The Bears took down the Super Bowl champs, now look to defeat the runners-up

I propose that you may recall the last time the Bears faced the Cardinals. Think about it ...

Think about it ...

Did you get it?

October 16, 2006. Monday night game. Bears trailed 20-0 at halftime, many people changed the channel or went to sleep. But the Bears engaged their fans in the second half, roaring back for a 24-23 victory, taking them to 6-0 on the season. It was the "They are who we THOUGHT they were!" Game, one of the more exciting Bears games that I can recall.

But as schizophrenic as Arizona was in that game, they've been just as unpredictable this season. They lost to a Niners team that doesn't appear to be all that great. They beat a solid Texans squad and also the Giants in prime time. Then they got pasted by a bad Panthers team. So, to boil it down: It's hard to tell if they are who we think they are, because we don't really know who they are.

And really, you can take this schizophrenia theme back to last year. I mean, how was it that they made it to the Super Bowl again? They went 9-7, and that "7" included a loss to the Redskins, a game in which they allowed B-B-B-Bretty and the Jets to put up 56 points, and a stretch near the end of the season in which they lost four out of five.

Here's another wacky Cardinals stat, and not a good one: they're 1-2 at home and 3-0 on the road this year. But the Bears counter with a 3-0 record at home, so here's hoping they'll be the ones taking a knee as the clock winds down.

KEYS TO THE GAME

A good start. This is a problem the Bears haven't yet fixed. I used this same "key" for the Falcons game, and it was a 0-0 game after one quarter in that one. Which isn't all that terrible, but not exactly Call Your Friends to Make Sure They're Watching the Game type stuff. They trailed 14-0 after one period against the Bengals, and could only manage a 6-0 lead against the Browns. It'd be nice to be feeling GOOD after 15 minutes of a Bears game.

Protection. This is a DUH key to the game, because protecting the quarterback is always important. But after allowing four sacks to the Browns (and at least one in every game this year), it seems to be getting worse. The line needs to step it up and build a pocket (a ring, if you will) around Cutler.

Anquan Boldin. Will he play? He racked up 136 receiving yards in that 2006 game, but his right ankle might keep him out.

Where'd he come from?

QB Kurt Warner, Northern Iowa
RB Beanie Wells, Ohio State
WR Steve Breaston, Michigan
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
LB Will Davis, Illinois
K Neil Rackers, Illinois

***The theme of this week's preview was: Wedding Proposal. This is in honor of Trevor Sierra and Becky Krause, who got engaged Thursday evening. Congratulations to the happy couple!