Week 5: Chicago vs. Buffalo Preview

By Brett | Permalink | No Comments | October 5th, 2006 | Trackback

Two things we keep hearing about leading up to this game: The return of Dick Jauron to Chicago, and that this is a classic trap game for Chicago. Dick Jauron coming back is pretty much a non-story. After all, for the last few years, he’s been on the Lions coaching staff. Not like this is the first time he’s been back to Chicago since his dismal days as the Bears head coach.

The trap game angle, though, is a bit more interesting. Chicago is 3-0 in their division, which is possibly the weakest in the league. They’re coming off a huge win over the Seahawks, and are looking at a very easy schedule over the next month. After Buffalo, they go to the desert to play Arizona, then have the 49ers and Dolphins at home. After that, things get a little tougher with 3 straight road games, before getting easier again in December. Bottom line, though, is that the Bears have a soft schedule and should have no problem winning enough games to get into the post-season. That makes a good but not great non-conference opponent very easy to overlook.

The Bills aren’t the most talented team in the league, but Jauron has them playing hard. JP Losman, who we remain convinced is better suited to be an underwear model than an NFL QB, is actually playing pretty well, and their offense has plenty of weapons in Willis McGahee, Lee Evans, and Roscoe Parrish. Defensively, they’re doing a nice job of getting after the QB and coming up with big plays. They’re a little banged up on the offensive line, and it looks like OG Chris Villarial won’t be able to go this weekend. That’s a big blow to both the Bills’ ground game, and their pass protection, given how well Chicago’s interior defensive line has been rushing the passer the last few weeks.

The Bills will need to play a great game to upset the Bears in Chicago. Follow the bouncing ball to find out how….

Buffalo’s 3 Keys to Victory
1. Run the ball early, and often. If Buffalo is going to have a chance in this game, they’re going to need to control time of possession and win the field position battle. Basically, they need to slow the game down, take the crowd out of the game, and hammer away with Willis McGahee between the tackles for four quarters. This will not only slow down the Bears pass rush, it will also wear down their undersized, if very talented, front seven. Almost as importantly –and we can’t believe we’re writing this– playing a clock-control, field position game will keep Chicago’s high-scoring offense on the sideline. This is the big one for Buffalo. If they can run for 125+, they’ve got a shot.

2. Get pressure on the QB. Buffalo’s pass rush has been impressive so far, and Rex Grossman still hasn’t shown that he can handle steady, consistent pressure for 60 minutes. Even though he’s playing well and making good decisions, we think he can still be forced into making mistakes.

3. Take a few shots downfield. Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish are both legitimate deep threats, and Chicago’s secondary can still be suspect against speedy receivers. The trick here, is getting JP Losman enough time to make the throws. If his offensive line can give him the time, the Bills should be able to hit a big play or two against the Bears’ corners.

Chicago’s 3 Keys to Victory

1. Focus. The Bears are a better, more complete team than Buffalo, and they should win this game. However, if they let the recent love they’ve been getting in the media –being ranked #1 in ESPN’s power rankings, for example– get their heads, they could easily make the same kinds of mental mistakes that they made against Minnesota and allow an inferior team to hang around.

2. Score quickly. The best thing Chicago can do to help themselves out in this one is to get a quick TD. Jumping out to an early lead will give them a huge psychological advantage. If they can build on that lead, it will also open the floodgates for their pass rushers to really come hard after JP Losman and force him into making some bad throws.

3. Work the play action passing game. Grossman to Bernard Berrian off play-action for a TD has become an almost weekly occurence. Buffalo starts two rookies, Ko Simpson and Donte Whitner, at the safety positions. The Bears should be able to take advantage of them in the play-action passing game.

Bottom line, as long as the Bears maintain their mental focus and don’t suffer a letdown in intensity after last Sunday’s win over the Seahawks, they really shouldn’t have much trouble with the Bills. Buffalo is playing well enough right now, though, to come out of Chicago with the upset if the Bears don’t come to play. We think they will, though, so we’re gonna take the Bears, 24-13 in this one.

Home » Game Previews, Da' Bears