Ravens vs. Bears Game Preview

2009 Rankings 

Total Offense – 24^th (304.9 ypg) Total Defense – T15^th (329.7)

Rush Offense – 32^nd (85.8) Rush Defense – 24^th (127.9)

Pass Offense – 16^th (219.2) Pass Defense – 8^th (201.8)

Points Per Game – 22^nd (19.0) Points Per Game – 21^st (22.4)

Sizing Them Up

The Bears (5-8), led by coach Lovie Smith, made perhaps the biggest offseason splash with the acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler in a blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos. Thus far, the Cutler era of Bears football has not worked out as well as they had hoped.

Still, the Bear have lots of talent on both sides of the football. Cutler is still one of the elite signal-callers around the league. His strong arm and gutty resilience offer stability under center.

Cutler’s top three targets on the edges make up what might be the fastest receiving trios in Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox. Hester, who leads the team with 54 receptions for 682 yards, has the ability to break off for a score at any time.

Cutler goes to tight end Greg Olsen and running back Matt Forte often, as well. Both players own 51 catches, and Olsen’s six touchdowns pace the Bears. Forte, 6-foot-2, 218-pounds, is a force on the ground that is tough to take down. He has 685 rushing yards and four scores on 201 carries.

Defensively, Chicago is missing five-time Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher to a season-ending hand injury, which allowed Lance Briggs to pick up the slack. He is tops with 113 tackles. The two defensive line standouts – tackle Tommie Harris and end Adewale Ogunleye – are solid rushing the passer.

In the secondary, cornerback Charles Tillman has taken command of the unit with two interceptions and an NFL-leading six forced fumbles. Tillman is also tied with safety Al Afalava with six pass breakups.

What’s Up? 

The Chicago Tribune’s Dan Pompei covers the Bears’ expectations for lightly-used defensive end Gaines Adams, a former first-round draft pick.

“The Bears did not expect much this year. His lack of production hasn't discouraged them and they believe he still could be a starter or third end next season.”

Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com writes that the Bears are getting antsy with their disappointing season.

“Briggs knows that personnel changes are inevitable every season, even more so with teams that are relegated to playing for pride before the calendar turns to December.”

The Bears miss former defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Potash.

“After Devin Hester caused a stir Wednesday by intimating that coaching changes were in order after the team's third consecutive playoff-less season, linebacker Lance Briggs acknowledged the Bears miss fired defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, running back Thomas Jones, safety Mike Brown and other key players whose departures have contributed to an overall downgrade since the 2006 Super Bowl season."

Awards

Offensive – Cutler has done his best after being thrust into the mix with all new targets late in the offseason. Even though he has a league-leading 22 interceptions, Cutler has also put up solid numbers. He has completed 284 of 457 passes for a franchise-best 62.1 percentage, 3,023 yards and 19 touchdowns. Cutler has also reached 3,000 yards in only 13 games, another Bears record.

Defensive – Briggs is having a career season, posting a personal-best 113 tackles and three sacks. It was thought that Briggs was going to be cast off this offseason, but he has stepped up for this defense. Even though Briggs has been outspoken about personnel moves lately, but he is respected in the locker room.

Emerging Star

WR Johnny Knox 

Knox burst onto the scene this year as a fifth-round draft pick. He has 41 receptions (fourth in the league among rookies) and 498 yards (eighth). Last Sunday, he hauled in a career-high five balls for 83 yards and a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers. A speedster, Knox is also a threat in the return game, as he’s third in the league by averaging 28.8 yards per kickoff return.

Key Matchups

Ravens LB Jarret Johnson vs. Bears TE Greg Olsen

Olsen is one of Cutler’s favorite targets, as the third-year player boasts 51 grabs for 463 yards and six touchdowns. In many situations, Johnson will be the one dropping in coverage with him. Johnson, a former defensive tackle, has shown good range this year and must run with Olsen.

Ravens C Matt Birk vs. Bears DT Tommie Harris

These two players have met multiple times, as Birk was previously with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. With heavy snows expected, a grind-it-out game would put a burden on Birk and the interior of the offensive line to move the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Harris.

Quotable

Smith on how much of a concern QB Jay Cutler’s interceptions have been: “They’re a concern. There’s no way around it. You know, whenever you turn [over] the football – not just Jay, I’m just talking about in general, us turning the ball over – you can’t turn the football over and win games. The turnover ratio is the best indicator [of] what’s happening with your football team, and we haven’t done well in that area this year.”

Cutler on what he can attribute to the decline in his team’s success after getting off to a good start this season: “I don’t know. [At the] end of the season, I’ll have to go back and look at all the games, and really study it, and see what kind of the demise was. We started off 3-1, and felt pretty good, then we went on a tough stretch and gave some games away and got beat soundly a couple of times. I can only speak offensively. Offensively, we’re just not executing. We’re turning the ball over a lot. We’ve got a lot of penalties. So, it’s not that defenses are doing anything to really dictate it, we’re just kind of hurting ourselves a lot."

Duff’s Take

I’m sure by now, Ravens fans have heard that Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night, which basically gave the Ravens control of their own playoff destiny.

Win out, and a 10-6 record offers a solid chance for a Wild Card bid. There is a small chance that the New England Patriots could drop all three of their final games, which would give the Miami Dolphins the AFC East title and the Patriots a Wild Card, but that is unlikely.

Now, the Ravens have a one-game playoff with a Bears team that is still one deserving respect. They do have playmakers on both sides of the ball. Forte set a Chicago rookie rushing record with 1,238 yards last year, and Cutler has the arm and weapons to pick apart a secondary.

In a game that is expected to be snow-ridden and messy, the Ravens would do well to stick to the game plan they had last week against the Lions. That is, pound the ball against a run defense that has been gashed all year.

The Ravens nearly set a franchise record last Sunday with 308 total rushing yards. The three-headed monster reared its fearsome head, even though it may have been because the Ravens had such a big lead. Still, don’t let it slip back into hiding.