Party Football Promo - Week #6

[Schwartzy61]

Just a reminder to everyone that you have to get those 30 regular Party Points in today to qualify for the first question of the week.

The game for this week should be the Carolina Panthers at the Chicago Bears.

To view the comments on previous weeks follow the links below...

Week #5

Week #4

Week #3

Week #2

Week #1

[Schwartzy61]

I'll chime in with the results from their first matchup in week 11 which was also played in Chicago...

Score:
Chicago 13
Carolina 3

Passing Yards:
Chicago 136
Carolina 183

Rushing Yards:
Chicago 122
Carolina 55

CHI wins toss, elects to Receive, and CAR elects to defend the North goal.

Also, as of now Chicago is a 3 point favorite at most sportsbooks...

[ QUOTE ]
The key to this game will be how well Rex Grossman plays against the Panthers' ferocious defense. The first time the Panthers and Bears met, Carolina's defense wasn't playing as well as it is right now and the Bears' running game was successful with Thomas Jones leading the way with 87 yards. Now the Panthers' interior defense is playing very good football and will stack the line and force the Bears to put the game on Grossman's shoulders. He's going to have to make the right plays and get the ball in the hands of his playmakers like Muhsin Muhammad.
-- Joe Theismann


[/ QUOTE ]

[Sniper]

Thanks for posting the links and getting this thread started!

[Schwartzy61]

Some more information and an obligatory bump in case anyone hasn't been reminded yet...

Per Game averages:

Offense:
Total:
Carolina 309.4
Chicago 256.3
Passing:
Carolina 204.4
Chicago 125.1
Rushing:
Carolina 104.9
Chicago 131.2
Points Scored:
Carolina 24.4
Chicago 16.3

Defense:
Total:
Carolina 282.6
Chicago 281.8
Passing:
Carolina 191.1
Chicago 179.5
Rushing:
Carolina 91.6
Chicago 102.3
Points Allowed:
Carolina 16
Chicago 13

They have played twice since 2001.

This year in week 3 @Chicago 13, Carolina 3

December 22, 2002 @CAR 24, CHI 14

[Schwartzy61]

Pasquarelli: Keys to NFC Divisional Games

Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears (Sunday, Jan. 15, 4:30 p.m.)

1. Plenty of focus will be on the offensive tackles, Chicago's John Tait and Fred Miller and Carolina's Travelle Wharton and Jordan Gross, in another NFC division matchup featuring teams that also played during the regular season. In the Nov. 20 game at Soldier Field, the Bears registered eight sacks, all by defensive linemen -- five by ends Adewale Ogunleye (three sacks) and Alex Brown (two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles). Ogunleye abused first-year starter Wharton in the Bears' 13-3 victory, and it won't be surprising to see the young tackle get some help from a tight end as he tries to keep the Bears away from quarterback Jake Delhomme. Carolina defensive ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker aren't exactly slouches, either, but the Bears did a superb job of protecting then-starter Kyle Orton in the first meeting. Carolina didn't have a sack, and Peppers and Rucker combined for only three tackles and one pass deflection. Peppers is an unusual player, a guy who had 10½ sacks this season and is going to the Pro Bowl. But he wasn't nearly as dominating as some pundits thought he would be, especially after a breakout 2004 campaign. All of Peppers' sacks came in six games, which means he had 10 games with no sacks, and that is indicative of his career. He is a streak shooter, a rusher who collects sacks in bunches and who is capable of being shut out or posting a three-sack game. On Sunday, the Panthers need him to author one of his big games. Miller was coming off an injury the first time he matched up with Peppers, and he got some help in passing situations. Expect the Bears to do some double-team blocking on Peppers this time, as well.

Two tremendous front-four units fuel their respective defenses, and they are very similar in that they are quick on the edges and stout inside. Each team features a relatively unknown anchor-type tackle, Jordan Carstens for the Panthers and Ian Scott for the Bears, and those two might be more important than anyone realizes, particularly versus the run. Scott is far more consistent than fellow tackle Tommie Harris, who is spotty despite earning a Pro Bowl invitation. Carstens stepped into the void created by the season-ending injury to Kris Jenkins and has performed nobly in just his second season.


