Clik here to view.
Jay Cutler and the Bears have started the season 3-4. They’ll try to improve to .500 when they visit Foxboro on Sunday. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Here are five things you have to know about the Bears, who will travel to Foxboro on Sunday for a contest with the Patriots.
1. There’s some serious drama going on in Chicago
In the wake of Sunday’s home loss to the Dolphins — which dropped the Bears record to 3-4 on the season — there were reports of screaming and yelling in the Chicago locker room, with wide receiver Brandon Marshall reportedly at the center of the action. Marshall said after the game that “there should be a lot of frustration” because of the sluggish start, and took exception to a question about a reported confrontation between him and kicker Robbie Gould. “OK, were you in here?” Marshall asked, per ESPN Chicago. “Were you in this locker room? This is a team matter. That has nothing to do with you. There’s a lot of guys this means a lot to. We’re 3-4. We need to play better. That’s unacceptable. That’s unacceptable. Unacceptable; shouldn’t have lost today, shouldn’t be 3-4. [The] offense [has] got to play better. It’s as simple as that.”
2. They have one of the best multidimensional backs in the league in Matt Forte
The 29-year-old Forte is the driving element of the Chicago offense — after seven games, he leads the Bears in rushing (111 carries, 448 yards, three TDs) and receiving (52 catches, 436 yards, two TDs). The 6-foot-1, 221-pounder, who was a second-round pick out of Tulane in 2008, is the only back in the league who has at least 50 catches and 50 carries through the first seven games of the season, and is second in the league in combined yards from scrimmage with 884. (He trails only DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys with 1,072.) Currently, he’s in the midst of a stretch that includes at least 10 catches in two of his last three games, while he has carried the ball at least 12 times a game every game this season. (For what it’s worth, the Bears have some pretty good depth in the passing game, with four players each having topped 30 catches through seven games, including Forte, tight end Martellus Bennett with 41 and wide receivers Alshon Jeffery with 33 and Marshall with 31.)
3. When the quarterback turns the ball over, it’s bad news for the Bears
The fact that a team struggles when it turns the ball over isn’t exactly a newsflash, but so far this season, whenever Jay Cutler has turned over the ball, it’s meant a Bears loss. After seven games, the Bears stand at plus-2 (12 takeaways, 10 giveaways) when it comes to takeaway ratio, a perfectly respectable number. However, the 3-4 Bears have lost every game in which Cutler has committed a turnover. The quarterback tossed two interceptions in each of the team’s three previous losses heading into Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. In addition, he committed two more turnovers (an interception and a fumble) against Miami. “After watching film all week, we saw [Cutler] was looking where he threw the ball,” said Miami defensive back Reshad Jones who picked off Cutler on Sunday. “He was always looking at his receivers and never looking off. I tried to take advantage of that and it paid off.” Per ESPN, in each of the team’s four losses this season, Cutler’s turnovers have led to a total of 37 points for the opponent. That doesn’t bode well for Chicago, which is facing a New England team that enters this week’s action best in the league at plus-9, a stat that includes 14 takeaways (seven fumbles, seven interceptions).
4. Rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller is really good
Fuller, the first-round pick out of Virginia Tech this past spring, has done plenty to warrant Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration over the first half of the season with three interceptions, one of the best totals in the league. (According to the NFL’s official stat service, he became the first player with three interceptions and three forced fumbles in the first six games of a season since former Philadelphia’s Brian Dawkins did it in 1999.) However, the rookie left the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Dolphins with what the team is calling a hip injury, which could leave his status for this week’s clash with the Patriots in doubt. (In addition, it was later revealed he suffered some sort of hand injury.) The Defensive Rookie of the Month for September, he’s become a vital part of the Chicago defense in a very short span.
5. They are middle-of-the-pack when it comes to getting pressure on the passer, but Willie Young is pretty good at what he does
The defensive end out of North Carolina State was leading the NFL in sacks with seven going into Sunday Night Football. The 29-year-old Young has flashed a nice consistency when it comes to setting the edge in the run game and also shown an ability to get after the quarterback. Working primarily as a left defensive end over the course of the first seven games, he’s part of a defensive front that includes defensive tackles Jay Ratliff (3.5) and Stephen Paea (3.5 sacks) and defensive ends Jared Allen (1.5 sacks) and Lamarr Houston. The group will provide another stern test for the New England offensive line this week. Oh, and for what it’s worth, Brady and Young have a very brief history together: