Bears Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

Jay Cutler’s(notes) not afraid of the dark, even though 11 of his 17 interceptions have come in the Bears’ three night games, and they’ll be back in prime time Sunday night at Soldier Field against the Eagles.

“That’s how it’s rolled so far,” he said. “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter to me what time we play. A game is a game. It’s just how it’s gone this year.”

Even worse, four of Cutler’s five interceptions in the red zone have come in night games, including two last week in the 10-6 loss to the 49ers.

“They know that I’m aware of it,” Cutler said when asked if coach Lovie Smith or offensive coordinator Ron Turner had spoken to him about the problem. “They know that I’m going to be more critical of myself than anybody else. It’s something (that) they don’t have to say a lot (about) to me.”

But it’s something that has to change if the Bears hope to come away with just their second win in seven weeks. No one knows that better than Cutler.

He was asked if he’s ever experienced a slump as severe as the current one that has seen him throw four more interceptions than any other quarterback in the league.

“Not that I can remember,” he said.

The red-zone failures cost the Bears a victory in San Francisco last week and could have made the difference in the 6-point loss in Green Bay and the 7-point loss in Atlanta.

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner has re-emphasized being smart in the red zone without robbing Cutler of his aggressiveness.

“If nothing’s there, we have to throw it away,” Turner said. “He’s got to understand that there’s nothing wrong with throwing it away. There’s nothing wrong with getting 3 points. We have to come away with (some) points.

“Obviously we want touchdowns, and we usually try to give him an opportunity to take a shot in the end zone if we get a right look. But, if we don’t get the look, then go to the check-down or throw the ball away if you have to. That’s something that we have to continue to work on with him.”

Considering that five of the Bears’ nine games have been decided by seven points or less, coming away with a couple field goals as opposed to a couple turnovers has already been crucial.

“We’ve just got to be careful with it,” Cutler said. “If we’ve got to take three points, we’ve got to take three points. (There are) certain situations where we have to get a touchdown and we’re down, and we’re trying to win a football game. At the end of the day, you get down there, you want to at least get away with three.”

Coach Lovie Smith believes the Bears and Cutler need to take better care of the football no matter where they are on the field but not at the expense of eliminating aggressiveness.

“We’re always trying to be aggressive, but still you have to make good decisions no matter where you are on the field,” Smith said. “It’s not good having a turnover when you’re backed up (either). There’s no good spot on the football field to turn the football over. We have to make better decisions on all areas of the field.”

Unlike his passer rating, which has dipped to 76.0, at least Cutler’s confidence remains at a high level.

“I’m not even concerned about that with Jay,” Turner said. “Jay’s got a lot of confidence, and he’s a really good football player. His demeanor’s great, his confidence level is high, and I think he’s going to go out and play well.”

When Cutler was asked if, as a head coach, he would have sat himself down after the first four interceptions last Thursday, he said, “I’m not going to bench myself. No.”

Series History:   36th regular-season meeting. Bears lead 26-8-1, including victories in each of the past two seasons. The Bears won 24-20 at Soldier Field last season and 19-16 at Lincoln Financial Field in 2007. Last year the Bears stopped the Eagles on three consecutive plays from the one-yard line with less than five minutes left to preserve the victory.

NOTES, QUOTES

—The Eagles’ defense is No. 4 in sack percentage, and it has a reputation for bringing the blitz more often and from more directions than any other team in the league.

“That’s just what they are,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “Every team has a personality. Philly has taken that approach to playing defense since Andy Reid has been there (1999), so we’re preparing for it. A lot of teams have blitzed us. We’ve seen just about all the different things you can, so hopefully we’ll be ready for it.”

Quarterback Jay Cutler was not sacked last week at San Francisco, but he was brought down four times in each of the two previous games.

“Their blitzing is very important for us to see and pick it up to protect Jay,” center Olin Kreutz(notes) said. “It’s a big part of what they do. We’ll see what they have for us, and we’ll be ready for it.”

In the Bears’ 24-20 victory over the Eagles last year, four different players sacked Kyle Orton(notes), including defensive right end Trent Cole(notes), who’s tied for third in the NFC with 7 1/2 sacks this year.

• The Bears are looking for someone, anyone, to make some big plays and end the current drought that has seen them lose four of five games after a 3-1 start.

Six-time Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz says it starts at the top.

“If your stars aren’t making plays, it’ll affect the whole team,” Kreutz said. “We all have to make plays when they’re there to be made, and when that happens we’ll start winning games.”

Kreutz said he doesn’t care if the Bears’ offense does it by getting the disappointing run game back on track or by any other means.

“I’m just frustrated with losing,” he said. “I don’t care about running, passing. I don’t care what we’re doing. We just want to win.”

• Tight end Greg Olsen(notes) has become Jay Cutler’s closest friend on the team, and he says the interception-prone quarterback can handle the adversity that comes with the job.

“He’s doing great,” Olsen said. “He’s a professional. He’s a tough guy. He has a lot of confidence in himself and this team. No matter what happens, nothing’s going to keep him down. There are a lot of things that we all need to do to take some of the pressure off him, and that’s kind of what we’ve addressed.”

