Super Bowl Preview

Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Storylines:

-The Steelers have won two of the last five Super Bowls, while the Packers last won it in 1997. Green Bay also lost the 1998 Super Bowl against the Broncos.

-The Packers, who have been around for, like, a long time, won the first two Super Bowls, giving them three total. Their supposedly "proud" history contains some bullshit about how they play on "frozen tundra" and are owned by random fat Wisconsinites.

-The Steelers won four titles in the 70s, giving them six total. They've been owned by the same family ever since Art Rooney founded the franchise in 1933. You just don't see that any more. How refreshing. We should all laud the Steelers for being a model of consistency, and should show our support by rooting for them on Sunday.

-While the Steelers, Patriots and Colts have combined for eight Super Bowl appearances in the last ten years, the NFC has incredibly had 10 teams make it over the last decade. The six who haven't played in February:

Lions: Bad.

Vikings: Even Favre couldn't save them.

Redskins: Because owner Daniel Snyder is a douche.

Cowboys: Haha.

Falcons: There's nothing worse than being the only team in the NFC South not to have made the Super Bowl in the last 10 years.

49ers: Check that. Being the only team in the NFC West not to have made it is WAY worse.

What to watch for: Blitzkrieg. And by that I mean, "a krieg's worth of blitzes." These two teams ranked 1 and 2 in total points allowed this season (with Pittsburgh being #1), and also in sacks (with Pittsburgh #1 there, too). Both defensive coordinators will surely cook up some exotic blitzes, and this game could come down to which "D" is able to pressure the opposing QB and get him out of his rhythm.

X factor: Rashard Mendenhall. I don't think Packers' rookie James Starks will be able to do much against a stout Steeler defense. But if Mendenhall can give the Steelers a running game and put Big Ben in short third down situations, it would give Pittsburgh a huge edge in what will likely be a close-fought game.

Prediction: Steelers 21, Packers 17. This is in no way an objective prediction. I would like nothing more than to see the Packers metaphorically sodomized with a traffic cone covered in pine needles. Again, metaphorically. I hate their organization, I hate their asshole fans, and I hate their stupid quarterback. He is awesome, though, which makes me hate him even more. So get out your Terrible Towel, put on your Troy Polamalu wig, and destroy all the cheese in your house. Or, put another way: Go Steelers!

AFC Championship Preview

Prediction remix:

"Patriots in a game that's close but not really all that close."

Um, no. In fact, it was just the opposite--while the Jets won by just a touchdown, it never felt that close.

"This one comes down to the last play. ... Steelers by three."

Actually, seven. But I'll take it.

#6 Jets @ #2 Steelers

Sunday, 5:30 CST

Storylines:

-Amazingly, Mark Sanchez has led the Jets to the AFC Championship in each of his first two seasons; the franchise had only been to two prior to last year. The Jets haven't reached the Super Bowl since 1969.

-Sanchez has also already tied the record for road playoff wins by a QB with four.

-The Steelers won the AFC Championship in '06 and '09, winning the Super Bowl in those years as well.

-These two teams faced off in Pittsburgh in Week 15, with the Jets managing a 22-17 win.

-The Steelers traded receiver Santonio Holmes to the Jets this previous offseason after one too many off-the-field incidents. He had over 700 yards and six TDs this season, and had a beautiful touchdown grab against the Patriots last week.

What to watch for: The Steelers allowed an absurd 62 rushing yards/game this season; next-best in the NFL were the Bears at 90. In third? The Jets, at 91. I expect both teams to utilize short passes and screen passes so as to avoid third-and-long situations.

X factor: I have two:

1) Holmes. He's a big-play receiver (see: game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLIII) and would undoubtedly love nothing more than to burn his former team.

2) Brad Smith of the Jets. The receivers/running back/return man averaged eight yards per carry this year and had two kickoff return TDs, one against the Steelers.

(and Troy Polamalu too)

Prediction: The Jets have proved vulnerable to good defenses this season: they lost to the Ravens and Packers, and while they scored 22 against Pittsburgh earlier this year, nine of those points came on the aforementioned kickoff return TD and a safety. I've already picked against the Jets wrongly twice--why stop now? Steelers 21, Jets 13.

Divisional Round Preview: AFC

One thing I hate is when radio and TV personalities make predictions and then don't own up to them after the games take place. So here you go:

Prediction remix:

"The Ravens can stop the run just about as well as anyone ... Ravens by seven."

The Ravens actually won by 23. I'll take it.

