Chicago Bears: 6 Reasons the Experts Need to Pay More Attention

Cutler could miss the rest of the regular season.

The Bears need three more wins to reach 10 victories and a legitimate chance at the playoffs.

The NFC wild card race is wide open and several teams are vying for position.

Chicago still has to face Green Bay again this year.

Is it time to write off the Bears? Some experts might think so.

But they're wrong.

No. 6: Chicago Losses Are to Good Teams

Over their last twenty games, the Bears are 14-6. 

Three of those losses came to defending Super Bowl Champs, the Green Bay Packers.

The other three losses were to New Orleans, New England and on the road to a talented Detroit team.

There's no shame in losing to some of the best teams in the league, especially when they're playing well.

Apparently it takes a Super Bowl contender to beat Chicago, and many of them can't do it. 

Because over the same time period, the Bears can count victories over the Packers, Falcons, Eagles (twice), Lions (three times), Cowboys, Jets, and Chargers—teams picked by some to go to the Super Bowl.  

No. 5: Scheduling Favors Bears

Chicago's remaining schedule is:

@Oakland (6-4)
vs. Kansas City (4-5)*
@Denver (5-5)
vs. Seattle (4-6)
@Green Bay (10-0)
@Minnesota (2-8)

* prior to Monday Night Football

Of the six games left, just two are against teams with winning records.

Even if the Bears finish the season 3-3, they'll end up with 10 wins and hold the tiebreakers over most wild card contenders in the NFC.

That should give Chicago the inside track on a playoff spot, even after losing quarterback Jay Cutler for six weeks to a broken thumb.

Don't forget, many of these Bears won 11 games behind the rookie version of Kyle Orton while looking forward to the return of an injured Rex Grossman. (Gave me chills remembering that.)

Caleb Hanie is better than Orton was that year.

And he's not nearly as awful as "Bad" Rex, Todd Collins, or several other wannabes under center for Chicago the past decade.

Even with their backup QB, three wins against that cupcake schedule should be easy. The Bears' defense might outscore three (or four) of those opponents by themselves.

And Cutler should return in time for the playoffs: the games that matter most. 

No. 4: Bears Play Tough Against the Packers and Aaron Rodgers

Any team dreaming of a Super Bowl must beat the Packers. 

Fortunately, Green Bay has struggled with Chicago. No other team in the NFC plays them as tough as often.

Still, over the past two years the Bears are 1-3 against the Packers.

But two of the losses were by just seven points, including last year's NFC Championship Game. And the third was a 27-17 loss in Week Three this season—another close game.

Bet you didn't know: Aaron Rodgers has thrown seven interceptions in his last four games against the Bears. And just five touchdowns. 

Few teams can run with Green Bay for four quarters, much less four games. 

But even Rodgers and the mighty Packers can't walk over the Bears; these rivals know each other too well.

The winner of these games stays healthy, limits mistakes and executes their gameplan on game day.

Sad truth Packer fans won't admit: they fear seeing Chicago in the playoffs. 

The Bears would love to hand their division foes payback for last year.

No. 3: Other Playoff Teams Will Break Down

The Lions (7-3) started hot but have spent the last few weeks watching playoff dreams fade.

They finish the year with a brutal stretch: Green Bay twice, on the road against New Orleans and Oakland, with San Diego and division rival Minnesota visiting Detroit. No easy wins left.

Meanwhile, the top three teams in the NFC East are all within two games of each other, with the Cowboys (6-4), Giants (6-4) and Eagles (4-6) ready to scratch and claw to the finish.

Philadelphia needs to run the table and win six straight. That's a longshot at best, especially with injuries to Vick and Maclin.

The Giants have four games left against teams with six or more wins, including the Cowboys twice.

Dallas has the easiest schedule but their last two games are against Philadelphia and at New York, so it could come down to the final weeks. 

No matter how you look at it, two NFC East teams getting 10 wins is unlikely.

Atlanta (6-4) has a shot at unseating Chicago, but they have to win four of the final six to reach 10 wins. And if they're tied with Chicago, they lose the tiebreaker.

So the Falcons may need 11 victories to finish ahead of the Bears. That requires them to go 5-1 over the last six games. A tough assignment, even for a good team.

In the end, despite missing Cutler, the Bears should have an easier time getting 10 wins than other teams in the playoff chase.

No. 2: Great Special Teams

Behind backup QB Caleb Hanie, special teams play becomes even more important to Chicago. 

Devin Hester's exploits are well-known, as he spends most Sundays breaking his own NFL records.

But Johnny Knox and Corey Graham are unsung heroes, contributing to field position with returns (Knox) and preventing them with excellent coverage (Graham). 

It's this unit that gives the Bears' offense a short field to work with, or pins other teams so deep their defense dictates the action.

And with Chicago likely to employ a run-until-forced-to-throw offense for the next six weeks, field position will be a deciding factor.

Thankfully, this unit is among the NFL's best.

No. 1: Great Defense

It's Chicago. Most of the Bears' quarterback records are still held by Sid Luckman.

This franchise sent a team to the Super Bowl behind Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman. Losing Cutler for six games while running behind Matt Forte isn't that scary.

Because the name of the game for the Bears and Lovie Smith has nothing to do with offense, it always comes back to defense.

Teams struggle to move the ball consistently against Chicago, much less put big numbers on the scoreboard.

There are no free points. Players that give up big plays are shipped out or benched. 

Yes, the Bears were blown out by New England in a blizzard at Gillette Stadium last season. But in two years, it's the only time the Bears have lost by more than 17 points.

Three times the Packers beat Chicago, but never by more than 10 points (even with Caleb Hanie at QB).

The Saints are the only other team to beat the Bears by 17, and that was a 10-point game until the fourth quarter.

Fact is, unless they're facing Tom Brady in a snow storm, the Bears aren't getting steamrolled by anyone. That gives them a chance to win every game.

It's all due to the defense, which boasts two Hall of Famers in Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher along with Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman, who've been Pro Bowl-caliber the last five years.

Nobody beats the Chicago Bears without besting those guys.

And they don't lose much. 

It's time the experts noticed.