Week 7: Midweek Report

As the Bears headed to London to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they knew the game was going to hold high importance for the remainder of their season. With a win over the Bucs, the Bears would sit at 4-3 and would still be in contention for a wild card sport and a loss would be just another setback for the Bears on their road to the playoffs. With the Bears early schedule heavily favoring play against the NFC, it is important for the Bears to win as many as possible so later in the year they won’t be counting on other teams to take care of their business. Spirits looked high as the Bears practiced today in London and Jay Cutler, Brain Urlacher and Lance Briggs were even seen playing a little cricket before practice started. The Bears seem to be fairly healthy heading into the game, with the Gabe Carimi and Matt Toeaina the only players officially ruled out for Sundays Game. On the offensive side of the ball, both Devin Hester and Earl Bennett practiced with Hester expecting to play and Bennett being a game time decision. Even though Dane Sanzenbacher has excelled with the absence of Bennett, I'm sure Cutler would not mind having him back. It seems that Cutler has the most chemistry with Bennett out of all the receivers and seems to trust him most in critical moments of the game. The return of Bennett would be huge for the Bears because it would give them only another weapon to throw at the Bucs. The offensive line will stay the same for the second week in a row. This is a good sign because it allows the line to jell and get used to playing together which can only be a good thing for Jay Cutler and Matt Forte. On the defensive side of the ball, Major Wright was listed as probable due to a hip injury which could open the door for Chris Harris to return back into the starting lineup. Just a week ago Harris was bench in favor of Chris Conte and Wright. Harris' return to the starting lineup could offer a big boast to the secondary and could really solidify the defense as a whole. Look for the Bears to come out very aggressive on defense and try to shut down Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman and make the team rely on a running game that will be missing starter LeGarrette Blount. On the offensive side of the ball look for the Bears to build of what they did last week against the Vikings. They will continue to pound the ball on the ground and on passing plays utilize the tight ends to help the offensive line. Also look for the Bears to try and utilize the play action plays to help slow down the Bucs pass rush and open things up down field. I’m predicting a close game so look for the Bears special teams, Devin Hester in particular, to have an impact on the game. Look for a 27-17 Bears victory and until next time, Bear Down Chicago!