A prime time for some payback

3-1 vs. 3-1. The Bears have 105 points on the year, the Falcons 102. Both teams are 2-0 at home and 1-1 on the road. Michael Turner is averaging 3.8 yards per carry, Matt Forte 3.7. Do you think it's fair to say that Sunday's Bears-Falcons match-up will be a battle of evenly matched teams?

And because they're so evenly matched, the game gives the Bears a chance to show a prime time audience what they're truly made of. As a Bears fan, 3-1 sounds and feels great. But there's no question there are still some question marks surrounding this team. Two of their wins could have been losses were it not for inaccurate field goal attempts. And just as I still have reservations about the Vikings due to the fact that they've beaten the Lions, Browns and Rams for three of their five victories, the Bears' most recent victory over the Lions isn't exactly proof positive that they're on a direct path to the Super Bowl.

But with road games against the Falcons and the surprising Bengals on tap, we'll know a lot more about the Bears nine days from now. Lovie Smith has had nearly two weeks to prepare for this revenge game, and he should be able to add Pisa Tinoisamoa back into the mix--Hunter Hillenmeyer and Adrian Peterson are still doubtful.

Keys to the Game

Roddy White. The 5th year receiver didn't do much in the first three games, but his 210-yard explosion last week has him ranked 8th in the league with 82 receiving yards per game. Plus, he burned the Bears for 112 yards in last year's last-second stunner. It could be a long day for the Bears secondary if they allow White and Matt Ryan to get into a groove.

The middle of the field. Atlanta has allowed just three receiving touchdowns on the year, the Bears just four. With each team's secondary playing well, both Ryan and Cutler may find themselves looking for their tight ends. Former Chief Tony Gonzalez is playing well in Atlanta while Greg Olsen has yet to eclipse 100 total receiving yards on the season. The Bears need to keep Gonzalez in check and can expand Cutler's arsenal if they can get Olsen going.

Keep the running game going. Forte finally broke through two weeks ago against the Lions with 121 yards rushing. And while I sound like a broken record talking about the importance of the ground game, Atlanta ranks in the bottom third in run defense for the third consecutive season; the Bears need to take advantage of this weakness.

A quick start. The Bears have been outscored 34-7 in the first quarter this year. They've been able to come back and win three times, but that task would be significantly tougher against the Falcons in the Georgia Dome. It's going to be important to be in it from the start on Sunday night (btw: how weird is it that the Bears have played only one noon game this year, and play another 3:15 game next week?).

Where'd he come from?

QB Matt Ryan, Boston College
RB Michael Turner, Northern Illinois
WR Roddy White, UAB
TE Tony Gonzalez, Cal

Lions and Bears and ... well, that's it. Just Lions and Bears.

These ain't your brother's Lions, even if your brother is just one year older than you. As the Trib points out, Detroit has 31 new players on their 53-man roster. As evidenced by the fact that they actually won a freakin' game last week, this team is not simply a 2009 version of the 2008 patsies that became the first team in NFL history to go winless in a 16-game season. Not to mention that the Bears only beat Detroit by four at Soldier Field last year.

I'm not saying the Bears are going to lose. In fact, this is clearly a game they need to win. But, rookie Matthew Stafford has been decent, the Lions are 19th in the league in rushing, and the team has more confidence than they've had in a long, long time. I refer you to the St. Louis Rams, who have won just two games in their last 23 attempts: those two victories came back-to-back in the middle of last season.

So if nothing else, it's a game the Bears must take seriously. And while I'll reiterate that I think they're going to win, I was happy to watch the Lions beat the Redskins so that there's absolutely NO chance the Bears can become The Team That Lost to the Lions.

Keys to the Game

Focus. Yeah, I know, I just said that, but I can't help that it's one of the keys to the game. Just for good measure, I'll add in another reason the Bears might lack focus: they're heading into their bye week. Some of the players might have tickets booked to Hawai'i and Florida and whatnot, and they're playing the Liiioooons (said sarcastically with a roll of the eyes). There are only 16 games in the season, boys, so drop the hammer from the opening kickoff!