"I'm not ready to pick against Peyton Manning ... I don't trust Mark Sanchez ... Jets kicker Nick Folk has one of the lowest field goal percentages in the league ... Colts in a close one."

Sanchez led the Jets down the field with under a minute to go and Folk hit the game-winner. I suck.

THEME SONG FOR THIS WEEKEND'S AFC MATCH-UPS (fast-forward to 1:00 mark):

Turns out that video's kind of weirdly inappropriate. But what I'm trying to say is: I'm so excited. And I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it. I mean, a classic Ravens/Steelers match-up AND another Jets/Patriots game? That's fantastic!

#5 Ravens (13-4) @ #2 Steelers (12-4)

Saturday, 3:30 CST

Storylines:

-They've split 2-2 over the last two seasons, every game has been decided by three points and each team has scored 67 points total.

-In the 2008-09 AFC Championship, Pittsburgh defeated Baltimore 23-14 en route to a Super Bowl victory.

What to watch for: Both teams rank in the top five in rush defense. Will Ray Rice or Rashard Mendenhall be able to carve out any success, or will the game's outcome rely on the arms of the QBs?

X factor: Troy Polamalu. In my view, he's the most important defensive player in the NFL. He's a forced turnover waiting to happen.

Prediction: This one comes down to the last play. When in doubt, take the home team: Steelers by three.

#6 Jets (12-5) @ #1 Patriots (14-2)

Sunday, 3:30 CST

Storylines:

-I wanted a third Jets/Patriots game. I needed a third Jets/Patriots game. These coaches hate each other like Brett Favre hates retirement.

-They split their regular season match-ups, but the Patriots won 45-3 in New England in Week 13.

-The Jets are trying to make it two straight years in the AFC Championship; the Patriots last made it in '08.

What to watch for: When the two coaches shake hands after the game, will Rex Ryan make any attempt to eat Bill Belichick? Will Belichick use his secret knowledge of the rare form of martial arts known as aikido to kill Ryan in 1.2 seconds?

X factor: The tight ends. The middle of the field is often the easiest place to attack the Jets given their strength at cornerback. That works just fine for the Pats as Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowki combined for 16 TDs this year. On the other side, Dustin Keller had five TDs of his own this year including one against New England in Week 2.

Prediction: Belichick is a Master Technician (seriously, that's the name for those who are Level 6 aikido), and now he has a chance to game plan against a team he's already seen twice this year. Plus, he's got some dude named Brady on his sideline. Patriots in a game that's kind of close but not really all that close.

NFL Visions, Part 1

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

The Chicago Motherf**king Bears, 3-0

After vanquishing the Packers on Monday Night Football, the Monsters of the Midway are the lone undefeated team in the NFC. They also have the second-longest winning streak in football at five games (the Steelers have won six straight). We've got a season on our hands, Bears fans. (More tomorrow.)

Pittsburgh Steelers, 3-0

Um, wasn't there some type of "Our quarterback might have raped a girl/The face of our franchise is a monster/Ohmygod we're starting Charlie Batch???!!" situation going on here? No? Nothing like that? I could have sworn there was something like that.

Somehow Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch have the Steelers at 3-0 with Ben Roethlisberger coming back after one more game (a tough one against Baltimore). At worst, they'll be 3-1 and tied atop the division when he returns. Their defense is for reals, yo.

Kansas City Chiefs, 3-0

It's one thing to be 3-0 when you haven't won more than four games total since 2006. And it's one thing to trounce the Niners 31-10 in what was supposed to be a close game. And it's one more thing to have two running backs with over 200 yards rushing when, say, the Panthers don't have any.

But what's really interesting is that the Chiefs are in first place in the piece of s**t AFC West BY TWO GAMES. They're pretty fun to watch with rookies Javier Arenas and Dexter McCluster returning punts and kicks, and with youngster Jamaal Charles averaging seven yards per carry.

Back-up quarterbacks

Not that they're necessarily playing well, but they are playing:

-Seneca Wallace filled in for Jake Delhomme in Cleveland's last two games

-Jimmy Claussen is in for Matt Moore

-Michael Vick has usurped Kevin Kolb

-In Buffalo, Ryan Fitzpatrick is in and Trent Edwards is out

-Matthew Stafford is still hurt for Detroit, opening the door for Shaun Hill

-Tom Cable already pulled the plug on Jason Campbell, inserting Bruce Gradkowski

-Derek Anderson took over for Matt Leinart before the season even started

Atlanta Falcons, 2-1

They couldn't move the ball at all against the Steelers in Week 1, but they didn't give up a touchdown until overtime. They then went on to crush the Cardinals and beat the Saints in a thriller on Sunday in New Orleans. Plus, the NFC South has never had a repeat division winner, so they've got history on their side as they attempt to dethrone the Saints.

