Fansided

NFL: Five teams prepped for a late season surge

By Luke Dahlgren

Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) drops back to pass against the New England Patriots in the first half during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) drops back to pass against the New England Patriots in the first half during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 9, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller (86) celebrates with teammates Marquess Wilson (10) and Marc Mariani (80) after scoring on a 25-yard touchdown reception with 3:19 to play during a 22-19 victory against the San Diego Chargers in a NFL football game at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller (86) celebrates with teammates Marquess Wilson (10) and Marc Mariani (80) after scoring on a 25-yard touchdown reception with 3:19 to play during a 22-19 victory against the San Diego Chargers in a NFL football game at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Chicago Bears (4-5)

Oh, how times have changed. Before their Week 7 bye, the Chicago Bears were so bad that Halas Hall appeared set be getting the “Temple of Jerusalem” treatment, torn down stone by stone never to be resurrected. Now, following a strong showing against the Chargers and a convincing victory over the St. Louis Rams, the Bears have suddenly entered their Week 11 matchup against the Denver Broncos as 1.5-point favorites.

To be fair, this line also involves the general deterioration of the Broncos offense, but credit should be put where credit is due: the Bears are working well on both sides of the ball.

The clear observation for 2015 has been the improvement of Jay Cutler, who is finally playing within an offense geared toward his strengths. Cutler has a career low 1.8% interception rate through the eight games he’s played, a career high 95.3 QB rating and is on pace for his second career 4,000-yard passing season. Cutler has led the Bears on 3 fourth quarter game winning drives (vs. Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers).

Adam Gase’s offense has enabled Culter to be more efficient in the passing game, using roll-outs and mobile pockets, a judicious application of screen passes, and route options that don’t encourage Cutler to attempt difficult throws in triple coverage. Cutler’s success becomes even more remarkable considering injuries to a good chunk of the Bears’ offensive skill players – Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffrey, Eddie Royal and rookie Kevin White either are out or have missed significant time with their own injuries.

Less obvious is the improvement of the defense under Vic Fangio. After struggling through the end of last season up to the beginning of 2015, second year corner Kyle Fuller has emerged as the primary shutdown defensive back, while veteran players in the front seven, namely Pernell McPhee, Lamarr Houston, Willie Young and Sam Acho have thrived in a 3-4 system tailored to their playing styles. Defensive rookies Eddie Goldman (NT) and Adrian Amos (S) have proven promising, and as a result, the Bears surprisingly rest at 8th in yards allowed per game at 335.6.

A surge over the last seven games seems plausible when looking at the Bears remaining schedule. After a very winnable game against the Broncos at home, the Bears face a reeling but always dangerous Packers team. The game in Green Bay should be the biggest challenge remaining for the Bears, who finish their season v. SF, v. WAS, @ MIN, @ TB and v. DET. The BEars have shown that they are talented enough to challenge and even beat both Washington and Minnesota, and they will likely be favored for the other three. A 5-2 finish is definitely not out of the question, and 9-7 could very well be good enough to secure a wild-card spot.

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