Bears vs. Buccaneers: 11 Chicago Players Who Must Step Up Most

The Chicago Bears will throw down with the 4-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London Sunday night.

While the Bears have yet to win a road game in 2011 and the Bucs are 3-1 at home, this game will likely amount to a home game for the Bears, who are among the most popular NFL teams in the UK.

Though they have been outscored 113-145, Tampa Bay currently sits atop the NFC South after handing the Saints their second loss in their Week 6 contest.

The wide disparity in points scored versus points given up is misleading. Other than the Bucs' Week 5 game against the 49ers—a 48-3 loss—Tampa Bay's games have all been decided by seven points or less.

The Bucs head to London ranked ahead of the Bears in rushing, passing and run-defense, while Chicago edges out Tampa Bay in pass-defense rankings.

This likely won't be a walk in the park for Chicago, as they try to move above .500 for the first time this year before they enter their Week 8 bye. The Bucs are stronger than they look on paper, so the Bears will need several players to step up their game to help seal a victory in front of their British fans.

Jay Cutler

This one's a no-brainer, right?

Cutler has been playing very well over the past few weeks, and that has to continue against the Bucs.

The Bears' offense starts and ends with Cutler. He has to make good decisions, and he has to be patient and trust his line and his coordinator. While they may not have done much lately to earn that trust, the offense cannot function without it—it's that simple.

Against the Vikings and their dominant pass-rush, Cutler did just that, and the Bears had no problems making their offense click.  

Cutler has matured in front of our eyes this season, and the Bears' success will depend on his continued growth.

Major Wright and Chris Conte

Wright seems to have settled down after moving from free safety to strong safety last week, and Conte did fairly well in his first start for the Bears.

Both had encouraging games against the Vikings' offense—but the Bucs aren't the Vikings.  

Josh Freeman is better than any quarterback on the Vikings roster, and Mike Williams and the Tampa Bay receiving corps are superior to the Vikings' targets, especially in depth at the position.

LeGarrette Blount is no Adrian Peterson, but with a better passing game to take the pressure off him, he's in a better position to succeed than Peterson was last week, banged up or not.

The Bears will need this tandem to do exactly what they did last week: minimize mistakes and prevent big plays.

If they can do that, the Bears stand a good chance of coming out on top.

Devin Hester and Johnny Knox

Both of the Bears' speedy receivers turned in decent games last week. In fact, Hester actually had a very good game.

But Cutler needs these players to show up consistently to help him out. The Bears cannot survive against good teams if they have to rely on their fifth wideout down the depth chart to make all the plays.

Hester and Knox have to stretch the field and create separation. They have to be more physical or find a way to counter the physicality of the corners they face.

Last week was a good stating point. The Bears need for that to continue.

J'Marcus Webb and Lance Louis

Mike Martz did as he promised last week and helped out his offensive line—and that has to happen again this week.

But it can't all rest on Martz's shoulders.  

At some point the offensive linemen—and the offensive tackles in particular—will have to step up and allow this offense to open up. Eventually teams will figure out how to beat a Bears offense that is sending just two receivers downfield.

Lance Louis performed well last week in his first start at right tackle, and Webb had a decent game as well.  

But they have to be better—Webb especially.

The Bucs aren't exactly tearing up the league with their pass-rush. They've registered just 10 sacks so far this season, so the line will have a little easier opponent to deal with this week as opposed to the mauling pass-rushers they dealt with last week against Minnesota.  

There is no Jared Allen here, but there is an Adrian Clayborn, and the young stud has already registered two sacks from the right defensive end position—and the rookie first-round pick is only getting better. He's fast and athletic, and he could be a handful for Webb.

The Bears need to continue keeping Jay Cutler upright and able to perform his magic. That will start with Webb and Louis.

Henry Melton and Israel Idonije

The foundation of Lovie's defense is the defensive line.  

It's really that simple, folks.

And it is unfair and unrealistic to expect Julius Peppers to carry the line every week the way he did against the Vikings.

The Bears need pressure from their 3-tech and the defensive end opposite Peppers; somebody has to take the pressure off Julius.

Compounding the problem is the fact that the Bucs have protected Freeman well. Freeman is currently third in the league in sack percentage, taking just eight sacks so far this season.

If Chicago gives Freeman time to pick them apart, the young QB will do just that. Idonije and Melton must create pressure against the Buccaneers, or it's going to be a long game.

Which leads us to...

Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs

The Bears' roster boasts two of the best linebackers in the game, but thus far, they have been mediocre in coverage.

Tight ends have gashed the Bears this year, and even fantasy models have the Bears as the most favorable matchup for tight ends this season.

Chicago has allowed 38 receptions for 434 yards and four touchdowns to tight ends this season. And while safety play is a part of this as well, linebacker play has been equally ugly against these tight ends. 

In fact, three of those touchdowns were given up by Urlacher and Briggs.

The Bucs are in possession of a very good tight end in Kellen Winslow, Jr. The dynamic duo must step up against the Bucs and take Winslow out of the game.

And now it's your turn, ladies and gentlemen. Step up to the soapbox below and let your opinion be heard.