• It’s not just a coincidence that in Jay Cutler’s three worst games, when he’s thrown 12 of his 17 interceptions, the Bears have stumbled badly in the running game.

In those three games—losses to the Packers, Bengals and 49ers—the Bears had a total of 164 yards on 64 carries, a 2.6-yard average, while Cutler had passer ratings of 43.2, 64.1 and 33.6, respectively.

“A lot goes into when you turn the ball over with an interception,” coach Lovie Smith said. “Of course the quarterback will get blamed for it all. All of those (interceptions) weren’t his fault. The running game will help that a lot. We need to get our running game going. We’ve said that all along.

“When you’re a running team, the run will set up the pass. That hasn’t happened for us yet, but we’ll stay committed to it. Just like the weather’s changing, hopefully some that can change.”

By The Numbers:   31—Where the Bears rank in scoring percentage in the red zone (.700). Their touchdown percentage of .433 in the red zone is 26th. Quarterback Jay Cutler has tossed five of his 17 interceptions in the red zone.

Quote To Note:   “It’s been a while since we’ve really felt good about our play for more than one week.”—Coach Lovie Smith, whose team has defeated only the 1-7 Browns in the past six weeks (four losses and a bye).

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Even though he wasn’t injured, Josh Beekman(notes) finished Thursday night’s game on the sideline.

Beekman started vs. the 49ers and in the previous two games at left guard, in place of Frank Omiyale(notes), who started the first six games. But Omiyale was in the game for the final possession, which consisted of 11 pass plays.

“We just liked Frank’s ability to pass block,” coach Lovie Smith said. “We were in a different mindset there at the end of the game when we had to pass the football. We like Frank a little bit more in that situation.”

Beekman said he practiced with the starters on Monday but declined to speculate beyond that.

“Coach (Smith has) the final say,” Beekman said. “So we’ll see what happens and just come out and improve and get better.”

Beekman’s blocking helped spring Matt Forte(notes) for a total of 68 yards on two screen plays, but he’s had trouble dealing with bigger tackles.

“I watched the tape, and I just have to do a little better battling big guys,” Beekman said. “Olin (Kreutz) showed me some techniques (Monday) of (how to handle) bull rushing and things like that, and I was just working on that and getting better. That’s my job.

“I had pluses and minuses (Thursday), but the ultimate job is to go out there and have no minuses, be like the Pro Bowlers that I play next to. That’s the goal.”

Beekman plays between six-time Pro Bowler Kreutz and seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace(notes).

Player Notes  

• QB Jay Cutler has thrown 15 of his league-worst 17 interceptions on the road and just two picks in four games at Soldier Field, where the Bears play host to the Eagles Sunday night.

• WR Devin Aromashodu(notes) had his first catch of the season last week and could remain in the rotation this week.

• RB Matt Forte has six receptions of 20 yards or longer, the most in the NFL among running backs. He had three last week.

• WR-PR Devin Hester(notes) has an NFL-best 28 punt returns of 20 yards or longer since 2006, but he has just three of them this season.

Game Plan:   Especially with Brian Westbrook(notes) (concussion) out, the Bears are not nearly as concerned with the run as they are with keeping QB Donovan McNabb(notes) and big-play WR DeSean Jackson(notes) under wraps. The Bears have already been burned by go-to wideouts such as the Lions’ Calvin Johnson(notes) (eight catches, 133 yards), the Bengals’ Chad Ochocinco(notes) (10 catches, 118 yards, two touchdowns) and the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald(notes) (nine catches, 123 yards, two touchdowns). Their best all-around corner, Charles Tillman(notes), does not match up well with the ultra quick Jackson.

Despite Lovie Smith’s insistence that, “We get off the bus running,” the Bears are 30th in rushing attempts and 30th in rushing yards per game. Still, they would like to find a way to take some of the burden off QB Jay Cutler, who has tossed 17 interceptions, including 11 in prime time. If they fail again to get a ground game established, the Bears may look to hit the blitzing Eagles with screen passes, which was their most effective weapon last week in the loss to the 39ers. Forte had pickups of 37 and 31 yards on screen plays.

Matchups To Watch:   Bears QB Jay Cutler, who leads the NFL with 17 interceptions, vs. Eagles CBs Asante Samuel(notes), who has five picks, and Sheldon Brown(notes), who has four.

Bears LG Josh Beekman, who was benched near the end of last week’s game in favor of Frank Omiyale, vs. Eagles DRT Brodrick Bunkley(notes).

Bears LT Orlando Pace, who has struggled with speed rushers this year, vs. Eagles DRE Trent Cole, who’s tied for third in the NFC with 7.5 sacks.

Injury Impact:  

• C Olin Kreutz (back) practiced Thursday without limitation and will start his 112th consecutive game Sunday night barring any unforeseen setbacks.

• TE Desmond Clark(notes) (back), the Bears’ best blocker at the position, has not practiced at all this week and appears doubtful for Sunday.

• DT Tommie Harris(notes) (knee), who had his first sack of the season last week, went through a full practice Thursday and will start Sunday.