It was a solid team performance by the Chicago Bears against the Indianapolis Colts last week. From the starters to the practice squad players, the Bears played a great game that resulted in a 23-11 win. For the first time in a long time, we saw a comfortable and calm Jay Cutler in the pocket. He looked like part of the Jay Cutler many envisioned. His throws came out accurate and on time and he made good choices in the pocket. He even scrambled a couple of times and avoided unnecessary sacks.
The defense looked good as well. Jared Allen looked comfortable in an outside linebacker role at times, and the duo of Christian Jones and Shea McClellin are distancing themselves from the pack and will likely be the Week 1 starters for Vic Fangio's defense. The secondary still needs some work and rookie Eddie Goldman will have to step up on the defensive line. With Jay Ratliff suspended for three games to begin the season, Goldman will be given the responsibility as the nose tackle in the 3-4 defense. He is the most important player in terms of run defense and will have to get some good reps during the preseason to prepare for it.
Although it is the pre-season, the Bears are finding some new found confidence. For a team with a new coach and after the disaster of a season they had last year, a win is a win.
It was a horrible showing by the Cincinnati Bengals as they were soundly beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 25-11. Andy Dalton had a horrible outing and was heavily criticized by the media after. Dalton will look to bounce back against a Bears defense that is still learning a whole new defensive system. This will be another year where we ask if Andy Dalton can get over his horrible playoff record, and his play this year will likely define how he will be remembered in the NFL.
The Bengals defense has gotten off to a slow start at the beginning of the season. They gave up 25 points to a Tampa Bay offense that is not regarded as one of the best in the NFL. They need to take advantage of the fact that the Bears are short of quality at wide receiver, as Alshon Jeffrey and Marquess Wilson are both hurt for the Bears. Although it is preseason, the Bengals need to have a good game on defense to get on the right track as the regular season is around the corner.
This will likely be the last time we see many of the starters play. Not many teams play their starters much in the fourth preseason game, and it is usually to determine on what roster bubble players should make the team. The NFL roster shortens after this week as well so this could be the last chance for some players on both teams to show their respective teams what they are made of.