October 7, 2007
Bears set to face rival Packers in NFC North clash
By Larry Mayer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears will look to snap their two-game losing streak and close the gap in the NFC North tonight when they battle the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Bears have won four of six games against Green Bay under coach Lovie Smith after losing 18 of their previous 20 meetings with the Packers from 1994-2003. But Green Bay (4-0) enters tonight’s game atop the NFC North, three games ahead of the Bears (1-3).
Defensive end Alex Brown and the Bears battle the Packers tonight at Lambeau Field.
In the same position in 2005 after a loss at Cleveland dropped them to 1-3, the Bears rattled off eight consecutive wins en route to an 11-5 record and their first NFC North championship.
Brian Griese will make his second straight start. Last Sunday he tied a Bears record with 34 completions but threw three costly interceptions—two in the red zone and one that was returned 64 yards for a backbreaking touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Griese passed for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns, hitting Muhsin Muhammad with a 15-yard strike that gave the Bears a 7-3 lead late in the first half before connecting with Desmond Clark for a 1-yard score to cut the deficit to 30-27 with :52 remaining in the game.
Cedric Benson rushed for 50 yards on 15 carries and fumbled for the third time this season. The third-year pro gained 47 yards on 10 carries in the second half after being held to just three yards on five attempts in the first half.
The Bears offense has mustered just four touchdowns while committing 13 turnovers on 52 possessions this season. The unit ranks 30th in total yards, 27th in rushing and 28th in passing.
With the offense struggling, Smith has vowed to get speedy playmakers Devin Hester and Greg Olsen more involved in the game plan. The former Miami teammates brought an explosive element to the offense in training camp, but they’ve been used sparingly this season.
After playing without six starters against Detroit, the Bears defense hopes to get some of its players back tonight. Safety Adam Archuleta (hand) is expected to play, while cornerback Charles Tillman (ankle) and linebacker Lance Briggs (hamstring) will be game-time decisions.
In their three losses this season, the Bears have permitted six points in the first half and 79 points in the second half, including 65 in back-to-back defeats to the Cowboys and Lions. After yielding TD drives of 91, 89 and 78 yards in the second half to Dallas, the Bears allowed Detroit to march 80, 70 and 62 yards for second half TDs last Sunday.
The Bears will face their old nemesis tonight in Brett Favre, who enters today’s action ranked second in the NFL with 1,205 passing yards and 12th with a 97.3 passer rating. Unlike previous seasons when his riverboat gambler mentality resulted in a slew of turnovers, he has thrown for 8 TDs and just 2 interceptions this season.
What makes Favre’s performance even more impressive is that the Packers rank last in the NFL in rushing, averaging just 54.3 yards per game on the ground.
Favre had at least one TD pass in his first 26 career games versus the Bears before being kept out of the end in three straight contests beginning in 2005 with Chicago’s first two-game series sweep of Green Bay since 1991, the year before Favre joined the Packers.
The future Hall of Famer threw one TD pass in last year’s regular-season finale at Soldier Field, increasing his career total to 52 against the Bears, his most versus any opponent.
Bears superstar Devin Hester was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September. The dynamic second-year pro leads the NFL with 602 combined kick return yards, 239 punt return yards and an average of 19.9 yards per punt return.
Hester is the only player in the league to have brought back both a punt and kickoff for touchdowns this season. With a 97-yard kickoff return TD against Detroit and a 73-yard punt return TD versus Kansas City, Hester has accounted for one-third of the Bears’ TDs this season.
LINK
Bears set to face rival Packers in NFC North clash - Chicago Bears
Bears set to face rival Packers in NFC North clash
Bears set to face rival Packers in NFC North clash
Linear Mode
