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Patriots versus Bears Game Preview

Patriots travel to the windy city

The Patriots will travel to take on the Bears on Sunday afternoon. After barely beating the Kansas City Chiefs to improve to 4-2 on the season, the Patriots face a tough Chicago Bear defense on Sunday who allowed just 41 points in the first three weeks of the season but let up 31 against Brock Osweiler and the Dolphins last week. Bears also failed to sack Dolphin quarterback Brock Osweiler on 44 dropbacks and lost the game by 3 in overtime. The Bears are now 3-2 so what do the Patriots have to do to win the game?

Patriots and Bears should be a good matchup

On offense, the Bears rank 10th in points, 19th in yards, 22nd in passing yards and 8th in rushing yards.  On defense, the Bears rank 4th in points, 10th in yards, 16th in passing yards and 4th in rush yards.

For the Patriots on offense, the Patriots rank 4th in points, 14th in yards, 19th in passing yards, and 11th in rushing yards. On the defensive side, the Patriots rank 19th in points,  20th in yards, 21st in passing yards, and 18th in rushing yards.

Belichick is impressed with the Bears

Bill Belichick is impressed with the Bears saying yesterday at his press conference. “This has been a really impressive team to watch. Obviously, a team we don’t know very well and a lot of changes since the last time we saw them, even in practice a couple years ago here. But, changes on the coaching staff, a lot of changes on the players, but playing very well. They’re really a good defensive team, take the ball away, powerful up front, a lot of good, smart coverage players. You know, Vic [Fangio] does a really good job with that group.”

Overall, the Patriots need to move the ball and score early. Gronkowski will most likely be double covered, so that gives room for the other receivers to get open. Expect Chris Hogan to have a good game as he caught two huge passes from Brady towards the end of the Kansas City game. Also, Sony Michel should find some holes and have a good running game too. Get ready for those screen passes with James White and even Edelman. Also possibly Josh Gordon with the deep ball. Defense needs to also play better for 60 minutes than they did in the second half of the Kansas City game. It will be close, but the Patriots should pull it out.

 

Biggest Risers and Fallers in Free Agency Thus Far

In one of its craziest offseasons, the NFL has seen a flurry of free agent moves and trades. Which teams are likely to rise and improve? Which teams are likely to fall and decline?

Risers

Cleveland Browns – This was a gimme. The Browns looked like they belong playing in college football, with winning only one game in two years. What does new GM and resident savior in Cleveland do? John Dorsey reshaped this whole team by trading for Jarvis Landry, Tyrod Taylor, and Damarious Randall, and signing seven free agents, most notably being Carlos Hyde, T.J Carrie, Chris Hubbard, and Darren Fells. They did take a hit with the retirement of Joe Thomas, though. With a transformed offense and still having two of the top five picks, the only way this team can go is up.

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Photo Credit: theplayoffs.com

Chicago Bears – One of the most complete offseason so far, the Bears have acquired good players in all three aspects of the game. They signed two receivers and a tight end in Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey “Philly Special” Burton, which gives now second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky some much-needed weapons on offense. They also signed OLBs Aaron Lynch and Sam Acho, along with resigning Prince Amukamara to bolster the defensive side of the ball. The Bears also contain a high draft pick to address the defense too. Along with the signing of kicker Cody Parkey, these Bad News Bears have the chance to change their name.

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Photo Credit: dynastyleaguefootball.com

Tennessee Titans – Am I upset that two of my favorite players are on different teams? Absolutely. Do I wish the best for them? Absolutely, they deserve it. The Titans now boast a two-headed monster with the shifty Dion Lewis and powerful Derrick Henry. Malcolm Butler is going to a secondary that already boasts the interceptions leader and a very promising rookie. There isn’t a lot of weakness on the team. Linebacker is the biggest need and will most likely be addressed in the first round of the draft. Face it, Titans are going to be a scary team this year.

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Photo Credit: theplayoffs.com

Other risers: Rams, Texans, 49ers

Fallers

Seattle Seahawks – Russell Wilson might as well scramble every play with that offensive line that’s “protecting” him. Seattle also lacks a real run game although potential standout Chris Carson is returning from injury, and they lost pass catchers Paul Richardson and Jimmy Graham. The breakup of the Legion of Boom and losses of Michael Bennett and Sheldon Richardson leaves this team with too many needs on both sides of the ball.

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Detroit Lions –  The Vikings got Cousins and Richardson, the Packers got Graham and Wilkerson, and the Bears got A-Rob and Taylor Gabriel (and more). All other teams in their division got better which leaves the Lions grasping for whatever leftovers they can get. They did sign LeGarrette Blount who will improve their otherwise nonexistent run game. However, the losses of Haloti Ngata, Tahir Whitehead, and Eric Ebron are drastic. Deshawn Shead and Devon Kennard can improve the team a little bit, but they are going to need a great draft, a couple more FA signings, and a bigger beard from a certain someone in their management.

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Photo Credit: redandblack.com

Arizona Cardinals – The solution to losing an injury prone quarterback? Get another one. And better yet, pay him $20 million a year. Especially when your offensive line needs serious improvement. Why not cut one of your best defensive players while you are at it? This was a pretty easy one. Sam Bradford is a high-risk player and the loss of Tyrann Mathieu is devastating.

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Other fallers – It was hard to really say if a team was a faller because many teams lost notable free agents, but made signings that could make up for it. Those teams would be neutral or undecided until further notice.

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51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XLI

The Super Bowl is just 11 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 11 years ago to honor this not-so-significant occasion!

South Florida hosted Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007. The game pitted the NFC champion Chicago Bears against the Indianapolis Colts of the American Football Conference.

Chicago Bears 11 Years Ago

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The 2006 Chicago Bears were coached by Lovie Smith. Smith in his third year completed his rebuild project with an outstanding 13-2 record in meaningful games. The offense was 2nd in points scored and 3rd in points allowed. Rookie Devin Hester returned three punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns and placekicker Robbie Gould was the best in the NFL.

The Bears blew out several opponents during the regular season, but it was an incredible comeback win that stood out. It was a Monday Night game in Arizona. The mediocre Cardinals jumped in front 23-3 before Chicago led by Hester stormed back. After the game, Cardinals’ coach Dennis Green was in no mood to salute the Bears. Rather, he exclaimed about the Bears, “They are what we what thought they are, but we let them off the hook! If you want to crown them, crown [them.]”

Green’s viewpoint was shared by many. Unheralded QB Rex Grossman, RB Thomas Jones and WR Bernard Berrian were the key players on the offense. The Bears were thought of as strong on defense only. Sure enough, they had four Pro Bowlers including first-team All-Pro Brian Urlacher.

Grossman Does the Job

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In their first playoff game, they were put to the test by the defending NFC champion Seahawks. Grossman and the offense were on point in a 27-24 comeback win. Gould tied in the game with four minutes left in regulation and won it four minutes into the overtime.

In the NFC championship game, the Bears faced another challenge in the Cinderella New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees hit Reggie Bush for a dramatic score to cut the lead to 16-14. However, the Bears dominated the fourth with a safety and three touchdowns. The 39-14 propelled Chicago to their first Super Bowl in 21 seasons.

Indianapolis Colts 11 Years Ago

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Peyton Manning and the Colts came into 2006 with something to prove. They were clearly the best team of the decade without a championship to their credit. Three consecutive 12-win seasons resulted in three consecutive playoff losses to the eventual Super Bowl champions. In ’06, Tony Dungy’s squad finished 12-4, but that was only good enough for the third seed.

The Colts’ powerful offense featured Joseph Addai, Dominic Rhodes, Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. On defense, safety Bob Sanders was the NFL’s DPOY. They also had perhaps the best pass rusher in the league in Dwight Freeney. However, the Colts struggled against the run in the regular season.

Colts’ Defense Takes Over

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That would change in the playoffs. In the Wild Card round, Indianapolis faced Kansas City after a series of miraculous events got the Chiefs in. Peyton Manning had a terrible game as he threw three first half interceptions. The Chiefs could not take advantage. Indy took a 16-0 lead en route to a lackluster 23-8 win. The one great thing for the Colts in this game: They held the Chiefs to 126 total yards. They only surrendered 32 yards rushing to Pro Bowler Larry Johnson.

In the divisional round, again Manning struggled and again, the Colts’ defense bailed him out. Adam Vinatieri also deserves a game ball for his five field goals in the Colts’ 15-6 victory over Steve McNair and the Baltimore Ravens. The next day, the Patriots shocked the 14-2 San Diego Chargers setting up the showdown all of America was hoping for.

AFC Championship Classic

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The underdog Pats jumped in front thanks to some daring play calls and an Asante Samuel interception return. The Colts scored twice in the third quarter, though, to tie it at 21. New England went back ahead on a Jabar Gaffney touchdown. The Colts tied it again. The Pats kicked a field goal. Indy tied it again. The Patriots got another field goal from Stephen Gostkowski to go up 34-31 then held the Colts to a three-and-out. On the possession, Manning injured his thumb.

The Patriots were one first down away from knocking out the Colts yet again. Suddenly, they made mistakes in the clutch. A silly penalty and a bad route by Troy Brown forced a New England punt. Manning led his team downfield effortlessly. Addai scored the go-ahead touchdown and Indy clinched the ball game on a Marlin Jackson pick. Peyton Manning finally defeated Tom Brady in a meaningful ball game.

Colts Win in A Downpour

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From there, the Super Bowl was easy. But, not before the Bears got a highlight for the ages. The incomparable Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. In a steady downpour, Manning was not at his best in the Super Bowl, but he was good enough. The Colts transformed a 14-6 deficit into a 22-14 lead.

Late in the third, Chicago kicked a field goal to cut lead to five. They got the ball right back and moved to around midfield. Then, Kelvin Hayden made the play to give the city of Indianapolis their first Super Bowl championship. He intercepted Grossman and raced 56 yards on the soggy turf for the score and a 29-17 victory. This was not a marvelous Super Bowl by any standards. However, it was a marvelous accomplishment for Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning.

Manning would win another Super Bowl as a member of the Denver Broncos when he was way past his prime and would lose two others. However, this game was his crowning moment as a professional. As for Chicago, they came very close to getting back to the Super Bowl following the 2010 season. But, they lost at home to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Tomorrow, we will talk about the phenomenal 2007 Patriots and the team that beat them in the Super Bowl!

 

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_bills