The 2010 NFC Conference Championship brought the Dallas Cowboys north to Chicago, Illinois to take on Da Bears. Both teams featured QBs who admire Brett Favre and aren't shy about trusting their arm & slinging the rock all over the field, even if it yields a disproportionate amount of INTs. For the 'Boys, both Romo and MBIII played exceptionally well (and Romo had a 31 yard scramble!!!), both defenses played tremendously well, both kickers were essential to their teams, and when Dallas failed to recover an onside kick late in the fourth, the Bears managed to eek out a 3 point victory to go to the big dance.


1 2 3 4 OT T
Cowboys
7 3 3 7 0 20
Bears
7 13 0 3 0 23

First Quarter

(CHI) D.Hester 38 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 3:19

(DAL) M.Austin 11 Yd pass from T.Romo(D.Buehler kick), 1:14

Second Quarter

(CHI) R.Gould, 44 Yd FG, 5:14

(CHI) M.Forte, 2 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 2:14

(DAL) D.Buehler, 38 Yd FG, 0:35

(CHI) R.Gould, 32 Yd FG, 0:00

Third Quarter

(DAL) D.Buehler, 51 Yd FG, 2:29

Fourth Quarter

(CHI) R.Gould, 22 Yd FG, 4:22

(DAL) D.Bryant 80 Yd pass from T.Romo(D.Buehler kick), 1:12

ANATOMY OF SELECT PLAYS:

In this week 16 game, Chicago would play host to Gang Green, who feature a defensive-guru for a head coach in Rex Ryan and one of the most dynamic defenses in the league. What better test to see if Bears QB Jay Cutler could cut down on INTs thrown? And indeed, both Cutler and Chicago HB Matt Forte rose to the occasion, as both would score touchdowns, Cutler threw zero picks, and the Bears' defense continued to play at the very top of their game, helping the Bears shut down Sanchize & Co., 34 to 6.


1 2 3 4 OT T
Jets
0 0 0 6 0 6
Bears
7 10 0 17 0 34 Final

First Quarter

(CHI) D.Hester 61 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 3:08

Second Quarter

(CHI) P.Tinoisamoa, returned fumble 23 Yds(R.Gould kick), 5:00

(CHI) R.Gould, 31 Yd FG, 1:01

Fourth Quarter

(CHI) D.Hester 12 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 5:09

(NYJ) B.Hartsock 62 Yd pass from M.Sanchez(two-point conversion failed), 4:19

(CHI) M.Forte, 18 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 3:37

(CHI) R.Gould, 37 Yd FG, 2:02

SELECT PLAYS' ANATOMY:

It seems QB Jay Cutler could not shake his off-night from the home game against New England in Week 14, where Cutler threw 4 INTs. He would end up throwing 3 INTs in this matchup against Minnesota. Nevertheless, the Bears' O-line did excellently when run-blocking, and Bears RB Matt Forte continued to perform at another level, taking the team on his back and helping the Bears' offense win the game despite Cutler's woes, finishing with 3 rushing touchdowns and 163 yards rushing.


1 2 3 4 OT T
Bears
7 0 14 14 0 35
Vikings
7 0 0 14 0 21 Final

First Quarter

(CHI) M.Forte, 65 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 3:18

(MIN) B.Berrian 1 Yd pass from B.Favre(R.Longwell kick), 0:04

Third Quarter

(CHI) D.Hester 74 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 5:44

(CHI) M.Forte, 4 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 4:08

Fourth Quarter

(CHI) T.Jennings, returned interception 46 Yds(R.Gould kick), 5:50

(MIN) N.Tahi 35 Yd pass from B.Favre(R.Longwell kick), 4:01

(CHI) M.Forte, 4 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 1:43

(MIN) P.Harvin 6 Yd pass from B.Favre(R.Longwell kick), 0:54


PLAY-BY-PLAY ANATOMY (of select plays):

After cruising past the Panthers, Seahawks, Redskins, Bills, Vikings, Dolphins, and Eagles, Da Bears traveled to Detroit to take on the struggling 2-10 Lions. The Bears wouldn't take long to make this game another blowout, reminiscent of their encounter on opening weekend. Chicago's defense was stifling, and Da Bears would put up 21 points in the second quarter.


