| Jay Cutler and the Chicago offense have contributed heavily to the Bears' slump. (US Presswire) |
Somehow, the Chicago Bears have to piece together enough offense Sunday to challenge a team that is capable of scoring plenty of points -- the season is riding on it.
The Detroit Lions have the league's top-ranked offense, but the Bears offense and QB Jay Cutler aren't exactly hitting their stride as they reach a game they need for a playoff berth. They know their own defense won't find it as easy to shut down WR Calvin Johnson and QB Matt Stafford at Ford Field as they did in their 13-7 win earlier at Soldier Field. So the onus is on the offense to come up with bigger numbers than it has in recent weeks.
The offense hasn't gotten into the end zone more than twice in a game since the midseason victory over Tennessee on Nov. 4.
"I think we’ll get off to a good start this week," QB Jay Cutler said. "We’ve got to run the ball. We’ve got to take care of the ball. We can’t give their offense anything easy because they move the ball up and down the field pretty well.
"It’s just like any other game. Red zone, third down, ball security. If we do all of those things and hopefully get the running game going a little bit, we should be fine."
They all seem focused on the one goal of more TDs. In fact, WR Brandon Marshall is so focused he didn't even do his weekly press conference this week.
Putting together a running game won't be as easy as it was last Sunday against Arizona because RB Matt Forte has a sprained right ankle that kept him from practicing Wednesday. Most of the offensive snaps are being accomplished at practice with Kahlil Bell playing in the backfield. Armando Allen, who had been the second back, missed practice Wednesday with a knee injury. So it won't come easily for the offense on the ground.
"They have a very high-powered offense, Detroit, and we want to make sure we sustain drives and we got back to doing pretty good in the red zone again (last week)," offensive coordinator Mike Tice said. "We had that stubbed toe against Green Bay in the red zone but over the last month or so we’ve been pretty doggone good in the red zone, so we want to continue that."
Cutler hasn't exactly been on a roll recently. In the last three games, he has a passer rating of 66.3 with three TDs and three INTs. However, he does have a passer rating of 100.9 and 1,565 yards with a TD and only one INT in eight career games against the Lions.
Cutler offered no explanation for his past success against the Lions defense. Cutler is getting plenty of scrutiny because of his record in big games: the NFC title game after the 2010 season, a 1-8 record against the Packers, the loss at Minnesota this year. And now comes a game with the Bears' season riding on it.
In fact, the Bears have Cutler because they failed in a similar situation in 2008. They had to win the final game to make the playoffs, lost at Houston, and a few months later, former GM Jerry Angelo traded two first-round picks, a third-rounder and QB Kyle Orton to get Cutler.
"This is a big game," Cutler said. "I think last week was a big game. We gotta win. There is nothing else to be said about it and quarterback play. These are the games you gotta have."
One thing Cutler would like to have is some balance in the attack. With Marshall owning 113 of the team's 269 receptions, Cutler likened it to what Calvin Johnson has had to do for Detroit in setting the NFL single-season receiving yards record while making an assault on 2,000 yards.
"You know, it’s impressive what they’re doing," Cutler said of the Lions offese. "A lot of balls going his (Megatron's) way. Lot of balls going B’s (Brandon Marshall's) way.
"I think in an ideal world you would like to get some other guys in the mix. If you can have three guys at 70, four guys at 60, 50, 60, 70 and really spread it around, I think it makes defenses a lot more honest. I’m not taking away anything that they have done. It’s impressive."
Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter @CBSBears.