Bears Pull Off Rare Feat

The Chicago Bears pulled off a rare feat when they shut down Brett Favre and the Packers 26-0 on Sunday. It was Brett Favre’s first career shutout. Many NFL analysts—once again—are quick to slap the Bears defense with the upper echelon tag. How long before we hear about them being as good as the 1985 Bears again? I would like to point out two points. First, this was the Green Bay Packers and second, they have not shut down a top offense yet.

Sure, the Bears defense is good, but they are not shutdown good. It takes a lot to shutdown a solid NFL team. The Green Bay Packers are not a solid NFL team. They are one of the worst. I know it’s only week two now, but the Packers should start making plans for the 2007 NFL draft. They should end up with a #1 to #3 pick. Before you Chicago Bears fans start talking about mystical places like the Super Bowl, let me point out how disappointing the Bears offense is.

2006 is shaping up like 2005. Grossman was 18 of 26 for 262 yards with one TD and one interception. Nice, but not impressive. How about the running game? Well, take away Jones’ one 17 yard scamper and he had 46 yards over 20 carries—that’s 2.3 yards per rush. Keep in mind, they were playing against the Packers. The offense of Chicago has a lot of work to do. Until they get it in gear, they won’t stand a chance in the playoffs—if they get there.

Favre was 15 of 29 for 170 yards. He also threw two interceptions. It’s possible that Favre will have up to 30 this season. Green was steady in the rushing attack. He had 110 yards over 20 carries. His longest rush was for 14 yards. Next week, the Packers are at home against the Saints. Last season they lit up the Saints—one of their only wins. However, the Saints now have Drew Brees and Reggie Bush on offense. It’s going to be a long season for the Packers.

The Chicago Bears are now 1-0 and go home to face the Detroit Lions. The Lions looked impressive in their loss against Seattle. Their defense will have a solid shot at limiting the woeful Bears offense.