games.

As the first quarter of the season winds away in the rear-view, it's time to take a look at the players who had the most to do with the Bears successes so far.

These are the four players that would be in the hunt for the team MVP award were the season to end today, and make no mistake about it, they are all deserving.

Before we profile the MVP front-runners, let's take a second to give a shout-out to injured safety Chris Harris.  Why?  Because it was a struggle to keep him off the list. 

How does a player who only saw the season opener from the field get consideration?  

Well, if the play of the safeties in his absence, and the secondary as a whole, is any indication of how important Harris is to the team, then Chris is indispensable.  

Chris wanted a new contract before the season started, and he couldn't make a better statement about his value than to let the Bears watch his backups try to fill his shoes or to watch what the secondary as a whole looks like without his leadership.

And now on to the MVP front-runners.

Julius Peppers

What does Peppers mean to the Bears defensive line, and to the defense overall?

He creates opportunities for his fellow linemen, which means more pressure on the quarterback and less time the secondary is required to cover their assignments.

But he produces, as well: Two sacks, two quarterback hits, five quarterback pressures, a batted pass, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, eight tackles and a blocked field goal.

Peppers is a catalyst for this defense.

Lance Briggs

Briggs wants a new contract.  And when the season started, he got busy in his attempt to prove he deserves it.

Considered one of the best 4-3 outside linebackers in the game, Briggs is currently leading the team in tackles with 36.  He's also recorded a forced fumble and a quarterback pressure.

His coverage ability is often overlooked, and the Bears six-time consecutive Pro Bowler has allowed just 6.6 yards per reception when his assignment is targeted and has made some key stops.  

In fact, Briggs is currently third in the league among linebackers in defensive stops, according to Pro Football Focus.  A stop is a solo defensive tackle made that constitutes an offensive failure, to include sacks, by PFF's definition.

Considering the quality of opponents the Bears have faced, Briggs's accomplishments are impressive, indeed.

Brian Urlacher

The face of the franchise is still The Prototype, Brian Urlacher.  And for good reason.  Good things happen for the Bears when Urlacher is near the ball.

This year, he has already amassed 28 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown and 2 passes deflected while allowing only a 39.6 quarterback rating to his assignments and only 7.8 yards per reception.

Impressive figures to say the least.  But that's what we have come to expect from Urlacher.

Matt Forte

Arguably the top candidate for the MVP so far is Matt Forte, otherwise known as the Bears' entire offense.

Here are just some quick facts:

The total team offensive yardage for the Bears sits at 1,261.  Forte has provided more than half of that yardage himself (634 yards)

Forte ranks third in the league in receptions, second in the league in yards from scrimmage, seventh in rushing yards, sixth in rushing yards per attempt, 10th in rushing yards per game and 19th in receiving yards.

In the Bears' two wins, Forte has had 41 rushing attempts for 273 yards and a touchdown.  In their two losses, Forte has 19 rushing attempts for 51 yards.

In four games, Forte has only failed to reach 150 total yards once, against Green Bay, when he "only" contributed 82 yards total on 16 total touches. 

Extrapolating Forte's stats, he would end the season with 240 rushes for 1296, four touchdowns and 5.4 yards per carry and 104 receptions for 1240 yards, four touchdowns and 11.9 yards per reception.  

That's a combined total of 344 touches for 2536 yards, eight touchdowns and 7.4 yards per touch all with no fumbles.  Those are Marshall Faulk numbers, ladies and gentlemen.  

That would be more total yardage than Faulk ever reached.  In fact, it would surpass Faulk at No. 2 on the single-season record list for yards from scrimmage, and overtake No. 1 Chris Johnson, as well.  

Forte is on pace to break that record, as well as the records for receptions and receiving yards by a running back.

And he's done all of this while facing three of last year's top 10 defenses, and the four teams he and the Bears have faced rank first, fifth, 16th and 17th this season.

For that, Forte deserves the first-quarter MVP honor, and is in the driver'/s seat for Chicago's 2011 MVP award.