Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles Look To Fix Track On SNF

NFL News - November 17th, 2009 - Written by John

By the time he even reached the seat of his locker room, the comparisons already began to float. In 60 dejecting minutes, Jay Cutler went from cult hero to media scapegoat, throwing five interceptions in a winnable loss (if there is such thing) to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football.

The good news is, the game was broadcast on the NFL Network, and and only an abbreviated audience saw it live. The bad news, well, the messengers saw plenty. So did Rex Grossman's father. On the heels of his worst night as a pro, Cutler drew comparisons to former Chicago busts like Luke McCown, Kyle Orton, and assuredly Grossman himself.

"What's amazing to me is, here we go again with Jay Cutler," Dan Grossman said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. "He came in and he was going to be the franchise quarterback and lead the Chicago Bears. I heard some people say they were going to the Super Bowl this year. And here we are, back in the situation where...because the team is not really built around a passing game, he has struggled. I don't really blame it on Jay Cutler."

To get back on his feet, Cutler must rebound against one of the league's top passing defenses on primetime television when the Philadelphia Eagles come to Soldier Field on Sunday night. The Eagles are favored by three, according to BetUS, despite recent struggles as well. The over/under is 45.

Like the Bears, the Eagles are fading fast in a division they can probably still win. They have lost two-straight and have all but abandoned the running game. With Brian Westbrook dizzied by consecutive concussions, Andy Reid dialed up passing plays 55 times last week and running plays just 13. Rookie LeSean McCoy, who was relatively effective in his first few starts, was limited to only three of those touches and was never able to buy Donovan McNabb time in the pocket.

Westbrook is likely out for this week, and perhaps the balance of the season, so getting McCoy the ball could mean the difference against the Bears, who are 21st in the league at stopping the run

Cutler currently leads the league in interceptions, but still has several elite options to deliver the ball to. Grossman's father said early Tuesday that the quarterback should not be to blame, instead spotlighting the team's insistence on running the ball in a thrower's league. He forgot to check the box score, though. Chicago has thrown the ball 97 times in the last two games (both ugly losses) and run it only 33 times.

Matt Forte has not repeated last year's success, and only has one 100-yard game on the year.

If you are going to bet on this game or any others in Week 11 be sure to check out our NFL Week 11 Betting Odds to get all the information you need to place a well informed bet.

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