Let’s be honest here; the Chicago Bears are a better football team than the Kansas City Chiefs. Even without quarterback Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie is better than the Chiefs signal caller Tyler Palko. Even if Kyle Orton takes over under center, he’s certainly better than Palko but you’ll not convince me he’s a guy that will light things up at Soldier Field. On top of the fact he’s rusty and new to the system, asking Orton to carry your football team will be a recipe for disaster.
The Chiefs defense is a little better than the 24.1 ppg they’re giving up this season. With the offensive woes this team has dealt with over the past few weeks plus the -5 turnover total, the Chiefs put a ton of pressure on this unit. They don’t give up a ton of yards, but they’ve been regularly put in advantageous situations. If there’s any shot for the Chiefs to win, they’ve got to play a strong defensive game. Even with the three turnovers last week against the Oakland Raiders, the Bears are fourth in the NFL with a +9 in the turnover battle. As far as I’m concerned, this number will improve after this game.
Hanie had a horrible first half last week, but recovered and improved in the second half against a solid Raiders defense. Being at home with a week under his belt should help his confidence against an inferior team. I think Hanie will build upon his improved second-half performance. Plus I’m sure head coach Lovie Smith stressed to offensive coordinator Mike Martz that the inside/outside running attack of Marion Barber and Matt Forte better be a bit more in the game plan. Last week wasn’t the end of the world, but if the Bears didn’t run that horrifically horrible throw back screen to Kellen Davis and settle going into the half with a Robbie Gould chip-shot field goal to lead 10-9, perhaps we’d be having a different conversation. But that’s in the past and it’s time to take out the team’s frustrations on the Chiefs.
This Bears squad has proven to be a resilient bunch. Smith has been a great coach this season and the veterans on defense like Julius Peppers are playing at a high level. I think many Bears fans need to come off the ledge and relax. However, if the Bears do somehow lose tomorrow, I’ll be joining them outside the window.
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