THINGS ARE LOOKING DOWN

Minnesota Vikings, 1-2

They beat the Lions to keep their season alive, but c'mon, the Lions have lost 400 straight road games (actually 22, and they're chasing their own franchise record of 24. I believe in you, Lions. You can do this.). Brett Favre went undrafted in my fantasy football league because he's inherently evil, but no one's really missing out: Favre's QB rating is 30th in the NFL, and he's already thrown six picks and fumbled once; he had seven interceptions and two fumbles all of last season. Maybe this is where his downfall began (or not, but it's really fun to watch):

New York Giants, 1-2

Their win over Carolina looks less and less meaningful with each steaming pile of poop the Panthers leave on the field, and they were outscored 67-24 by the Colts and Titans. Maybe the Bears can help clear up their outlook by pasting them this Sunday night.

Being able to watch games on TV

We've already had four blackouts. And by "we," I mean the three remaining Raiders fans, stupid Chargers fans who apparently refuse to go to their games, and people in Tampa Bay who are probably not aware that they have a local NFL team. The Bucs have been blacked out for two home games while San Diego and Oakland have each been blacked out once. Twenty-two games were blacked out last season.

Short field goal attempts to win games

Man, I would hate to be a kicker. I mean, it's the only position I could possibly even attempt in the NFL because it wouldn't require me to die at the hands of a large, angry man, and I'd make lots of money just for kicking a football. But I'm saying if I were actually talented and could have an NFL career, it would kind of suck to be a kicker. You made it? Good job, pat on the back. You missed it? You f**king MISSED it? Are you KIDDING me? All that work we did and we lose the game because you're a pansy-ass kicker and you're unable to kick a football through the damn uprights? I hate you, kicker! We all hate you! You're not even a real part of this team!

So anways, Garrett Hartley missed a 29-yarder in overtime against the Falcons and Sebastian Janikowski missed a 32-yarder as time expired. Both of them would have won their respective games. Do you think they had to lay down in their respective locker rooms after the games and let their teammates kick them as a way of meting out justice for their unforgivable mistakes? I like to think so.

NFL Visions, Part 1

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, 13-0
It may never again be this easy to peg the teams for which things are looking up this late in the season. Two undefeated teams through Week 14? Seriously?

Only four NFL teams have finished the regular season undefeated: The Bears went 13-0 in 1934 and 11-0 in 1942; the Dolphins are the only team ever to run the table in both the regular season and postseason, going 17-0 in 1972; and the Patriots went 16-0 two years ago. And now, we could be just three weeks away from two teams accomplishing the feat in the same season.

I'll tell you what I'm hoping for: the undefeated Saints vs. the undefeated Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Not only would it pit the two best quarterbacks and two of the NFL's best offenses against one another, it would also guarantee that we would never again have to hear from Mercury Morris and those stuck up '72 Dolphins. Do they have a right to be proud of what they accomplished? Hell yes. But they don't have a right to annoy the hell out of me with their disrespectful diatribes about how no one else could ever possibly be as good as they were (okay, technically, they do have that right). I submit Exhibit A:



So keep up the good work, Colts and Saints. I hope to see one of you doing a champagne toast to an undefeated season, as opposed to once again hearing the rumors of Nick Buoniconti, Bob Griese and Dick Anderson raising a glass to celebrate the last remaining undefeated team losing its first game of the season.

San Diego Chargers, 10-3
Through Week 6, the Chargers were being very Charger-like--unpredictable and underachieving. They were 2-3 and 3.5 games behind the Broncos in the NFC West. But since then, they've been charging upward in the standings. Having ripped off eight straight wins, they now have a two-game lead in the division and have pounded their way to the second-best record in the AFC. If they can finish strong, they can secure a first-round bye for just the second time since 1995.

Philadelphia Eagles, 9-4
First, the Giants were 5-0 and were going to roll to an easy division title. Then, the Cowboys were 8-3 and were finally going to put it all together to win the East.

But after four straight victories, it's the Eagles who have soared to the top of the division. They've scored at least 23 points in their last five games, DeSean Jackson is ridiculous, Michael Vick is starting to contribute a bit, and they appear primed to make yet another playoff run.

