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Some articles from Pro Football Weekly:
ProFootballWeekly.com - Patriots-Bears matchup of the day: Wednesday
ProFootballWeekly.com - Bears will give Belichick another test
ProFootballWeekly.com - They said it: Patriots Wednesday edition
ProFootballWeekly.com - Five questions with Patriots OL Dan Connolly
ProFootballWeekly.com - Patriots-Bears matchup of the day: Thursday
ProFootballWeekly.com - Patriots-Bears matchup of the day: Friday
ProFootballWeekly.com - Patriots-Bears matchup of the day: Wednesday
Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz vs. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
Jay Cutler has been sacked a league-high 41 times, but the Martz offense is starting to flow. During the current five-game winning streak, Cutler has thrown 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. On Sunday, Cutler and Martz get to scheme to attack one of the league's worst passing defenses.
But Belichick has made his group thrive during the Patriots' current four-game winning streak. They constantly blitzed Ben Roethlisberger leading to a big win in Pittsburgh. The next week, the Patriots used disguises at the line to confuse Peyton Manning into throwing three picks. The opportunistic defense came up big against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day and then completely rattled Mark Sanchez on "Monday Night Football." As we wrote Tuesday, Belichick likely will attack the Bears' weakness and blitz often to get to Cutler.
Both units are clicking at the right time, the question is who will get the upper hand. Martz might have the better players. Speedy receivers Johnny Knox and Devin Hester could give the Patriots' corners problems while Earl Bennett has come on of late. And Matt Forté is a force running and catching the ball, another tough weapon for the Patriots to cover. Belichick's schemes have been working, but how many games can they come up with that big interception, something that saved them from a collapse against Indy? Expect a dose of blitzing and intriguing coverages that will attempt to dupe Cutler into throwing the ball away, something he is prone to do.
ProFootballWeekly.com - Bears will give Belichick another test
But can it continue? Can Belichick keep outfoxing opposing coaches? Can he get his team as prepared and fired up for a game as he did for Monday night's most-hyped game of the season against the Jets?
The Bears will give Belichick a stiff challenge on Sunday. He will face a respected offensive mind in Mike Martz who will be ready for whatever the Patriots throw at him. And Belichick's high-powered offense will face one of the league's best defenses.
It was easy to get up for the Jets. The Patriots already had seen the Jets and lost to them, so revenge was a factor. They had a couple extra days to prepare and Rex Ryan provides plenty of motivation. Belichick doesn't have those intangibles leading into Sunday's game at Soldier Field. Sure, it's a huge game against a likely playoff team on the road and a win makes the Patriots almost a lock for home-field advantage in the AFC, barring a collapse, but this week of practice doesn't have the excitement and drama that Jets week had.
Here you go, Belichick. Can you continue defying the odds and win games with the league's youngest defense that has allowed more passing yards per game than any other team not named the Texans? Can your offense that was shut down by the Browns, of all teams, keep scoring at will, even against the Bears?
ProFootballWeekly.com - They said it: Patriots Wednesday edition
Belichick on the Bears' defense: "(They're) a really good defensive football team. Pretty much everything, any way you want to measure them statistically is real good: points, third down, red area, pressures, forced fumbles. You name it, they're good at all that. [Their] front is very disruptive. They cause a lot of negative plays. They're hard to block. They move a lot. They're quick; they're powerful. [Their] linebackers are very active — (Lance) Briggs, (Brian) Urlacher — it's an impressive group. (They're) good in the secondary, ball-hawking type of team; they turn the ball over a lot. You have to really protect it against them."
Belichick on how he can replicate Bears QB Jay Cutler's arm strength in practice: "The JUGS machine."
Belichick on where he sees Bears offensive coordiantor Mike Martz's impact on the offense: "Everywhere. The way they break the huddle. From there on, it's Mike Martz. They shift. They motion. They use a lot of different formations. They run the concepts that he's always coached — the passing concepts, the running-game concepts they have. Mike has a great set of complementary plays so if you stop one thing, then he's got the complementary play. If you're stopping one, then you're really not going to be able to stop the other."
ProFootballWeekly.com - Five questions with Patriots OL Dan Connolly
From what you have seen on film with the Bears' defense, what makes them and DE Julius Peppers so good?
Connolly: They're a very disciplined front. They're very tough and play hard for 60 minutes. It's going to be expected out of us to match their enthusiasm and effort for 60 minutes. (Peppers) is a great athlete. He's been doing it for years. We just need to up to play that effort and that ability and do the best we can.
ProFootballWeekly.com - Patriots-Bears matchup of the day: Thursday
Patriots WR Wes Welker vs. Bears nickel back D.J. Moore
The Bears' nickel package should get plenty of work against the Patriots, who frequently spread the field with their deep crop of weapons at receiver and tight end. Moore has shown a knack for making big plays, but he still has only 15 games under his belt, and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick could be tempted to test Moore by designing plays to get Welker matched up against him.
QB Tom Brady looks for Welker on short-to-intermediate routes, and Welker is in the midst of his most productive stretch of the season. He has averaged more than 11 yards per catch in each of the past four games and scored four of his seven touchdowns in the past three contests.
Moore typically is smaller than the receiver he's covering, but he will not be at a size disadvantage against Welker, who is listed at the same height as Moore (5-9). Welker is a quick, disciplined route runner, and Moore has to react quickly to keep Welker from finding open space. If he loses Welker when Brady eludes the pass rush and creates extra time to throw, the Patriots will capitalize.
ProFootballWeekly.com - Patriots-Bears matchup of the day: Friday
Patriots RBs BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead vs. Bears run defense
The Pats are a pass-first team, and a big reason for their success this season has been because of QB Tom Brady's MVP-like play. But what makes them so dynamic is the ability to run the football to change the pace. The Patriots have failed to rush for 100 yards three times this season and lost two of those games.
They average 111.5 yards on the ground and 4.2 yard per carry behind two undrafted backs, Green-Ellis and Woodhead. Green-Ellis is their first- and second-down back, as well as the go-to guy on the goal line. The Law Firm has 11 rushing touchdowns this season. Woodhead is the third-down back and a weapon as a receiver. He has 355 rushing yards and 334 receiving yards with four total touchdowns.
The two backs find their success going behind OLG Logan Mankins and veteran TE Alge Crumpler. Because of the success of the passing game, both RBs have had big seasons. But they face their stiffest test since the Steelers in Week 10 — the Bears' run "D."
Led by LBs Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher, the Bears are allowing just 84.9 yards per game on the ground, but the most notable stat is turnovers. The Bears have forced a league-high 11 fumbles. Urlacher and Briggs are tremendous at fighting through blockers and getting backs wrapped up as Bears defenders swarm and try to rip the ball out. They will have a tough time getting a fumble from Green-Ellis. The third-year player has never coughed up the ball in 263 career carries. Woodhead also does not have a fumble in the NFL.
The Bears have held seven opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards and have won all of those games.
With cold, windy weather forecast at Soldier Field Sunday, the Patriots will want to get a run game going, but the Bears will make it tough. If Green-Ellis and Woodhead can find room to run like they have this season, that will open up the passing game for Brady and it would mean problems for Chicago's defense. But making the Patriots one-dimensional by shutting down the run could give the Bears a needed advantage in Sunday's big game.