Pressure. Stafford has already thrown five interceptions, and the Bears' nine sacks are just one fewer than the 10 put up by the three teams tied for the league lead. Lovie Smith has done a great job so far using blitzes and bringing the heat. It looks like Hunter Hillenmeyer and Pisa Tinoisamoa will be out for this game, so hopefully Nick Roach, Jamar Williams and whomever else the Bears put in at LB can bust through that line and put Stafford on the ground.

Running game. The 'Skins were only able to rush for 65 yards against the Lions last week. I'm willing to acknowledge that the Bears don't have to be perfectly balanced, and that they shouldn't waste time trying to get the running game going if Cutler and the receivers are connecting and putting up points. But I still think the Bears' offense could go from good to great if they could get the wheels turning on the ground game and have a balanced attack. Which, by the way, doesn't seem so out of the question given Forte's success as a rookie.

Penalties. This one's more for the Lions. Watching the Lions/Redskins game was like watching the Washington Generals play the Washington Generals--they both appeared to be designed by God with an intrinsic desire to lose. Penalties. Punts. Poor play all around. The Lions have the second-most penalty yards in the NFL, and that's a trend I'd like to see continue this Sunday.

Bears head west on a Qwest for win #2

I was watching a pretty cool show on Sunday night, must have been on NFL Network or something. It was all about this new stadium in Arlington, Texas. Seats over 100,000 people, has a ridiculously huge scoreboard, cost over $1 billion. They just went on and on about it, interviewing the guy who paid for it, talking about how much it means to the team that plays there, exploring the ins and outs of the place. Good show, but it went on for too long. The thing was over three hours! And they picked a strange time to film the show, right when a football game was going on. I kept getting distracted by the action on the field, but the producers did a good job of focusing in on the stadium, the stadium, the stadium. It was good stuff, but I sure wish I could have seen that football game ...

Bears vs. Seahawks preview

The Seahawks won just four games last year, but were riddled with injuries. With Julius Jones at tailback, new addition T.J. Houshmandzadeh (he of Madden boycott fame) at wideout, and another legit receiving threat in former Viking Nate Burleson, the offense can put up some points. Additionally, Deion Branch should be ready to go after missing the first to games. The Bears will need to watch the middle of the field as well, as tight end John Carlson leads the team in receptions and yards.

Seattle pounded the dreadfully awful St. Louis Rams 28-0 in Week 1, but then faltered in San Francisco with a 23-10 loss. But most importantly: Matt Hasselbeck suffered a broken rib in the loss, and it is "extremely unlikely" that he will play against the Bears.

There's no doubt that the expectations for this game hinge on Hasselbeck's status--if Seneca Wallace gets the start, this becomes a game the Bears have to win. Wallace played eight games in place of Hasselbeck last year, and the team went 3-5. His QB rating of 87 was by no means awful, but with the Bears already favored by the sportsbooks, it would be very disappointing to see them lose with Wallace taking all the snaps.

That said, Qwest Field is no picnic for opposing teams. With their famed "12th man" crowd, communication is often an issue and things can get sticky in the red zone. Though Cutler and his receivers--especially Johnny Knox--appeared to be much more in sync last week, it's certainly not ideal for them to be playing in one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.

For the Bears, Alex Brown, who had two sacks against Pittsburgh, should be ready to go on Sunday. As I write this, it appears that Desmond Clark and Pisa Tinoisamoa probably won't be rushed back to action this Sunday.

Keys to the Game

Something's gotta give. The Bears are ranked 31st in rush offense, while the Seahawks are ranked 26th in rush defense. Matt Forte had six games last year in which he rushed for more yards than he has in his first two games total (84). But Seattle was gored, literally, by Frank Gore and the Niners last week: 207 yards for the San Francisco star, including TD runs of 79 and 80 yards. The noise at Qwest Field sometimes makes running the ball the safer bet, and the Bears need to get their running game going to keep the Seahawks' pass rush at bay. If Forte is going to get going at some point, this would be a good time to do it.

Penalties. Courtesy of ESPN's Jeff Dickerson, Qwest Field has seen visiting teams commit an average of 2.49 false start penalties per game since 2005. The Bears had 10 penalties for 80 yards against Pittsburgh, and though they pulled out a close victory in that one, it'd be best not to shoot themselves in the foot like that on the road.

