Bears-Bills Preview

Here is my preview of Sunday's Bears-Bills matchup at Soldier Field:

Who Has The Edge?

Offense
Bears QB Rex Grossman has been lights out this season, averaging over 250 yards and 2 TDs per game. RB Thomas Jones started to get rolling last Sunday night against Seattle, rushing for 98 yards and 2 TDs. WRs Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian have been very consistent, and TE Desmond Clark (questionable, foot) is expected to start. The Bears will likely come out and try to establish the run first, then go deep on play action to either Berrian or Moose. Buffalo QB J.P. Losman has actually been playing pretty well lately, leading the Bills to a win over Minnesota last Sunday. He is also a threat to run as well as throw. However, the third-year QB will also make his share of questionable decisions. Star RB Willis McGahee currently leads the NFL in rushing with 389 yards, though he has scored only once. Lee Evans leads an average WR corps, and TE Robert Royal is not a big part of the offense (4 catches this season). The Bills will likely try to run McGahee almost nonstop, then take the occasional deep shot to Evans. Edge: Bears

Defense
Technically, the Bears are not the #1 defense in the NFL (because the defensive rankings are determined by yards allowed), but there is not a more intimidating, balanced defensive unit in the league. DT Tommie Harris has been virtually unblockable this season, and even rookie DE Mark Anderson has 3.5 sacks in limited action. The defense has been especially impenetrable at home, where the Bears have allowed less than ten points in eight consecutive regular season games. The basic game plan will be to shut down McGahee and pressure Losman into making mistakes. Buffalo's defense is in the top half of the league, the Bills have been a little better at stopping the pass than stopping the run. They will likely try to blitz Grossman early and often as they did with Dolphins QB Daunte Culpepper in Week 2 (they sacked him five times in the first 15 plays of the game). However, Culpepper has been terrible this season; Grossman should handle the pressure better. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
The Bears hope that punter Brad Maynard will be able to play on Sunday, he's been under the weather. Kicker Robbie Gould has been spot on this season. Rookie punt returner Devin Hester has to catch the ball better and run north-south more often instead of east-west. The Bears shouldn't take away too much of Hester's creativity though, because sometimes you need to go a little east-west to be able to go north-south (did that make any sense?). The Bills' special teams rank up there with the best in the league. Kicker Rian Lindell has been solid this season, missing just one FG attempt. Kick returner Terrence McGee and punt returner Roscoe Parrish are both fast, dynamic return men with the ability to take it to the house at any time. Edge: Even

Coaching
It certainly helps to have great players, but Bears head coach Lovie Smith and his staff have done a great job of keeping the team on an even keel and playing at a very high level. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner deserves much praise for his playcalling, though he needs to remember to stick with the running game even if it isn't going well (i.e. the Minnesota game). Bills coach Dick Jauron has done a pretty good job with his defensive philosophy, but the team will need to score more in order to win games. Edge: Bears

Intangibles
Bears left guard Ruben Brown will be facing his former team, a team he doesn't like too much. Jauron will be facing his former team, and several Bills players also used to play for the Bears (Mike Gandy, Anthony Thomas, Daimon Shelton, etc.). After last Sunday night's beatdown of Seattle, this game could bring a letdown for the Bears, but a loud Soldier Field crowd (and memories of the playoff loss to Carolina) should remind the team of the task at hand. Edge: Bears

Prediction
Unless the Bears have a big-time letdown and turn the ball over multiple times, the Bills don't have much of a chance in this game. Thomas Jones runs for one TD, Grossman throws for another one, and the Bears cruise. Bears 23, Bills 6