Fox, Gase host Osweiler and the Broncos

Playoffs? You’re talking PLAYOFFS??

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler faces off against his former team for the first time in his career Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field when the suddenly resurgent Bears face off against the sputtering Denver Broncos.

The last two weeks have told a completely different story for these two teams.

According to NFL Network’s James Palmer, with Manning not playing this week due to what the team is calling a left foot injury, the future Hall of Famer has not even been near his team or coaching staff this week. Kubiak employs a zone blocking scheme, likes to move the pocket and use play action, all of which were challenging with Manning in the gun.

With a win Sunday, the Bears would reach. He can pass on the run and actually run should the need arise.

Osweiler also desperately needs the run game to come together. Manning is the ultimate team player and whatever he’s doing, you can rest assured, that it’s for the best interest of his football team, the Denver Broncos. But the Bears defense should be up to the task. “And as I shared with him, he’s probably going to have a lot of coaches this week, a few that aren’t coaches either, that are going to be offering him tips or advice”, Manning said.

Osweiler played pretty well in relief of Manning against the Chiefs last week and excelled in exhibition games. “He even said he was going to go back to Montana”.

Chiefs: The team that just beat the Broncos Sunday has one main advantage over the bullies of the AFC West down the stretch – schedule.

The irony here is that if Osweiler does nothing but take care of the football, the Broncos may be a better team with Manning on the bench. The Bears commitment to the run has helped, as well. The Bears have averaged nearly 30 running plays per game this season, versus 22 previous year. In his third year, he led the Broncos to the Super Bowl. Von Miller is a beast. In his first start, ball security remains paramount. “So, I know the mind-set here is we just worry about one week at a time.

Gase learned from his successes, and failures, in Denver.

And certainly not with former coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase standing on the opposite sideline. “I think he’s done a tremendous job”. However, the Vikings have won their last five, have yet to allow more than 20 points in a single game this season and running back Adrian Peterson has been playing with tenacity.

I never like siding against the Packers as Aaron Rodgers always has the potential to break out into an MVP performance. Hey, the offense has to do something, right? The Broncos are still one of the most impressive defenses in the league and will make this a very hard challenge for the Bears’ offense. He and Shaquil Barrett will be key in Denver’s pass rush. Unfortunately, the team they are tied with? Since missing a Week 3 loss in Seattle with a hamstring injury, the veteran quarterback has passed for 1,700 yards with 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 98.7 passer rating in six games.

Cornerback Chris Harris agrees.

Prior to their latest winning streak, the Bears were continually being the own worst enemy, committing penalties and turnovers. The ultimate disaster would be if they found a way to buckle and only notch two or less wins in their final seven games.

While the Bears have looked much improved lately, Alshon Jeffery is battling more injuries and has not been practicing this week.