Bears-Pats Preview

Here's my preview of today's big Bears-Pats spectacular:

Who Has the Edge?

Offense
This will be the biggest test yet for Rex Grossman and the Bears' offense. It will be hard to establish the run against the NFL's #2 rush defense. If given time, Grossman should be able to have success against a banged-up secondary. If he doesn't have time to throw, and the running game gets stifled, it could be a long day for the Bears. One of the most interesting factors in this game will be how the Pats try to attack the Bears' defense. The Bears have been vulverable to the run in recent weeks, so the Pats will likely try to pound their defense with Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney. On the other hand, with nickel CB Ricky Manning Jr. suspended for this game, the Pats may go 5-wide and try to attack the Bears through the air. It's still more likely that the Pats will mostly run though, because the Bears' pass defense is #1 in the NFL. Edge: Patriots

Defense
The loss of nickel back Ricky Manning Jr. will definitely hurt the Bears, who may be forced to shift Chris Harris to strong safety and move Todd Johnson to the nickel back position, a position that Johnson usually only plays in the "heavy" run defense package. The main job for this unit will be stopping Dillon and Maroney and getting pressure on Tom Brady. The Pats defense will try to stuff the run and blitz from every direction in an effort to rattle Grossman. The secondary is banged up and just not very good though, so if Grossman has time, he can have some success deep. Edge: Even

Special Teams
Robbie Gould can't do much better than he's been doing, and Devin Hester has been big-time at key moments for the Bears. Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been average, hitting 10 of 14 field goals this season. Laurence Maroney is a dynamic kickoff returner, averaging 29.7 yards per return. Kevin Faulk has been pretty good on punt returns, averaging 11.4 yards per return. Edge: Bears

Coaching
How the Bears adjust to New England's blitz pressure and offensive attack plan will be among the biggest factors in this game. Lovie Smith and his staff have done a very good job for the Bears, but Bill Belichick has a bunch of rings to his credit. Edge: Patriots

Intangibles
The Pats had FieldTurf installed just in time for this game. How will a brand-new field affect each team? It may speed up both teams, it may help one team and not the other, it's hard to tell. It's still the Pats' stadium though. Edge: Patriots

Prediction
The Bears put up a good effort, but fall just a bit short. Patriots 16, Bears 9