The Chicago Bears are heading into a huge matchup on Sunday against the Super Bowl champions Baltimore Ravens and after losing to the Detroit Lions last week, the team needs to rebound and the game will be starting up at 1:00 pm and will be a rare CBS game for the Bears as they host the Ravens at Soldier Field.
The Bears have lost two of three games and four of the last six, but they are right in the thick of things in the NFC playoff picture, including in the north division, but they will need to get back on track to make up ground on Detroit. The team has already lost twice to the Lions this season and while they have defeated the Green Bay Packers, there are still a number of divisional games coming up and the team needs to win them all to have any chance at getting to the top of the division. Jay Cutler will be out again this week after getting injured against the Lions and while it's not as serious as his groin injury was, it means Josh McCown will be the starter for the team plays on Sunday.
Cutler has been very solid this season, but he probably should have sat out on Sunday and he now has over 1,900 yards passing and 13 touchdowns, while McCown has played well in his place, going for over 500 yards with four touchdowns. The Bears will need all hands on deck for Sunday, as the team is facing a Baltimore team that is playing better than earlier in the season and they can't take any games for granted, as they have a very tough schedule coming on the back end. Marc Trestman has been using Matt Forte very effectively and he will need to continue to do that on Sunday.
Forte is one of the league leaders in total yards and he has nearly 700 yards rushing this season with seven touchdowns, but one of the biggest issues for the team is the game behind him. Alshon Jeffery is the second leading rusher on the team with 94 yards and that is never a good sign, but so far Forte has been as consistent as he has any season. Brandon Marshall and Jeffery have combined for 11 touchdowns and the two stars have put up over 100 receptions and 1,400 yards as two of the most productive receivers in the league.
The team is currently tied with the Green Bay Packers at 5-4 on the season and with the Vikings 2-7, the Lions are the team to chase at 6-3. The team is heading into a stretch after the Ravens game that has four road games in five weeks and the lone home matchup is a Monday night football game at Soldier Field with the Dallas Cowboys. The team plays on the road against the St. Louis Rams and then the Vikings in Minnesota before playing the Browns in Cleveland and the Eagles in Philly following the Cowboys game and then the team finishes the season with a home game against Green Bay.