By: Nick Kapetan (

@KapN93

)

Nobody is giving the Chicago Bears much of a chance. Matched up against the well-rounded San Francisco 49ers, while being banged up on the offensive side of the ball, the Bears have to pull off nothing short of a miracle to leave California with a win.

Everything is stacked up against the Bears in week two. Their top two receivers, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery are questionable for the game and even if they do play, will be limited on how much they see the field. Third string receiver Josh Morgan most likely will not suit up as well.

Chicago is also coming off of a deflating week one loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. Their defense, with all of the new shiny parts added this offseason, was horrendous against the run. This week their job does not get easier as they face another two-headed, running back monster. Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde must be licking their chops as they prepare to face the 30 th ranked defense against the run.

If EJ Manuel was able to cause havoc for the Bears last week, how on earth will they be able to stop Colin Kaepernick. Nobody needs to be reminded on how Kaepernick destroyed the Bears two years ago in what ended up being his coming out party. The read option, which Kaepernick runs so effectively, has given the Bears defense fits under coordinator Mel Tucker, and will continue to do so Sunday.

Yes, the 49ers defense is as banged up as the Bears offense is. San Francisco will be without Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman while cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver have been dealing with injuries. Still, the offensive firepower that the 49ers feature should make up for the points that the defense will allow.

If the Bears are going to pull off the upset, Matt Forte must be utilized more often. Head coach Marc Trestman must deviate from his game plan and hand the ball off to Forte late in games when there is a less than sizeable amount of yards to go.

Trestman admitted this past week that his play calling deserved to be criticized, especially that head-scratching call to have Cutler throw the ball on 3 rd and 1, that eventually led to an interception.



Especially with a number of weapons out or limited this week, Forte should receive more than 20 carries against the 49ers, something that has only happened four times during the Trestman era. While dump passes to the running back are effective a majority of time thanks to Forte’s ability to create in space, defenses begin to anticipate and eventually stop him in his tracks.

Sunday night could be a nightmare for the Bears. Starting 0-2 would cause fans, and of course the media, to start searching for the panic button. This test will allow the nation to see how Cutler does without his plethora of resources, and how he reacts to adversity.

If the Bears jump out to a fast start, it is not quixotic to believe that they could shock the football world. The problem is that for this to happen, everything needs to go right. Basing judgment on what one saw last week, that is not going to happen.



Score Prediction: 49ers 33 Bears 24

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