2012 Chicago Bears Preview

2012 Chicago Bears

2011 was the year that could have been for the Chicago Bears. After Week 11, they were 7-3 and riding a five game winning streak, but Chicago lost its two best offensive players in quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte to injury, and their season spiraled into an abyss. The Bears dropped five of their last six games and missed the playoffs with an 8-8 record. This year, however, Chicago is back and better than ever, having completely reloaded the offense and maintaining its sharp defense and special teams. Cutler and Forte are both healthy, and just in case they get hurt, the Bears have brought in quality backups for each of them, with Jason Campbell and Michael Bush. They made a huge trade when they acquired Brandon Marshall, not only finally giving Jay Cutler a true number one receiver, but bringing in the receiver that Cutler loved so much in his days with Denver. All of a sudden, this team is bursting with upside, and could even challenge Green Bay for the NFC North crown. The 2012 season could bring great things to the Windy City and its fans, who haven’t celebrated a championship football team since that famous 1985 team almost 20 years ago. How far can this Bears team go this year?

Offense

This is potentially the best offense in the history of the Bears franchise, which is weird to think about when you consider how long they have been around. Jay Cutler is entering his prime and seems ready to deliver the breakout season that people have been calling for. With Mike Martz gone, Cutler will probably not be a punching bag in the pocket anymore, and he should be more comfortable standing tall. Matt Forte was having a tremendous season last year before he went down, and even though he doesn’t score many touchdowns, he should rack up top five yards from scrimmage, and hopefully touchdowns will follow. Chicago also brought in Michael Bush, who is a big back, to handle short yardage situations anyway, and give Forte a rest. This is the third running back duo with a true shot at breaking 1,000 rushing yards each this season. I don’t think Bush will have the touches for that, but the fact is that these two backs will be a handful to contain. Now we head to the receivers, which is finally a complete group. They have four guys who can make an impact, including Alshon Jeffrey, the rookie out of South Carolina, who is very tall and can get up high to catch jump balls. Devin Hester’s dangerous speed is well-documented, and he must be taken into account every time he steps onto the field. Earl Bennett isn’t a stud, but he has a great rapport with Cutler going back to their days at Vanderbilt, so you can’t leave him alone. Finally, we go to the alpha dog, Brandon Marshall, who I’m expecting a huge season from. He is reunited with Cutler, who he tore up defenses with back with the Broncos, catching 100 balls in consecutive years for over 1,200 yards. I’m expecting more of the same this year, only with more touchdowns. Brandon Marshall: top five wide out this year. Look out for this sneaky good offense.

Defense

This defense might not be as devastating as it was a few years ago, but, like the Baltimore defense, they are still an unfriendly bunch who know how to execute. Chicago needs to develop more of a pass rush this year, but someone who has no problem doing that is Julius Peppers, who has to be one of the five scariest defensive players in the league. The linebackers are always solid, especially when Lance Briggs plays well. It has been an ongoing story this year that Brian Urlacher’s knee is not the same, but he says he will play Week 1, and if he can stay healthy and be out there, then this is a top five defense. If he has to sit out for any period of time, this defense might get exposed a little bit. But we’ll worry about that when the time comes. The secondary is solid, headed by Charles Tillman. Major Wright is a talented young safety that can make plays as well. Expect this defensive unit to be solid as usual.

Schedule

The NFC North gets a very favorable schedule this year: match-ups against the AFC South and the NFC West. Of course, Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit will all be fighting for playoff spots, and since they have two games against each other, the schedule immediately gets harder. However, the Bears were 7-3 and on pace for a playoff spot last year, and I think they are even better this year, so let’s see how they’ll do.

Week 1: W vs IND

Week 2: L at GB (thurs. night, could pull a quick upset)

Week 3: W vs STL

Week 4: W at DAL
Week 5: W at JAC

Week 6: Bye

Week 7: W vs DET

Week 8: W vs CAR

Week 9: L at TEN

Week 10: W vs HOU

Week 11: L at SF

Week 12: W vs MIN

Week 13: W vs SEA

Week 14: W at MIN

Week 15: W vs GB

Week 16: L at ARI

Week 17: W at DET

The 2012 Chicago Bears will roll through the first part of the schedule with minimal damage, and play pretty well in the second half as well. They close with three out of their last four games on the road, but I only think they will lose one of those games. I see Chicago going 12-4 this season, a bold prediction for sure (not the bold prediction, though), but if they play big like I think they can, it isn’t impossible. They play a rough couple of games with HOU and at SF back to back but they win one of those games. The biggest games, naturally are against Green Bay and Detroit, which I think they will go 3-1 in. I don’t like Detroit that much this year. That last game, Bears at Lions has extreme playoff implications, and I think Chicago finds a way to win. Big year coming for the Chicago Bears. After my bold prediction, I will talk about those Detroit Lions, and whether they can maintain their success from last year.

Bold Prediction: Brandon Marshall has 107 receptions, 1,412 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He will be a top five receiver and have more catches and yards than Calvin Johnson.