2. Make no mistake, these are two teams that want to run the football. But Chicago has to be concerned with both sides of the passing game, its lack of one and just how to keep splendid Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith from making big, game-altering plays. First things first: Bears quarterback Rex Grossman will not only be making the first postseason start of his career, but just his second start this season. One might have to dig pretty deep into the record books to find a quarterback going into the playoffs and who had recorded only 39 pass attempts during the regular season. Grossman has played all of 1½ quarters in 2005, sat out the regular-season finale, and probably isn't quite 100 percent physically. That said, Orton is said by those close to the Bears to be shot, having hit the wall weeks ago, and the consensus is that the Chicago offense has to have Grossman playing to have a chance of advancing in the playoffs. There is an undeniable spark Grossman provides, and it was obvious the first time he stepped into the huddle in the second half of the Dec. 18 contest against the Atlanta Falcons. The tempo is a little sharper, there seems to be more skip in the step of the offensive players, and the wide receivers, especially Muhsin Muhammad, seem to go after the ball harder. Chicago is going to need something out of the passing game and, frankly, anything is more than it was getting from Orton in his last few starts.

Now on to Smith and how the Bears might attempt to slow him: In the regular-season game, Chicago kept Smith out of the end zone, but he still had an amazing 14 catches for 169 yards, one of three double-digit catch games for the season. It was one of those games where Smith didn't even seem like he was running set patterns, but rather getting into the secondary, finding voids, and settling into them. It's easy to say Smith got a lot of catches at "garbage time," but that wasn't necessarily the case. The Bears have one of the best cornerback groups in the game, in the trio of Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher and Jerry Azumah, but just having players isn't enough against Smith. Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who called a great game the first time around when he blitzed Delhomme into a pair of early interceptions and then opted to play coverage after the Panthers went to max protection, will have to surround Smith and push him to the sidelines. Permitted to run free between the hash marks, Smith is a big play just waiting to happen. Think about this: Smith had 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns, the first NFL player to win the wide receiver "triple crown" since Sterling Sharpe in 1992. The rest of the Carolina wide receivers totaled 64 catches, 910 yards and eight scores. None of the other wideouts managed more than 25 catches. So it should be easy, right, to shut down one player? Apparently not, given the season Smith had, so Rivera and his secondary will have to be at the top of their game.

3. Even with Grossman back in the lineup, the centerpiece of the rudimentary Chicago offense remains Thomas Jones, maybe the league's most overlooked tailback. Only a couple years ago, the former Arizona Cardinals' first-rounder was labeled a bust. All he does now is bust through tackles, bleed every yard out of every carry, and finish off every run. Jones ran for a career-best 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns in 2005, and in his sixth season has become a viable force. Chicago also has an underrated backup in Adrian Peterson, a superb special teams performer who typically gets about six or seven touches per game, and who averaged 5.1 yards per carry. The main man for the Bears, though, definitely is the workmanlike Jones, and he ran for 87 yards in the first game against the Panthers, and allowed Chicago to dictate tempo once it got an early lead. Carolina ranked No. 4 against the run (even higher than the Bears, who finished 11th in defense versus the rush) and the Panthers like to crowd the line of scrimmage and call plenty of run blitzes to compress the area between the tackles. Jones is a very patient runner and, while he's not a home-run hitter, he did have a dozen rushes for 20 or more yards this season.

Now, if you want a home-run hitter, the Panthers have one in DeShaun Foster, who, counting Sunday's upset victory over the New York Giants, has rushed for 316 yards and a 7.0-yard average in his last two starts. Foster was throttled by the Bears, who held Carolina to 55 rushing yards in the regular-season game. But even playing with a sore toe that has required a painkiller injection before each of the last two games, Foster is hitting stride at the right time. He gives the Panthers a different style runner than the between-the-tackles pounder Stephen Davis was, but he can't afford to dance so much against a swarming Chicago defense. How these two teams run the ball, and how they defend the run, will be a key element in this game.