Greg Olsen. Everyone was talking about the impeccable chemistry between Cutler and Olsen during the preseason. And while Olsen caught three balls for 41 yards last Sunday, we haven't really seen them get locked in yet. With linebacker Leroy Hill out for Seattle, look for Olsen to have that big game we've been waiting for.

Taking advantage of injuries. While the Bears will be missing some key players on defense, the Seahawks will be missing their left tackle, Sean Locklear, as well as cornerback Josh Wilson. Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu's status is up in the air as well.

Where'd he come from?

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Boston College
RB Julius Jones, Notre Dame
Lofa Tatupu, USC
TE John Carlson, Notre Dame
P Jon Ryan, Regina (Canada)

Can the Bears steel a win?

Zack Bowman played at cornerback for nine snaps against the Packers, but he'll have a lot more chances this Sunday against the Steelers.

Bowman will take over the starting job from Nathan Vasher this weekend. While Vasher didn't do terribly in Green Bay (Rodgers was 17/28 for 184 yards), he let Greg Jennings get way, way behind him on what turned out to be the game-winning 50-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. Bowman will need to bring his A game against Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes.

The Bears will be forced to make another change as well, as Pisa Tinoisamoa says there's no way he can play this weekend. Nick Roach, who played the second half against the Packers due to Tinoisamoa's injury, will play at strong-side linebacker.

Bears vs. Steelers Preview

So other than trying to keep the remaining players healthy and on the field, what do the Bears need to do in order to keep from falling to 0-2?

The Steelers will be well rested, having played the NFL's opening game last Thursday at home against the Titans. They eked out a 13-10 win in overtime, and were unable to put the game away in regulation partly because they never got their running game going. Willie Parker averaged a paltry 1.5 yards per carry, and the longest rush by any Steeler was eight yards.

Roethlisberger, normally a game manager more than a gunslinger, carried the load with 43 pass attempts. He completed 33 of them and piled up 363 yards, adding a touchdown and two picks. The aforementioned Holmes and Ward both went over 100 yards receiving.

Here's some good news for Bears fans: though Pittsburgh allowed just 10 points, the Titans had 320 yards of total offense. And on top of that, safety Troy Polamalu sprained his MCL and will not be on the field this Sunday. There's no question in my mind that this is a bigger loss for Pittsburgh than Brian Urlacher is for the Bears.

Keys to the Game

Run the ball to set up play action. The Bears' pass/run ratio of 54/46 in the game against the Packers wasn't all that bad. But with the line unable to open up holes, the Packers were free to sit back in coverage, and cover they did: Cutler was just 17/36. The Bears need to have success in the running game, and the earlier the better. This will allow Cutler to settle in in his first home game, and will open up the possibility of the play action pass.

Tell Big Ben what time it is. And by that terrible, extreme stretch of a pun, I mean that when defenders get the chance to hit Ben Roethlisberger, they need to clock him (sorry, I can't help myself). Big Ben's biggest strength is his ability to shed defenders and keep the play alive. If the Bears get their hands on him, they need to bring him down.

Don't throw four interceptions. I know, brilliant analysis, right? But seriously, Cutler needs to remain at least slightly calmer than a gremlin that's just been exposed to bright light. In trouble? Throw the ball away if need be. Throw it at a guy's feet where at least the defender can't catch it. Just don't throw it to a guy wearing black and gold.

Special teams. One would think Pittsburgh's low-scoring, 13-10 victory in Week 1 was no fluke. Another defensive battle is certainly not out of the question, if not likely. That means Devin Hester's 7.5 yard punt return average from Week 1 won't cut it, and hopefully Brad Maynard can keep up his 49.5 yard punting average.

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I'm not great at knowing where NFL players went to college, so for my benefit but also hopefully for yours, I present to you:

Where'd he come from? (a look at the alma maters of some of the notable players whom the Bears are about to face, and not so notable players who attended a college of note)

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (OH)
RB Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois
LB LaMarr Woodley, Michigan
RB Willie Parker, North Carolina
WR Santonio Holmes, Ohio State
WR Hines Ward, Georgia
S Troy Polamalu, USC