The Chicago Bears took the Dallas Cowboys out to the woodshed on Monday night and whipped up the Cowboys pretty handily. Jay Cutler looked much better in the primetime than he did against Green Bay earlier in the season, and the defense looked like a top-tier defense in the NFL. Week five isn’t a bye week for the Bears, although it may seem that way heading to Jacksonville. The Jaguars fell to 1-3 after a 27-10 loss to the Bengals last week. This is obviously a rebuilding project in Jacksonville. The same cannot be said for the Bears, as the Windy City faithful are thinking Super Bowl or bust in 2012.
THE GAME
The Jaguars got a divisional win in week three over the Indianapolis Colts on the road. That momentum never left the state of Indiana, as the Jaguars were beaten by the Bengals the following week at home. The issue for the Jaguars is finding any semblance of an offense outside of Maurice Jones-Drew. The Jaguars running back is having another big year, averaging nearly five yards per carry on the year. Jones-Drew knows he’s the glue that holds that offense together and the only really consistent force driving the Jaguars through four weeks. The puzzling thing in Jacksonville is the lack of production from everyone other than Jones-Drew. Blaine Gabbert is averaging only 163.5 yards per game through the air, and rookie first round pick Justin Blackmon has just 10 catches for 79 yards. The Jaguars leading receiver is Maurice Jones-Drew.
WHAT TO WATCH
Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall looked like a legitimate one-two punch Monday night against the Cowboys. Cutler and Marshall hooked up seven times for 138 yards and a touchdown, averaging over 14 yards per pass and catch. Cutler and the offense provided some highlight moments on Monday, but the defense won the game for the Bears. Tony Romo of the Cowboys tossed five interceptions in the game, as the Bears defense swarmed to the football on Monday. The Jaguars will look to run the football on the Bears on Sunday. Chicago should be perfectly fine with that, as the Bears rank third in the league, allowing only 63 yards per game on the ground this season. The Bears also only allow an average of 17 points per game, which should bode well for the Jaguars, who average a league-worst 15.5 points per game.
PREDICTION
Chicago is a six-point favorite on the road against Jacksonville. The popular pick in this one would be to take the Bears, despite the lull of facing the Jaguars after an emotional win over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The Bears are by far the better team, and with the Jaguars depending entirely on running the football, the Bears should have no issues in Jacksonville. Jacksonville has not been bad defensively, but keeping this game close will be a challenge, especially if Chicago’s defense forces turnovers, much like they did against the Cowboys last week. If you take Jacksonville at +6, you obviously have a lot of confidence in Blaine Gabbert and Jaguars passing attack.