4. For the past year, ESPN.com touted the Bears' Lance Briggs as one of the NFL's best, if unheralded, weak-side linebackers. Having earned a spot in the Pro Bowl this season, and considerable acclaim, the prefix "unheralded" can now be expunged. Briggs simply is one of the best outside 'backers in the league. But on Sunday, he'll be one of just two excellent weak-side linebackers on the field, because our new pet project has become trying to get some props for his Carolina counterpart, Will Witherspoon. A four-year veteran, and a superior athlete eligible for unrestricted free agency this spring (Briggs, it should be noted, could become a free agent after the 2006 campaign, but only if there is an extension to the collective bargaining agreement by then), Witherspoon is a classic chase and pursue defender. His all-around statistics -- 81 tackles, two interceptions, 12 passes defensed and 2½ sacks -- were not all that dissimilar to Briggs' numbers. The difference is, people are paying attention now to Briggs, scheming to stay away from him. Witherspoon could use this playoff series to enhance his profile, and given his pending free agent status, to fatten his checking account, too.

Both weak-side 'backers bear watching in this game. The Bears almost certainly will try to run the ball right at Witherspoon, who is better as a chaser than an anchor. And if the Carolina coaches get a good look at the video of the last portion of the season, they may take their chances, too, going after Briggs a little. There is a suspicion that Briggs has eroded a bit physically down the stretch, when he missed about a dozen tackles in the last month of the season. Both weak-side linebackers play well in space, so look for the respective offenses to try to keep them closer to the line of scrimmage in more of a closed area. They are, in general, two of the quickest linebacker corps in the league. Beyond Briggs and Witherspoon, the two middle 'backers, Brian Urlacher of Chicago and Carolina's Dan Morgan, can run with just about anyone. Urlacher was named the NFL's top defensive player for the '05 season and is dangerous coming up inside on the blitz.

5. Vasher had two picks of Delhomme in the first game, both when the Carolina quarterback threw off his back foot, and there is no doubt the Bears will come after Delhomme early again. He is the kind of guy who can make big plays for his own team or for the opposition, and he sometimes allows his passion to get the better of him. If the wild-card weekend reinforced anything, it's that turnovers are magnified in the playoffs, and Delhomme threw 16 interceptions during the regular season. About as confident a quarterback as there is in the league, Delhomme will take some chances because he believes in his arm and feels he can get the ball there under any circumstances. But he will have to be mindful of his occasionally poor mechanics and of the wind at Soldier Field next weekend. Both defenses thrive on takeaways and on being able to provide their offenses a short field. Carolina has a tremendous cornerback trio in Ken Lucas, Chris Gamble and Ricky Manning Jr. (who always shows up big in the playoffs), and the Panthers had 42 takeaways in 2005. That was second-most in the league and helped the Panthers to a plus-16 differential. Chicago had a plus-six differential but finished second in the NFL with 24 interceptions. Throw up a "cripple" and Vasher will snatch it and take in back the other way. Needless to say, ball security will be key Sunday afternoon.

Inside Panthers-Bears
• X-factor: Despite a 9.1-yard average (tied for ninth in the league) and one return for a touchdown, the Chicago punt-return game has been a source of concern all season. Bobby Wade was released because he couldn't even handle punts, let alone make a big play. The Panthers have no such woes, with the electrifying Steve Smith moonlighting as their return man. Smith is nearly as dangerous fielding punts as he is frolicking through secondaries, and he averaged 10.6 yards in the regular season. In a game where field position could make a huge difference, and where the weather conditions could play a role, Smith gives the Panthers a notable edge in the return game. Brendon Ayanbadejo, the Chicago special-teams ace, will need a solid game.

• X-and-O factor: The game features the No. 2- (Chicago) and No. 3-rated (Carolina) defenses in the league, so which side of the ball figures to dominate? The winner might be determined by which offense makes more than its usual quota of plays. These are two very smart staffs, though, coaches who know that you dance with what got you into the playoffs. Don't expect either staff to stray too far out of character.