Green Bay Packers, 9-4
Winning streaks galore! The Packers' streak stands at five after they beat the punchless Bears. Though their offensive line could be their downfall if they make the playoffs, a combination of Aaron Rodgers living up to the preseason hype and a defense allowing the second-fewest yards in the league has Green Bay in the playoff pack. If the season ended today, they would be the 5 seed.

I know this is somewhat sacrilegious coming from a Bears fan, but I'm rooting for an eventual Packers-Vikings playoff match-up and a revenge victory for the Packers. I'm still a Packers-hater, no doubt. But I would pay a decent sum of money just to see the shot of Brett Favre on the sideline, his head hanging low as time winds down and his season comes to a painful end at the hands of his former team. Can you imagine how elated Packer Nation would be? Okay, actually, I don't want to imagine that. I do still hate the Packers. But this season, I hate Favre more. And I can't think of a better way for his season--and, one can only hope, his career--to end than with a three-interception game against the team he so royally and selfishly screwed over.

THINGS ARE LOOKING DOWN

Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-7
That looks weird, doesn't it? A losing record for one of the few teams we've become accustomed to seeing in the playoffs every year. They saw postseason action in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Interestingly, their disappointing 2006 season came on the heels of a Super Bowl victory the year prior. They're apparently suffering from a Super Bowl hangover once again as they have lost five straight and lost earlier this season to the Bears. Really, we should have known it was over for them right then. With the two teams who currently hold Wild Card spots (Broncos and Jaguars) losing this week, the Steelers still have an outside chance. But things are certainly looking down for Mike Tomlin's team.

Houston Texans, 6-7
A blowout victory against the Seahawks on Sunday put an end to a four-game losing streak, but this will likely mark the fourth consecutive season of between six and eight wins for the franchise. Head Coach Gary Kubiak has been at the helm each of those years, and many believe this will be the end of the road for him. His Texans always seem to tease their fans and show potential early in the season, but it always amounts to nothing.

Dallas Cowboys, 8-5
December.

If you're a Cowboys fan, you probably just twitched. Or perhaps you involuntarily slammed your head into the nearest hard surface. Just when it looked like the Cowboys were hitting their stride, they lost to the reeling Giants and then to the surging Chargers. With the Saints, Redskins and Eagles remaining on their schedule, Cowboys fans have a lot to fear. For now, they remain in the playoff picture. For now.

NFL Visions, Part 1

We're now three weeks into the NFL season, and we've already seen our share of surprises.

Denver (Denver!) has allowed 16 points all year. Houston is 0-2 at home, but won their only road game. Cincinnati beat the Steelers at home for the first time since 2001.

As we look around the league, here's what some other teams are seeing:

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

Detroit Lions, 1-2
Sure, they've only won one game. Sure, they've looked very, uh, Detroit-like in piling up the second-most penalty yards in the league. Sure, their one victory came against an atrocious Redskins team with one of the worst owners in sports, a team that looked so bad in its home opener that they got booed even though they won the game.

But the Lions can party like it's 2007. It doesn't even matter if they win another game this year--they're no longer that team that hasn't won in forever. All that matter are wins and losses, which means they are officially better than seven teams right now. Titans? Laughably bad, from the Lions' perspective. Panthers? "Why are they even letting them play games?" the Lions must be wondering.

Yeah, they went 19 games and 21 months without posting a victory; the Dow Jones was over 13,000 the last time they left a field feeling good about themselves. But all that's over now! Way to go, Lions, things are looking up!

Baltimore Ravens, 3-0
It's hard to say the Ravens are a team on the rise, given that they went to the AFC Championship game last year. But the team known for its stifling defense, the same organization that won the Super Bowl in 2001 with Trent Dilfer playing quarterback, is now putting up points like nobody's business. Only the New Orleans Drew Breeses have put up more points in the first three weeks than the suddenly balanced Ravens.

New York Jets, 3-0
Even if they hadn't beaten the Titans, things are definitely looking up when you can call out Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and then back it up. I didn't think the Pats were going to beat the Jets after all that smack-talking ... I thought they were going to embarrass them and we'd see a scene at the Meadowlands akin to something out of "Clockwork Orange." But the Jets held Brady's Pats touchdownless, then went out and beat the Titans, a team that needed a win perhaps more than any other team in the league. And all this with a rookie quarterback. No doubt things are looking up in New York.

