Image Credited to Wikipedia user Jauerback
The NFL Network is very happy that the Thursday night schedule is underway. They are probably less than thrilled with their opener, however. In a game that many people might find unappealing, the Chicago Bears will face the San Francisco Forty Niners. Still, any football on Thursday is better than no football at all.
The Bears began the season as a team to watch, but they have yet to live up to those mighty standards. They stand at 4-4, and are still within the realm of a playoff bid. If they can figure out what is going on with the defense, and score some points on offense, they might just get in. (Talk about stating the obvious) Still, it is the real problem in Chicago. They are struggling without Brian Urlacher, and the offense is simply not clicking at the same time. If they ever get Forte running and Jay Cutler passing well at the same time, the Bears could be very dangerous.
The Niners on the other hand are kind of the darlings of the NFC. Lots of experts jumped on board as they have been better than expected. Unfortunately, that may have been a bit premature. The Niners are starting to sputter and need to right the ship tonight against the Bears. They should have some opportunities down field if they can get the ball out there.
Here is a toast to NFL football on Thursday nights! It matters not who is out there….
The NFL preseason gets into full swing this week with a full slate of games. For those of us that have been dying for some NFL action, this week is like a football dream come true. The season got off to a great start in the Hall of Fame kickoff classic with the Titans beating the Bills. (just as I picked) Here are the rest of the week one NFL preseason games along with who I predict will come away the winner:
THU, AUG 13
New England at Philadelphia
The Patriots and the Eagles are actually two of the favorites according to most NFL experts in the NFL this season. It will be interesting to see how Tom Brady looks in preseason action, though I am sure he will not play very much. As for the Eagles, they should keep Mcnabb on the bench as well as Westbrook. They are simply too fragile. I expect that the Patriots will win this preseason matchup.
Winner – New England Patriots
Washington at Baltimore
The Redskins are hoping that Portis has at least one more big season, and the Ravens are simply hoping that defense can remain as strong as usual. The Ravens are not nearly as deep as they once were on defense. I still expect they will win this preseason match up.
Winner – Baltimore Ravens
Arizona at Pittsburgh
The Cardinals take the field for the first time since the Super Bowl, and they are fired up about it. Ironically, this Super Bowl rematch is set to be pretty interesting. Both teams have some second and third string players that are looking to make a splash. This game will come down to the running game and defense which puts the win firmly with the Steelers.
Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers
Dallas at Oakland
The Cowboys take the field without Terrell Owens and they have to find a way to replace him. This game will begin to answer the questions that the Cowboys have at wide receiver. While Oakland is not exactly the greatest secondary ever, they are a solid enough group to get a feel for the Cowboys. More importantly, the Cowboys second and third string running backs are better than most team’s starters.
Winner – Dallas Cowboys
FRI, AUG 14
St. Louis at NY Jets
The Rams just found out that they are without Donnie Avery for at least four to six weeks, and this injury is going to hurt. The Rams just do not have the firepower at the position that they have been used to. The Jets are anxious to unveil new rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. It will be a big splash for NY.
Winner – New York Jets
Minnesota at Indianapolis
The Vikings and the Colts will be a very fun game to watch simply because of the talent on the second and third teams. Both teams are pretty darn deep, and so it should be a good preseason game to watch. This one smells like a Colt win to me, however.
Winner – Indiannapolis Colts
Cincinnati at New Orleans
The Bengals are hoping for a huge return for Carson Palmer, but that likely won’t begin against the Saints in preseason. Still, there are a lot of answers to be had in this game. Can Reggie Bush play a whole game without breaking a leg? Can the Bengals play a whole game with no felonies? I mean penalties? We shall see. Either way, the Saints win this one big in preseason action.
Winner – New Orleans Saints
Denver at San Francisco
The post Cutler era in Denver gets started here and Kyle Orton has to be a bit nervous. Then again, he was a quarterback in Chicago, so he has nothing to be nervous about. All kidding aside, I think he will do quite well in Denver. He especially will do well against these 49ers in preseason action.
Winner – Denver Broncos
SAT, AUG 15
Atlanta at Detroit
The Falcons are amped up for an NFC South battle this season and the Lions are simply hoping to win a few games. While optimism is high in Detroit, the depth of this team is still very shallow. Rome was not built in a day, and neither will Detroit be.
Winner – Atlanta Falcons
Chicago at Buffalo
The Bears are anxious to see what they have with Jay Cutler under center, and the Bills are coming off an opening week loss against the Titans. While the Bears are not quite as strong as the Titans, they should still handle these Bills.
Winner – Chicago Bears
Cleveland at Green Bay
The Browns have a quarterback situation to work out. The Packers need to get a running back in order quick. This game will do little to solve either situation, but it will be a good game. The Browns will surprise an amped up Green Bay squad.
Winner – Cleveland Browns
Tampa Bay at Tennessee
The Bucs, like many other teams, need to find a quarterback. The Titans are pretty set in their lineup, and looked pretty impressive against Buffalo. I expect that the Titans will take advantage of the Bucs early growing pains.
Winner – Tennessee Titans
Houston at Kansas City
The Texans are going to be fun to watch this season. Kansas City is a team that is very much in turmoil. Expect the Texans to spring a little preseason surprise on the Chiefs.
Winner – Houston Texans
Seattle at San Diego
The Chargers and the Seahawks will be a great preseason game. The Seahawks are searching for some semblence of a running game, and the Chargers are just trying to keep LaDanian Tomlinson healthy. Expect LT to skip this one for sure, and it might be the difference.
Winner – Seattle Seahawks
MON, AUG 17
Jacksonville at Miami
The Jaguars and Miami are always a fun game with the whole intra-state rivalry thing. This game will be fun to watch as well. Expect that Miami will have a little more firepower in the backups for this one.
Winner – Miami Dolphins
Carolina at NY Giants
This game will be the ultimate expression of power struggle in the NFC. The Panthers are just too good at running back, and they should be able to handle the Giants in this one.
Winner – Carolina Panthers
Preseason Record Overall – 1 Win 0 Losses
Jay Cutler is not the most popular man in the NFL, but that is not the issue to Bears fans. They simply want to know if he will take them back to the NFL promised land – The Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Jay Cutler will not be the reason the Bears do or do not make that lofty goal. Jay Cutler will play a part, but the real test will be if Jay Cutler can find somebody to throw the ball to.
Jay Cutler came over to the Bears after a huge blowup in Denver, and he is really getting a bad rap in my opinion. Anytime a new coach comes in and starts hunting a quarterback, that is generally bad news for an incumbent quarterback. Not only that, but Cutler was more than holding his own as one of the few positive things going in the Denver offense. He and Brandon Marshall were really the bulk of the offense. They did everything the Broncos could ever expect of them. Why hunt a quarterback?
As for Chicago, it is still all about superstar running back Matt Forte. Jay will throw the ball more often to be sure, but it will still be about getting Forte the football and letting him make things happen. Some of that is because Cutler has no real threats at wide receiver, and some of that is because Forte is just that darn good. Once the Bears get Cutler some better weapons, then maybe that will change.
For now, Chicago is all about Matt Forte, and the running game. Jay Cutler will do just fine.