• Rx factor (health): Carolina -- Perhaps the biggest concerns are the toe injury with which tailback DeShaun Foster has played the last two weeks and the shoulder injury that has forced middle linebacker Dan Morgan to wear a harness. Foster has taken a painkiller injection the last two outings. Morgan still flies to the ball but he is somewhat limited in his ability to square up and strike a blow. Strong-side linebacker Brandon Short is playing with a knee strain.
Chicago -- A strained medial collateral ligament could keep starting right guard Terrence Metcalf on the bench, but the Bears have a very good replacement in Roberto Garza, who is so respected the team signed him to a six-year contract extension last week. Fullback Bryan Johnson has a serious foot injury. The safety corps, which was decimated by injuries late in the season, seems to be healing up.

• Numbers cruncher: The Chicago defense allowed opponents to convert just 31.9 percent of their third-down plays, one of the best marks in the league over the course of the year. But in the last four games, opponents converted 24 of 55 third-down plays, 43.6 percent, and that kind of generosity is a concern to the Bears' defensive coaches. Two of the last four opponents converted 50 percent or more on third down. One explanation: The small but quick Chicago defense wore down as the season progressed, missed considerably more tackles collectively, and surrendered too many yards after initial contact. That's one reason the Bears were thrilled to have a bye in the opening week of the postseason. They are hoping the time off allowed some players to recharge their batteries.

• The Panthers will win if: Smith runs wild through the Chicago secondary, causing all kinds of coverage problems, and Foster breaks off one of his long, winding runs. It won't take a lot of points to defeat the offensively challenged Bears, and the Panthers certainly have the potential to make more plays on offense.

• The Bears will win if: The defense harasses quarterback Jake Delhomme the way it did in the regular-season game, forces him into bad throws, and provides field position for the dubious offense.
-- Len Pasquarelli

[Schwartzy61]

Grossman Must Mature in a Hurry

Why To Watch
The Bears are 9-2 in their last 11 games and have allowed only five touchdowns at home the entire season. Carolina is 7-2 on the road after dismantling the Giants in New York last week. John Fox leads a playoff-experienced Panthers team that will handle the crowd noise and elements without much issue, and Carolina clearly has the big-game experience advantage at quarterback, with its coaching staff and the kicking game. Carolina is also a very disciplined team, having committed the fewest penalties in the NFL this season.

Both of these teams are feature exceptional defenses that generate a lot of turnovers and wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Protecting the football is a must by both quarterbacks. Carolina is one of the best teams in the league when it has the lead, so the first quarter will be of the utmost importance. If the Panthers can make Chicago one-dimensional, as they did last week to the Giants, the Panthers' defense will make life very difficult for Bears QB Rex Grossman. Both teams are well-coached and have two of the best defenses in the league, but Carolina has much more playoff experience and a far more balanced offense.


When the Panthers have the ball
Rushing: The Panthers were dominant on the ground last week against the Giants (223 rushing yards), despite their top two ball carriers, DeShaun Foster (turf toe) and Nick Goings (ankle), fighting injuries. Foster posted 151 yards as Carolina's offensive line opened gaping holes, but he also fought hard for extra yardage, dragging tacklers down the field and refusing to stop his feet. Foster has emerged as a serious weapon who can run inside with power and burst, outside with speed and elusiveness and catch the ball with sure hands and a strong feel for route running and getting open.

This is a balanced Carolina offense, but it will lean heavily on Foster once again this week, even against the Bears' eight-man fronts. In order to get the ball in Steve Smith's hands more often and to keep Chicago's backside defenders honest, the Bears will get him a few carries on end arounds and reverses. Smith is pure electricity and capable of big plays every time he touches the football. The Bears tackle well and allow only 3.7 yards per rush with a very gap sound and aggressive front seven. They will get a huge boost with the return of their leader, SS Mike Brown. Brown is tough as nails, quick to fill on running plays and is a big-time hitter and playmaker.

Passing: Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning does an excellent job of mixing his calls and keeping a defense off balance, but it doesn't take an offensive guru to figure out that getting the ball to Smith as much as possible is a must. Smith has great hands, elite speed and is fantastic with the ball in his hands. Carolina will throw him the ball quickly with bubble screens, quick hitches and slants to force Chicago to bring a corner close to the line of scrimmage and then exploit the Bears' secondary deep. When these teams met earlier in the season, Smith had a whopping 14 catches for 169 yards.

