The Chicago Bears are in action. It will be weird to watch the Bears without Brian Urlacher, but the season must go on. They will be looking to fill in their defensive gaps after they let the future Hall of Famer walk. Check out the Bears' NFL Preseason schedule for Friday evening with TV info and game time.
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV Schedule: No Channels Airing Game
Where to Watch: NFL Live Stream
Unlike Thursday's TV schedule, the NFL Network will only focus on two games this evening. On Thursday night, they showed live action from five of the six played that evening, finishing their NFL Preseason coverage with the Seattle Seahawks destroying the San Diego Chargers 31-10.
The Bears will be looking to make the playoffs in 2013, but they will first find out who is down for the cause. They were 10-6 in 2012, just missing the postseason. Aside from their attempt to keep their fearsome defense, the Bears are trying to bolster their offense around Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte and Jay Cutler. Michael Bush looks to complete the double-headed running monster, but Marshall needs a receiver who can distract the opposition.
Not that the lack of wideout power has affected Marshall, but it would be great to fill the position with another player. Last season, Marshall went for 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns with 118 receptions. Not too shabby as Marshall had 1,000-plus more yards receiving than the nearest teammate, Earl Bennett who had 375 receiving yards in 2012. To address the issue, Bears drafted Marquess Wilson out of Washington St. in the seventh round. Wilson will be one of 13 receivers fighting for a roster spot.
The Bears appear to be sticking solely to Jay Cutler as their quarterback. Josh McCown and Matt Blanchard are the two backups, but after looking at their stats, you will quickly notice that Cutler is at no risk of losing his job as the Bears' main quarterback.
The Panthers will be hosting the Bears in their home field, Bank of America Stadium. They finished 7-9, good for second place in the NFC South. They finished the season on a four-game winning streak and entering Cam Newton's third year in the league, the Panthers are expected to improve greatly in 2013.
If you have time to burn before the game, check out the always hilarious, Smokin' Jay Cutler tumbler site.
