Bears-Jets Preview

Here's my preview of today's Bears-Jets game:

Who Has the Edge?
Offense
After a rough first half in which almost nothing went right until the 3rd and 22 draw play, the Bears' offense rebounded with a big second half, scoring three TDs en route to a 38-20 win over the G-Men. So much for being "Teddy Bears", which the New York Daily News foolishly accused the Bears of being before last week's game. However, a similar start against an upstart Jets team could mean big trouble. Against what will likely be a very aggressive Jets defense, the Bears should stay on the ground again and pound the league's fifth-worst run defense. Thomas Jones should carry the ball at least 20-25 times again and pass the century mark in yardage. Rex Grossman must be careful to avoid turnovers against a unit that beat up Tom Brady in a huge upset over the Patriots last week. The Jets will likely try to pound the ball with Leon Washington on early downs and Kevan Barlow in short yardage and goal line situations. Chad Pennington will likely throw the short passes that the Bears sometimes have trouble with. Edge: Bears

Defense
The Bears really do need to get better at defending the run. The rushing yardage stats from the past three weeks are a little skewed because of some long runs by Frank Gore, Ronnie Brown, and Tiki Barber, but you don't want to give up those long runs either. It was a little unsettling to hear star middle linebacker Brian Urlacher say earlier this week that it's ok to give up rushing yards as long as you win the game. It was almost like Grossman saying after the Arizona game that he now knew the Bears could still win despite six turnovers (of course, they couldn't do it against Miami). They also need to adjust quicker to short passes by bringing their cornerbacks up and using press coverage more often. The Jets knocked Tom Brady around last Sunday to the tune of four sacks and a 17-14 victory. With their run defense having issues, look for the Jets to blitz Grossman from all angles in their 3-4 scheme in an effort to force turnovers. Edge: Bears

Special Teams
The Bears' special teams have been nothing short of spectacular this season, with Devin Hester scoring his third return TD and Robbie Gould hitting a 49-yard field goal last Sunday night. The Jets have a dynamic kickoff return man of their own in Justin Miller, who has taken two kickoffs back for TDs this season. Tim Dwight has been average on punt returns. Kicker Mike Nugent is 8-11 on field goals this year, with two misses from 30-39 yards. Edge: Bears

Coaching
Lovie Smith and the Bears' coaching staff has done a very good job in most areas this year. Jets rookie coach Eric Mangini, a Bill Belichick disciple, has taken what was expected to be one of the worst teams in football to a 5-4 record. Edge: Even

Intangibles
The Bears will be playing in the same stadium they played in last week, which might give them a little bit of an advantage. Edge: Bears

Prediction
This will likely be a close game, but the Bears pull it out again. Bears 23, Jets 13