The Bears are playing John Fox’s former team Sunday. The future Hall of Fame quarterback will not play this upcoming weekend against the Chicago Bears because of a serious foot injury. Though this is only Cincinnati’s first loss of the season, it could help the league as a whole figure out how to stop the Bengals. It’s an awkward position to be in for the Broncos’ first-year head coach, placing the fate of his team into unproven Brock Oswiler’s hands. Look for more bootlegs, play action off stretch run plays and more vertical shots – all hallmarks of the Kubiak offense but all slightly bottled up these first 10 games because of what Manning could and, well, couldn’t do. Osweiler will be making his first career start so it’s going to be very interesting to see how he handles it. If the Bears are able to get pressure on him and mix the defenses, I have a feeling he will throw at least one interception.
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The Atlanta Falcons clearly spent their bye week putting in more plays for Roddy White. Bears coach John Fox was sacked by Denver following last season despite guiding the team to four consecutive division titles and a Super Bowl appearance. “I believe in him”, Davis said Monday. “He just kept growing in those areas”.
Only a few short weeks ago, the Chicago Bears were the laughing stock of the NFL.
Week 12 of the regular season throws up arguably, one of the more exciting games with the Broncos facing a critical time in their season as they head to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears.
“He seems to have his confidence”, Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. Against Chicago, we know hes not going to be there. In all actuality, Jay Cutler has been ultra-consistent for the Bears offense this year, especially when you take into consideration he has played much of the season without Alshon Jeffery or Matt Forte, forget the fact that he lost his favorite target Brandon Marshall to the Jets in the offseason. Eddie Royal and Pernell McPhee were the only non-participants. In the receiving end, Langford had 109 yards and one touchdown in seven catches while Zach Miller added 107 yards and two touchdowns in five receptions. Without Manning, who is Denver’s unequivocal leader, this Broncos offense will have difficulty generating points against a steadily improving defense.
That might not be a solution, though, as Phillips explained Thursday in Denver.
“We always have a sense of urgency in our practices”, Harris said. He’s going to keep us calm, let us know the situation. “We work hard on that”.
Rookie center Hroniss Grasu (neck) is expected to return from a three-game absence. They should have ample opportunities to effect the game and the newest one of them already likes what he has seen from his new quarterback. He is recovering from a neck injury, but has practiced, and is listed as probable.
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He could be a true game-time decision because the Bears must monitor whether his knee swells in response to Saturday’s vigorous walk-through. “His preparation is great”, Anderson said.