QB Jake Delhomme is 4-1 as a starter in the playoffs and will have to take what Chicago gives him without forcing the football on the road. In the first meeting, Delhomme threw two interceptions to Nathan Vasher. Multiple turnovers in this contest by Delhomme will be catastrophic, so he needs to be a game manager much more than a guy who has to carry this offense. The Bears had 41 sacks during the regular season and will force the Panthers to use extra blockers against their defensive ends. LT Travelle Wharton will need a tight end to stay in and block against RDE Alex Brown.

Chicago will play a lot of Cover 2, as usual, but it might be forced to bring S Brown into the box to stop the Panthers' running attack, making it much more difficult to double Smith. Chicago's defense is the best in the NFL in the red zone, where it switches to man coverage in a shortened field and generate excellent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. DE Julius Peppers should see the field near the goal line for the Panthers and could give the Bears some problems matching up against his size, strength and athletic ability in man coverage. The weather and crowd noise in Chicago could be problematic for Carolina's passing attack, but expect Delhomme and this veteran group to handle both quite well.

When the Bears have the ball
Rushing: Carolina took Tiki Barber out of the game last week and made Eli Manning try to win the game with his arm. Obviously, this was a successful formula in the Panthers' shutout, and Chicago doesn't have receiving weapons comparable to the Giants. Expect a heavy dosage of eight- and nine-man fronts this week. Carolina has a fast flowing defense that fills gaps very quickly and is an excellent tackling squad. That is especially true with a safety added to the box for run support. LB/S Thomas Davis should continue to see more playing time, and the Panthers use his versatility extremely well as a cover guy, blitzer and hard-hitting run defender.

Chicago wants to lean on its rushing attack and play this one close to the vest, but against Carolina's loaded front, moving the ball on the ground will be quite difficult. The Bears will still pound the ball with Thomas Jones regardless of what Carolina does, but don't expect a big day for Jones.

Passing: Chicago's offensive line is steady, physical and an above-average group as a whole, but it often plays a man-blocking pass protection -- much like the Giants -- and will struggle with Carolina's pass rush. The Panthers had great success running loops and defensive tackle/tackle and tackle/end stunts that caused New York's interior linemen to chase their assigned man and open gaping holes in the pass protection. As a result, Carolina had great success rushing just its four linemen and playing man coverage behind it with extra zone support. OC Olin Kreutz makes the line calls and will have to be on top of this situation and adjust Chicago's protection accordingly.

The Panthers finished the season second in the NFL in takeaways and created four turnovers last week in New York. If Grossman turns the ball over on multiple occasions, the Bears' chances of winning are slim. Carolina's secondary matches up well very well against the Bears' receiving options. CB Ken Lucas is among the top players at his position and has great size to neutralize bigger wide receivers. Plaxico Burress didn't have a single catch last week, and Lucas will surely match up against the Bears' top weapon, Muhsin Muhammad. Lucas will eliminate Muhammad and Chris Gamble will have his way with Justin Gage or Bernard Berrian. This secondary's advantage will allow the Panthers the option to bring an extra blitzer on throwing downs, making Grossman's pass protection that much more difficult.

[radii]

Its official:

1: Which team will win the game?
a) : Carolina
b) : Chicago


I took Carolina but I'm a huge Carolina fan and think the game is close enough that I don't think I'm hanging myself by doing so. Chicago is favored and probably the smarter pick.

[Schwartzy61]

This is probably the worst game to have to pick. It all depends on which Carolina team shows up. The team that dominated the last two weeks over relatively good opponents. Or the team that has lost to Miami and New Orleans and barely scraped out wins against Green Bay and Detroit.

There's also the experienced QB vs. First-time playoff QB which last week was a sweep for the experienced QBs. This is a tough one...

[Sniper]

Has anyones results page updated?

[Schwartzy61]

[ QUOTE ]
Has anyones results page updated?

[/ QUOTE ]

No, still showing only the first 3 weeks for me...

As I mentioned in one of the earlier threads, it's nice they posted some of the results, but what are the chances this gets updated before the promotion is over?