Bears Get Ready for Jags

Chicago looks to improve to 7-6 hosting Jacksonville

For the sixth time this season, it’s back to the drawing board for the Chicago Bears. With the next three games being played in Chicago, the Bears hope to take advantage of this home field advantage; especially with their next opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, being a warm-weather team. The Jaguars (4-8) will be hoping to play spoiler to the Bears’ (6-6) chance of being NFC North champions, which will give them a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.

After a sub-par performance against the Minnesota Vikings, Kyle Orton will be looking to rebound while going up against Jacksonville’s 13 th ranked pass defense. The Jags will be without veteran cornerback Rashean Mathis due to a season-ending knee injury. Also, rookie Matt Forte will continue with his bid for NFL Rookie of the Year by trying to add to his 1,012 rushing yards against the Jaguars’ 20 th ranked run defense. The NFL’s fifth leading rusher should be of some help being a receiver out of the backfield for Orton and the rest of Chicago’s struggling receiving corps.

Jacksonville’s running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor will hope to run wild against Chicago’s sometimes porous run defense. In two of the last three games, the Bears’ defense has given up huge amounts of yards on the ground against the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. This will be a good test for the Brian Urlacher and the rest of the defense, since they are going against on of the NFL’s best backfield duos in Jones-Drew and Taylor. Both of Jacksonville’s backs have combined for 1,082 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns; eleven of them coming from Jones-Drew. If the Bears hope to do this, they will have to do it without third-year defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, who is out for the season with a torn bicep. And though the secondary is without Nathan Vasher for the rest of the season, they shouldn’t have much to worry about with the Jags’ passing game. Jacksonville’s receivers aren’t putting up big numbers this season, and quarterback David Garrard is nowhere near the level he was playing at last season.

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But despite all of what has just been said, the Chicago Bears are still between a rock in a hard place. Currently in second place in the too-close-to-call NFC North, the Bears will feel the pressure to win for the remainder of the regular season, regardless of how their opponent has faired this season. A lot of attention has been put on the possible suspensions of Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams. Most experts say that without the Williams Wall, Minnesota will fall in the division, and the Bears will prevail as division champions. Well, whether the Williams Wall will stand or crumble, the Bears will need to reinforce their foundation for the last four games, or they just might be in the same place as the Williams Wall if they are suspended—sitting at home in the postseason.

By Clyde A. Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent