Paul M. Banks and H. Jose Bosch preview Bears-Lions on Sunday

(PMB) Wow!!! Your Lions won! What is the world coming to? Of course, Detroit also once produced a very good and well-accomplished Caucasian hip-hop artist, so I know the Motor City can be “where amazing happens.”

After all four teams in the NFC North won for the first time since Week 10 of the 2005 season (I think we can guess which team has held the league back those four years!!), the Bears remain tied for second place in the division with the Green Bay Packers (2-1), one game behind the Minnesota Vikings (3-0) and one game ahead of the suddenly sizzling Lions. With that torrid winning streak the Lions are on, should the rest of the division be wary of the footsteps behind them? Is this a new Golden Age for the NFC North?

(HJB) Of course the rest of the division should be scared! OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but the time will come where the Lions aren’t an easy two wins on the schedule. Is that time now? I wouldn’t go that far yet. This week’s game will go a long way in answering that question. But if the Lions give the Bears a good game or (dare I say) win, the NFC North should watch out. Especially the Bears, who travel to Detroit to end the season.

(PMB) I noticed the Lions are 30th in pass defense, so the area expected to be Detroit’s biggest weakness (and that really says something..it’s like being the shortest midget, or the fattest sumo wrestler) is their secondary. I’ve accepted the fact that the Bears WRs are not as bad as I once thought, but do you think they’re mediocre enough to give the DBs some burn marks, complementing their Honolulu Blue and silver?
(HJB) On most weeks all you need are two legs, two hands and a heartbeat and you’ll beat the Detroit secondary. But I wouldn’t put it past any receiver missing a limb to have a career day against the Lions secondary. I’ve only watched one game this season (and they won!) and Washington clearly didn’t fear the DBs. Just 13 runs the entire game for the Skins.Detroit couldn’t get pressure on the quarterback or cover the receivers. Santana Moss had a big day. The only confidence I have is that the Bears tend to play down to their opponents rather than crushing them. But Cutler may change that. Is he a fantasy free agent?

(PMB) Possibly, you’ll have to go on the open market and check. Good joke about the Detroit secondary. On the flip side, tell me about the youngster Cliff Avril, is he the real deal? And what about this year’s crop of rookies, do you think they’re ready to defend Chicago’s VAUNTED 28th ranked rushing attack?

I don’t think it’s all Forte’s fault. Yes, he’s looked bad, but how do you “run to daylight” when your offensive line never lets you see any? The OL has been pretty bad, as it’s been incessant nighttime for Forte through the first three games.

(HJB) You mean 2008 Sporting News All-rookie team member Cliff Avril? He clearly had a good first season, but he injured his hamstring the first week of the season and has been out since. If he plays this week, he probably won’t be much of a factor. You might be thinking of safety Louis Delmas, who hasn’t done anything to improve the secondary from what I’ve seen. Or defensive tackle Sammie Hill, who has just one solo tackle in two games. Whoever you mean, the defense might not have to worry about the running attack because of the awful secondary.

But the Bears can’t completely ignore the running game. They need to, at the very least, convert on short yardage situations, something Washington struggled with.  That’s killed them, especially when the field got shorter. So the Bears may not have to worry about the run, but they need it juuuuuuuust enough for the win.

(PMB) I figured I’d close on a high note, and bring up a stat which should become even more superlative after Sunday. For the season, Cutler has now thrown for 760 yards on 65 of 101 passing with six touchdowns and five interceptions for an 86.2 passer rating. Cutler’s 253.3 passing yards per game average is currently highest in Bears franchise history. Cutler is on pace to throw for a franchise record 4,053 yards this season. I show you this chart for two reasons

1.) it highlights how sorry Bears QBs have been over the years

2.) Look at who #2 is on this list, your good old friend was indeed the most accomplished Captain of “Air Chicago”

(HJB) That’s a pretty sad state of affairs when your quarterbacks are just as pathetic as the Lions. And in great Chicago tradition you’ve signed a guy that carries himself like anything other than an NFL quarterback. If I want a beer pong partner at a frat house, I want Jay Cutler. Hell, I’d want any Bears quarterback from the last 10 years. If I want a clutch quarterback, someone who can actually win me games late in the season and not just rack up stats, well Cutler wouldn’t be my guy. I hope you guys enjoy having a quarterback sans neck beard but when the games matter most, you’re going to wish you had a winner like Matthew Stafford … who will be a winner next year … probably. As for this week, Cutler will probably look like Joe Montana.

MOST PASSING YARDS PER GAME             Bears History

Player  Season  G    Att   Cmp   Yds    Yds/G

1 . Jay Cutler 2009 3 101    65   760      253.3

2. Erik Kramer 1995 16  522  315   3,838   239.9

3 . Billy Wade 1962   14  412   225       3,172    226.6

4 . Sid Luckman 1947  12   323  176    2,712    226.0

5 . Johnny Lujack 1949 12 312 162    2,658    221.5

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