Will this be another year in the Super Bowl or a typical disappointing season from the previous year’s Super Bowl loser. In either case, the Bears face another Super Bowl contender in week one and on the road. Here’s how things may shape up…

How the Bears beat the Chargers

1. Stop LT: It’s obvious, but so was stopping Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLI and that didn’t really happen. There is some caution with hovering over Tomlinson. In the six games that Tomlinson had under 100 yards rushing, the Chargers still went 4-2. Two of those games were dominating wins over Tennessee and San Francisco. Tomlinson is assisted with the best fullback in the league and one of the top 3 tight ends in the NFL. The Bears will most likely put Urlacher in a spy role to keep pace with Tomlinson on the run and out of the backfield. Briggs and Hillenmeyer cannot overpursue when the Chargers decide to run a screen and Bob Babich may be a bit cautious early with the blitz to see how the Chargers plan to scheme and attack.

2. Baby Steps: The media has been all over Rex Grossman and while its been a tad too much, its mostly deserved. Ron Turner needs to formulate a game plan that allows Grossman to succeed and that means short and easy pass routes to start off the game. I’d like to see Grossman settle in early and develop consistency versus going for the home run ball early. Quick outs, ins, seams, and slants will help Grossman create a groove and keep the ball moving slowly but surely. Keep Benson in the backfield to block and leave Desmond Clark on the end to pick up outside and interior blitzes.

3. Cedric Benson: Everything starts with the running game and its time for Benson to fill the bill. If Benson can hit his career average of 4.1 yards per carry, it will keep the Chargers secondary up close and allow the play action game to succeed. If not, the game ends up on Grossman’s shoulders where things rarely go well.

How the Chargers beat the Bears

1. Blitz, Blitz, Blitz: The Chargers defense is going to come after Grossman often and early. Shawne Merriman had 17 sacks last year and will be up against an aging offensive line that will definitely need to prove itself against a top-tier defensive team. It will be interesting to see how Olin Kreutz handles nose tackle Jamal Williams. It will be a one-on-one matchup for most of the game and will force Kreutz in isolation to handle the pro bowler.

2. Antonio Gates: It’s a sure bet that the Chargers will try to use Tomlinson as a decoy on pass routes to force Urlacher to cheat to his side, which ideally would leave the middle open for Gates to exploit the passing game. The problem for Gates is that Urlacher is one of the smartest LB’s in the game and won’t get forced out of the play by over pursuing when in the Cover 2. Still, expect to see Rivers target Gates who is one of the best seam route runners in the game, especially on back side routes.

3. Receivers: The receiving corps wont ring a bell if you don’t follow the Chargers and it doesn’t help that they will be without Eric Parker who is being replaced with Malcolm Floyd. They do have one of the most underrated receivers in Vincent Jackson and possibly one of the best rookie receivers in Craig “Buster” Davis who excels in the short route game. If they can have just an average game against the Bears secondary, they’ll be in good shape. If the Bears have trouble stopping the run early, that will force Babich to bring Archuleta up in the box and leave the downfield open for the receivers.

Difference Maker: Field Position. As odd as it may sound, the game may come down to how well both Mike Scifres and Brad Maynard end up punting the ball. Both defenses were a dead draw in 2006 (Bears #6 and Chargers #7 overall) and will have their share of success against the opposing offense. Then again, that all depends if the Chargers kick to Devin Hester…

It will also be interesting to see how much Ron Rivera can give to Norv Turner and the Chargers based on his knowledge of the defense.

My Pick: As much as I hate to say it, I have the Chargers winning 24-17, especially in old Jack Murphy. The Bears didn’t do anything impressive during the pre-season and much is left to be desired with Rex Grossman, Cedric Benson, and the offense. The Bears will take week one to settle in and then focus on KC and Dallas at home.

Technorati Tags: Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, LaDanian Tomlinson, Rex Grossman, Brian Urlacher, Shawne Merriman