THINGS ARE LOOKING DOWN

2008 division champions Carolina, Tennessee, Miami, Arizona, and Pittsburgh; combined 2-13

It's not a good year to be coming off a good year. Carolina looks done, given that New Orleans and Atlanta are playing well in the NFC South and Jake Delhomme must not have health insurance, because he's still got a big ol' case of Interceptionitis--after his five INT performance in last year's playoffs, he has has seven interceptions and just two touchdowns this season.

I don't think Tennessee's done yet, though they're close. They lost in OT to Pittsburgh, then to Houston, then in a close game to the Jets. It's no surprise that Kerry Collins isn't having near the season he had last year, but with a talented core and Jeff Fisher at the helm, they still have a shot.

Miami has as good a shot at the playoffs as I do. Did you know that if Chad Pennington's career ended right now (his season is over due to injury), he would finish with the highest completion percentage in NFL history and the eighth best QB rating?

Arizona was a fluke last year, anyways. They were 9-7 for God's sake! They've still got some talent, but Kurt Warner had to get old eventually. Plus, the Niners look good under Mike Singletary (hey, things are looking up there, too) and the Seahawks would be decent if they weren't missing half their roster with injuries.

Pittsburgh should be fine. They're 1-2 because they've been outscored 24-0 in the fourth quarter this year. They miss Troy Polamalu and they've failed to win the turnover battle, but he'll be back and so will they.

Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-2
What happened to this team? Before beating the Texans this past Sunday, they were 2-10 in their last 12 games going back to last year. Maurice Jones-Drew was making all the fantasy owners who took him in the top five look silly until he scored three touchdowns against Houston, and David Garrard's 75.4 QB rating isn't getting it done. They just don't seem to be real great at anything right now; things have gone downhill ever since they went 11-5 and went to the second round of the playoffs in 2007.

An arm and a leg

Week 2: Bears 17, Steelers 14


The Bears led the Steelers for 15 seconds on Sunday. But they were the right 15 seconds. (Hat tip: Brian Brennan)

They flirted with 0-2, improved to 1-1, and could be 2-0. Robbie Gould gets the shaving cream pie (wait, they don't do that in football) after he battled the wet turf and nailed a 44-yard field goal to send the Bears home with a victory over the reigning Super Bowl champions.

At times, the Bears offense looked stuck in 2008. Check that--it looked like John Shoop put on a Ron Turner mask and took control of the offensive play calling. Run for one yard. Pass short left for two yards. Pass short right for no gain. That was an actual Bears series.

Second-and-14, pass for one yard. Third-and-13, run for five yards. That really happened, too.

But the Bears saved the best for last with 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Jay Cutler and the offense got the ball back at their own 33 yard line with 3:18 left, and they proceeded to orchestrate a game-winning drive as time wound down. The Bears pushing the ball down the field to go ahead with barely any time left on the clock--this is why God created the seventh day. The assist goes to Jeff Reed and his two missed field goals in the final frame.

Cutler had quite the redemptive performance with 236 yards, two touchdowns and nary an interception. And it looks like he may have a new best friend in Johnny Knox. Knox racked up 70 receiving yards after piling up 82 in Week 1, and he pulled in the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. It's way too early to write this in pen, but could the Bears have found a #1 receiver in their fifth round draft pick from Division II Abilene Christian?

Solid defense was on display as well, as the Bears held Ben Roethlisberger to an 80.8 QB rating, sacked him twice (both by Alex Brown, who unfortunately left with an injury), and forced two turnovers.

One negative, though, and it's a big one: Forte rushed for just 29 yards on 13 carries. Where oh where has the running game gone? Ron Turner certainly must have sensed that Pittsburgh was scheming against the run, as he had the offense throw the ball on 10 consecutive plays at one point. When was the last time the Bears had a QB drop back 10 straight times?! All in all, Turner called 38 passes compared to only 18 rushes.

While Forte couldn't get the wheels churning, can we give some credit to Adrian "Almost Didn't Make the Team" Peterson? He spelled Forte on the Bears' first half touchdown drive, picking up 16 yards on three carries and 11 more yards on two receptions. Can we PLEASE make him the first option off the bench?

The Packers bungled their way to a loss at home against Ochocinco and the Bengals, while the Vikes took care of business against the hapless and winless Lions. So the Vikings are off to an early lead in the division, but the Bears stayed right on their heels with this huge home victory.

Next up is Seattle on the road, and we'll have to pay attention to the news out of Washington--Matt Hasselbeck left yesterday's game against the Niners with a rib injury, though he says he'll be fine.

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