Bears, Texans, Giants, Bills, Steelers: The Missing Ingredient For 3-3 NFL Teams

1. Chicago Bears

If the Bears can play dominant defense and offense like they did against the Falcons, they are playoff bound. Yet, they hadn’t been able to put it all together until Week 6. So was that a mirage against a lesser Falcons team? Was it an any-given-Sunday moment?

The biggest difference between the Bears that won against the Falcons and the Bears team that lost to the Panthers only a week earlier is that the linebackers and secondary showed up in Atlanta. And they established themselves as legitimate defenders.

Missing Ingredient: Confidence

The Bears’ linebackers and secondary needed some swagger. It’s odd when a rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller leads the team in tackles and interceptions. But together, the position groups disrupted the Falcons offense in a way that they couldn’t against Cam Newton and the Panthers. Confidence made a world of difference in week 6. And it’s the necessary ingredient if they want to improve their record.

On offense, the Bears skill players are the best compilation of talent in the league. They have a running back in Matt Forte, two receivers in Alshon Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall and a tight end in Martellus Bennett. None of them are the best positional players in the league, but it’s the compilation of talent that’s so impressive. They need to start acting like it and beating up on defenses like they did with the Falcons.

A side note on the Bears: They are special too this list because they have one “extra” ingredient. Jay Cutler is adding too many interception into the mix. In games where the Bears lose, Cutler has thrown exactly two interceptions per game. In games where the Bears win, Cutler has thrown zero. It’s a tale of two Cutlers. Only one of them will help the Bears get to the playoffs.