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NFL Chicago Bears

Matt Forte Is Key To Chicago Bears’ Win Over Dallas Cowboys

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Matt Forte Chicago Bears

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The Chicago Bears face the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in what is certainly going to be an uphill battle for Chicago. The game is at Soldier Field which is a positive for the Bears, but Vegas still has them as a 3.5-point underdog and the experts are all circling the Cowboys on their weekly picks.

The Chicago defense has proven that it has no ability to stop a good offense as we have seen good offenses humiliate them on national television multiple times this season. The Cowboys possess a top 10 offense and will try and continue that streak on Thursday night.

The best defense for the Bears is going to be a good offense, and that means Matt Forte needs to shine. The Cowboys’ defense has improved from last year, but it’s still in the bottom half of the league in most defensive categories. The Bears are going to need to control the clock, put points on the board and keep their defense off the field if they have any chance of staying competitive in this game and winning.

Based on history, it’s too much to hope that the Bears’ defense can contain DeMarco Murray, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and the rest of the Cowboys’ offensive attack. Therefore the Bears’ offense is going to have to play well, specifically Forte.

The Bears are going to have to establish the run which is something they foolishly abandoned against the Detroit Lions, running the ball a paltry seven times in the game. Forte needs to see the ball regularly throughout the game; even if the running game can’t get established early, it’s critical not to abandon it like they did against Detroit. Forte needs to see at least 20 carries in the game.

Running the ball with Forte isn’t going to be enough. Jay Cutler’s deep ball has not been good of late for whatever the reason. The Bears are going to have to excel in the short passing game, which again means more Forte. Not only are the Bears going to have to utilize him, but Forte is going to have to make the most out of those opportunities, breaking one or two short passes into 30-40 yard gains.

Winning this game is going to be extremely difficult for Chicago. In order to come out on top, they are going to need to get Forte 30 touches in this game and hope that he can push 200 all-purpose yards against Dallas. If Forte plays like that, it means the Bears are controlling the clock and keeping Romo and company off the field. If Forte struggles and the Bears are punting the ball back to Dallas on a regular basis, you can expect Chicago to be on the wrong end of another blowout.

Bill Zimmerman is a Chicago Bears writer for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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