Chicago Bears
After a traumatizing overtime lost to the Buffalo Bills (23-20), the Bears are focusing on a much bigger game this week. This week Bears’ QB Jay Cutler and his team will face a dominate San Francisco team that dismantled the high flying offense of the Dallas Cowboys last week. In last week’s contest with the Bills, Cutler threw two costly picks that could have put points on the board for the Bears. Culter just needs to settle down and make good reads while being pressured. You cannot turn the ball over that many times and expect to win.
“The guys know, we’re not idiots,” Culter said during his weekly appearance on ESPN 1000. “We all take accountability. Whenever we did mess up, we seemed to mess up pretty big. That last interception was a tough one. I’ve got to throw the ball away or run.”
The Bears had turned the ball over three times and could not stop the Bills’ offense with getting them off the field on third down situations. Despite having 427 offensive total yards the Bears had way too many turnovers that let the Bills back in the game and set up for a devastating upset. In this week’s match up against the 49ers, Cutler has to control the tempo of the game. He cannot and I repeat turn the ball over. The 49ers love bringing pressure up the middle or using their safeties to blitz, which would leave a lot of one on one match-ups. Wide Receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery needs to have a big game in order for the Bears to pull out a victory.
On the defensive side of things the Bears need to contain 49ers’ Quarterback Colin Kaepernick. They need to put a quarterback spy on him every down. Kaepernick loves to extend the play with using his legs. He has made plays happen with the use of his legs. The Bears need to communicate more on the defensive side. Against the Bills the Bears had so many mistakes that lead to big plays down the field. You cannot bite on pump fakes and that was one of the reasons why the Bills were so successful in their win. They just need to trust themselves and watch the player’s hip before making a decision.
Keys to victory
Bears- Keep Kapernick contained. You need a QB spy on him at all times. Do not over pursue, because this when Kaepernick create big plays. Play up and be physical with the receivers.
49ers- Create pressure on Cutler; make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket. When he feels pressured, majority of the time he is careless with the ball and attempts to throw in tight spaces. There will be a lot of one on one matches down the field, you cannot let Marshall beat you down the field, be physical with him and knock him off his routes.
