I went to bed last night with the thought on my mind that hopes were not as bright for the Bears as I thought they were moments after cinching up a big 31-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers at Soldier Field. When I awoke this morning that thought was still there, but I was reminded of the 2005 season and where that season ended up.
That season, Rex Grossman was injured in preseason and Kyle Orton, then a rookie drafted in the fourth round stepped in and set a team record for 10 wins by basically just not losing the game. That is basically the task put in front of Caleb Hanie when he makes his first NFL start Sunday in the Black Hole against the Raiders. Hanie will have Matt Forte carry much of the load and just have to worry about complete the short to medium passes while the defense and special teams do the rest.
That said, while I am super disapponted by this injury, made as Jay was making a tackle that saved a touchdown and was followed by Philip Rivers throwing an interception in the end zone, I'm not thinking the season is completely lost.
Just as I was about to write this, I combed the Interwebs and came across Melissa Isaacson's story on ESPNChicago.com where she basically said what I wanted to say only better and with quotes from Halas Hall today.
Can the defense carry things? Brian Urlacher thinks so and he volunteered that answer. "Our mindset now is that we are going to have to carry the team." His unit certainly has the playmakers to do it and anything to lessen the presser on Hanie is good in my eyes. Having teams dumb enough to kick to Devin Hester.
Lovie did sound rather optimistic Cutler could be back before the end of the regular season, but I wouldn't want him to rush back. I know a lot of morons in the media questioned his toughness, but the fact that he has to go under the knife to heal his broken thumb speaks to teh severity of the injury.
At 7-3, the Bears realistically need just three more wins to at least think about the playoffs. We won't worry about tie breakers and scenarios for this exercise, but about the final six games and what they have to do looking at what lies ahead.
This week the Bears go to Oakland to take on a surging Raiders team. This one could be tough for a couple reasons. First, it's Hanie's first start and the Raiders are actually playing well. This one is going to test the defense and offense. My gut even before the Cutler injury said the Bears were going to have their hands full. So now, I'm actually thinking it might be a loss.
Week 13 has the Bears hosting the Chiefs. With Matt Cassel on IR and the Chiefs falling to pieces, I'm thinking this could be Hanie's first win as a starter. This is Thomas Jones' first game back against the Bears since he was let go which should stir up some stories, but I see this one as the game they get back on track.
The final AFC West game for the Bears was set to be epic with Cutler going back to Denver to play the Broncos and show them what a real quarterback can do. Well, that's not going to happen now, but I still think this game is winnable. Then again, hasn't every team that has played Tim Tebow and he's made them pay for it? Still, I like the Bears defense against him. It won't be a pretty game, but should be another win.
The final home game of the season follows that one with Seattle coming to Soldier Field. This one is a home game, but against a Seahawks team that beat the Ravens a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure which Seattle team will show up.
The Christmas day game at Green Bay was one that scared me all season. With things rolling with Jay, I actually expected this one to be a battle. But without Jay, I don't see it being more than tough for the Bears to move the ball. The defense can slow Rodgers down, but you have to be able score points to keep up.
The season finale is at Minnesota and whether or not Cutler is healthy enough to play in this one could decide the winner. Either way, the Vikings won't have anything to play for and the Bears should. Lovie is one of the best motivators in the game and you can rest assured he'll have them ready for this one with the playoffs hanging in the balance. That's why I'm thinking they win this one.
So there, 10-6. Will it be good enough to make the playoffs and allow Cutler to make his triumphant return to the lineup? Only time will tell.
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