Bears vs. Chargers: Game Time and Analysis

It took four straight victories and a blowout against Detroit last Sunday, but the Bears are finally getting what Aretha Franklin has been talking about all these years: RESPECT!

And it’s coming from all sources. Media outlets are bumping the Bears up in their power rankings, columnists are projecting a long playoff run in January, and ESPN Insider’s playoff predictor currently has the Bears as the first wildcard in the NFC.

The Bears’ 6-3 record is made more impressive by the teams they’ve played. Five of the Bears’ first nine games have come against teams with winning records. Of the Bears’ remaining seven games, only two have winning records as of Week 10. “Any Given Sunday” still runs true in the NFL, but facing the likes of Kansas City, Seattle and Minnesota should be an easier task than going through Green Bay, New Orleans and Atlanta again.

One Robbie Gould missed field goal was about the only thing to go wrong for the Bears against Detroit. And even he atoned for it by nailing his other three attempts, including a 50-yarder. No, there was not much that went wrong on either side of the ball.

The defense forced six turnovers, recorded two sacks, scored two touchdowns and absolutely overwhelmed the Lions offense.  The Bears shut down the Detroit running game, limiting the Lions to 80 yards rushing and the defensive backs had their best effort of the year. Four different players had interceptions for a secondary that is starting to play with much more confidence.

While the offense didn’t have to do much – seeing as the defense and special teams outscored Detroit by themselves – Jay Cutler and the Bears did enough. For Earl Bennett, it’s “gotta be the shoes.” Sporting his orange cleats for a second straight game, Bennett had a career-high six receptions and totaled 81 yards. More impressively, he was only targeted six times by Cutler, who keeps enjoying his favorite receiver’s return to the lineup. Considering Carson Palmer and Michael Bush had a fair amount of success against the Charger defense last week, Cutler and Forte should be able to put up solid numbers.

The Chargers, meanwhile, are headed in the opposite direction. Muddled in the mediocrity that is the AFC West, San Diego has lost four in a row after starting off 4-1. It’s the Chargers’ longest losing streak in almost a decade.

The Chargers’ problems start with their quarterback, Philip Rivers. He’s thrown 13 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions, and leads the league in turnovers. Although the Chargers don’t have gaudy rushing stats, they use Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert a lot like the Bears do with Forte in the short passing game. The two running backs have combined for 70 receptions and Tolbert is second on the team with 53 targets.

Antonio Gates is a matchup problem for any team, and tight ends have fared well against the Bears. Even with the four-game losing streak, the Chargers are coming off a bye week and the four losses have all come by seven points of less.

These next four games against the AFC West give the Bears a chance to put a tight grip on an NFC playoff berth. That’s exactly what the Bears did at this time last season and something that Matthew Stafford and the Lions have been unable to hold on to.  

Game time

The game is set to air at 3:15 p.m. Central Time and 1:15 p.m. Pacific Time.

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