1 2 3 4 OT T
Bears
7 21 7 3 0 38
Lions
0 0 0 7 0 7 Final

PLAY OF THE GAME: As part of the second quarter rally, inside the redzone, Cutler calls Gun Split Offset - Circle, and flips the play, hoping to either hit his WR crossing into the middle or his hot read for the play, RB Matt Forte, circling into the shallow middle, but after the snap and during the cross, Cutler sees the Lions focus on defending the deep and shallow middle, but that leaves TE Greg "G-Reg" Olsen open on his out and up pattern, and Cutler sees this and hits G-Reg for a 14 yard TD.
http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/45789937


First Quarter

(CHI) C.Taylor, 1 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 0:33

Second Quarter

(CHI) J.Knox 80 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 2:53

(CHI) G.Olsen 14 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 0:53

(CHI) B.Urlacher, returned interception 60 Yds(R.Gould kick), 0:32

Third Quarter

(CHI) M.Forte, 1 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 2:36

Fourth Quarter

(CHI) R.Gould, 43 Yd FG, 2:50

(DET) B.Johnson 28 Yd pass from M.Stafford(J.Hanson kick), 1:57


PLAY-BY-PLAY ANATOMY (for the better half of the second quarter):

Da Bears traveled to East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the New York Giants. Facing a 2-1 Giants squad, the Bears knew the G-Men could be just as good, if not better, than the Cowboys and Packers. And indeed, much of the game was a defensive struggle. Even though Chicago QB Jay Cutler threw zero picks, no points were scored after a first quarter touchdown pass to TE Greg Olsen, until the fourth quarter. Both offense and defense scored touchdowns in the fourth and demonstrated a renewed resurgence, putting up 24 points, all within the final quarter of the game. No particular player stood out from the rest stats-wise, but many Bears players had good performances.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Just outside of the redzone, Bears QB Jay Cutler calls Gun Spread Y-Flex - Curl Flats, with top wideout Devin Hester positioned in the right slot, Cutler reads pre-snap that there is no obvious DB covering Hester, and New York's Strong Safety Kenny Phillips is cheating downwards, suggesting that he will play man against Hester, and indeed after the snap, Hester runs his out route to the flat and Phillips goes after him, but is actually blocked in his pursuit from the press coverage his DB is having on the Bears outside WR, serving effectively as a "pick" and allowing Hester a free release, and with a well-placed throw, the speedy Hester catches and sprints his way to paydirt: http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/45090838


1 2 3 4 OT T
Bears
7 0 0 24 0 31
Giants
0 0 0 6 0 6


First Quarter

(CHI) G.Olsen 13 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 0:39

Fourth Quarter

(CHI) D.Hester 26 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 5:54

(CHI) C.Steltz, returned interception 52 Yds(R.Gould kick), 5:14

(CHI) R.Gould, 30 Yd FG, 3:14

(NYG) H.Nicks 68 Yd pass from E.Manning(two-point conversion failed), 2:45

(CHI) M.Forte 13 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 2:05

This game showed the dangers of having only 2 QBs on the roster. Green Bay backup QB Matt Flynn was starting in place of the injured star QB Aaron Rodgers. Things were looking good for the Cheeseheads when Green Bay picked off Bears QB Jay Cutler 3 times all within the first quarter, and with a clicking offense, jumped out to a 10-nothing lead. However, when Flynn himself went down in the second quarter with an injury, all hell broke loose. Packers Coach Mike McCarthy had no choice but to send in punter Tim Masthay as the quarterback. Although nobody likes to see a player get injured, facing off against a punter had the Bears' defense licking their chops. All of a sudden, it didn't matter that Cutler threw 4 interceptions against a ferocious Packers' defense, all within the first half. Cutler managed to redeem his tremendously poor play somewhat, eventually throwing for 5 touchdown passes, and WR/PR Devin Hester scored his first punt return touchdown of the season in this one, but it was the Bears defense that helped Da Bears run away with it. Masthay did an amazing job for a punter as a quarterback facing off against an extremely talented defense, but Chi-town's D was still able to help make this game a blowout, which included getting their first safety of the season.

