Read Sports Geek’s and Loyal Homer’s arguments about which game this weekend is the one that you CANNOT miss.
If I told you before the NFL season started that the week two matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears was the one to watch because of how the team’s respective OFFENSES were going to control the game, you would have laughed at me. However, after injuries last weekend to Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, that is exactly what the situation is shaping up to be.
The Bears and Steelers are both textbook examples of a “defense-first” mentality. Both organizations confidently feature their defenses, relying on their offenses to a much lesser degree. However, this weekend both are forced to take the field without their key defensive players (the Steelers will still have the NFL’s 2008 Defensive Player of the Year linebacker James Harrison on the field, but it is Polamalu who is undeniably viewed as the leader of their defense). The absence of Urlacher and Polamalu leaves gaping holes in each teams’ defense, and it will be up to their supporting cast to fill in those gaps.
This means that both teams also have an opportunity offensively to capitalize on their opponent’s defensive weakness.
No player on the field will be subject to more scrutiny or have higher expectations placed on him than Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Following the highly publicized drama around Cutler’s departure from Denver, and the subsequent praise bestowed on the Bears for “finally” bringing in a pro-bowl caliber quarterback for the first time in over 20 years, many expected Cutler to become the final piece of the Bears’ championship puzzle. However, a very disappointing performance against the Green Bay Packers during week one of the season has cast doubt on his ability to carry the team.
The leadership responsibility now lies solely on Cutler’s shoulders to help the Bears succeed offensively. With the matchup this weekend against a significantly less dangerous Pittsburgh defense than if Polamalu were playing, Cutler will have as good an opportunity as any to prove that he was worth all the off-season hoopla. I hope, for his sake, that it works out well for the Bears. If the fans in Chicago booed quarterback Rex Grossman during the 2006 season (the same year when the Bears actually played in the Super Bowl), what do you think they will do to an over-hyped, underperforming prima-donna who fails to live up to expectations (which is exactly how many fans in Chi-Town will perceive Cutler if he cannot perform satisfactorily), no matter how unrealistic those expectations are?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, the Steelers will be dealing with their own share of scrutiny and expectation. They may have a much more established offense than Chicago, with players like quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to rely on, but defense has always been the focal point of a Steelers’ game plan.
Last weekend, Pittsburgh struggled offensively for much of the game against the Tennessee Titans, including a late Hines Ward fumble that nearly cost the Steelers the game. This week against the Bears, they can ill-afford to repeat that performance because they will not have a defense that is at full strength to fall back on as a safety-net.
The Steelers-Bears matchup on Sunday in Chicago is going to present a unique test for both teams. On defense, we will find out which player’s injury was more costly to their team (Urlacher or Polamalu), and we will find out which team’s offense is better prepared to carry the load for a weakened defense that cannot be called upon to do everything.