In a game that featured strong winds within Cowboys Stadium, the Bears' offense wasn't as sharp as in the prior week against Detroit, largely as a result of facing a much tougher defense in Dallas. However, da Bears' defense managed to play lights-out, showcasing a stunning 3 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions, and 4 sacks. Bears DT Tommie Harris had 2 forced fumbles alone, and CB Zack Bowman had 2 of the 4 interceptions of The Tony Romo Show. MB3 was the lone bright spot for Dallas's offense, racking up over 100 yards rushing. For the Bears offense, WR Devin Aromashodu had a big day, leading the team in catches and yards receiving. Bears WR Earl Bennett also stepped up admirably for the injured WR Johnny Knox.

PLAY OF THE GAME: On 2nd and 14, Bears QB Jay Cutler decides to surprise the defense by calling Singleback Y-Trips Bear - Smash, with the only receiver going long to be TE Greg Olsen. The defense hopefully gets preoccupied with #1 WR Devin Hester running a shallow comeback route, freeing up Olsen down the field. When Hester's covering DB blitzes, it forces the SS to come down to help cover Hester's shallow comeback route, which indeed frees up Olsen on his sprint past the linebackers, catching the pass from Cutler in stride on his way to 6: http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/44799810


1 2 3 4 OT T
Bears
6 17 7 7 0 37
Cowboys
7 0 11 0 0 18 Final

• Scoring Summary

First Quarter

(CHI) C.Tillman, returned interception 43 Yds(missed kick), 4:24

(DAL) M.Austin 12 Yd pass from T.Romo(D.Buehler kick), 0:25

Second Quarter

(CHI) R.Gould, 45 Yd FG, 3:49

(CHI) Z.Bowman, returned interception 62 Yds(R.Gould kick), 2:52

(CHI) D.Aromashodu 4 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 0:10

Third Quarter

(DAL) M.Barber, 48 Yd run(2pt), 4:24

(DAL) D.Buehler, 41 Yd FG, 1:57

(CHI) G.Olsen 33 Yd pass from J.Cutler(R.Gould kick), 0:27

Fourth Quarter

(CHI) M.Forte, 8 Yd run(R.Gould kick), 4:52

• Keys for N'awlins
  • Keep pace with the Patriots' passing attack. If there's any team that can do this, it's the Saints, with the unbelievable precision, accuracy, and composure of QB Drew Brees. Although Brees had far less passing yards and far less TD passes than Brady (30 versus 55), he also had far less interceptions (6 versus 22).
  • Keep Brady off of the field. If the Saints can get even a moderate ground attack to balance out Brees' passing attack, they just might beat NE. New Orleans RB Pierre Thomas, while not a top 10 rusher, had nearly four times as much rushing yards as Patriots RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis. This should mean a balanced Saints offense.
  • Defense Needs to Step Up. New Orleans beat the Seahawks by only 4 in the NFC Championship game, and beat the 'Boys only by 3 in the Divisional Round. Given New England's performance against Indy, this may be enough of a margin to win, but the defense will need to contain if not shut down New England.

• Keys for New England
  • Contain Drew Brees. As it's virtually impossible to force Brees into making lots of mistakes or shake him completely, the Patriots will have to be content with containment and not go for the big play very often, as Brees easily has the composure and accuracy to exploit such eagerness at will.
  • Force turnovers. Just like in last year's SB victory and throughout the season, the Patriots have been good at forcing turnovers. That will be difficult to do via INTs of Brees, so forced fumbles might have to do the trick.
  • Dink-and-dunk if the Saints constantly drop back into zone - as the Patriots started to realize from the Colts game, they cannot force big plays down the field if the defense wants to keep stopping that. Take what the defense gives, including if it's the running game.