This Sunday the Chicago Bears (5-3) will have their chance to put a dent in the last unbeaten team in the league. When the Tennessee Titans (8-0) come to Soldier Field, you can expect quite a lot of intensity and tenacity coming from all the Bears players. But recently injured Kyle Orton may be unable to join them, possibly handing the reins over to former starter Rex Grossman. Sure, Grossman led the Bears to an incredible performance during their 2006 season, but he’s definitely not the same quarterback he used to be. Most Bears fans would choose a hobbled Orton over a diminutive quarterback whose chances of getting the snap right are 50%, chances of overthrowing his receivers are 20%,  chances of  whipping the ball right into the opposing defensive linemen are another 20%, chances of injuring his leg while running are 50%, and actual chances of completing the ball are 10%. On the positive, his chances of being a stoic pretty boy stand at a very solid 98%.

It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Chicago Bears. Then again, it was supposed to be another year where the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots dominated the play. It was supposed to be another year in which Chad Ochocinco dominated at wide receiver. A lot doesn’t seem to add up.

However it does add up, though, the Bears and Falcons are two teams that have surprised the league in both the quarterback and running back spots. The Chicago Bears’ fourth year-veteran quarterback, Kyle Orton, was remembered as being a game manager: Someone who simply had the job to make no mistakes. Instead, he led the league last week in the quarterback spot with 334 passing yards. Rookie running back Matt Forte has also filled his role quite nicely. Filling the relatively “small shoes” of Cedric Benson, Forte is the league leader in running yards by a rookie, and is also coincidentally the favorite passing target for Orton.

Flip to the Falcons side and the story is similar. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan has accomplished much more than expected from him and running back Michael Turner leads the league in running with 543 yards. They too, like the Bears, find themselves with a 3-2 record and are emerging as a potential playoff team.

This weekend the two will meet in a sort of mirror match. Two teams with similar styles, a similar record, and even losses to the same two teams will now see who can out do the other. The game starts at 1 p.m. ET.

If you’re a Bears fan you know there’s a lot to be done and a lot to be tested this year. So let’s start from the beginning where questions always begin for the Bears: Is Orton the man for the job? Every year the Bears face high hopes for a quarterback and ultimately are disappointed with the results (look to Rex Grossman for the most recent disappointment). But Orton, who led the Bears to an 11-5 season a few years ago, may be able to run the Bears offense. Orton does not seem to want to force the ball, and he is fairly stingy with turnovers. This will work well for the Bears since they suffered heavily from turnover points last year. Secondly, Orton has improved…a lot. His accuracy and arm (as well as height) make him a superior choice to Grossman on paper.

But the quarterback can’t do anything productive without protection; an area that seems to have imploded as of lately. The Bears’ offenseive line needs to tighten up and give Orton time to act, otherwise, they may as well punt on first down and leave their defense the job of scoring points.

The Defense! A huge question mark. What happened to the stifling defense of two years ago? Last year they looked terribly average. Even in the preseason they looked somewhat unsatisfactory. But, now that the middle is in great shape with a healthy Urlacher, a healthy Mike Brown, and a healthy Tommie Harris, the Bears just need that spark to get back into that Super Bowl mindset.

A spark that hopefully Devin Hester and Rashied Davis can provide. Hester’s dazzling performances need to continue on special teams, and his move to wide receiver may prove to be a big boon to the offense. Rashied Davis, 4th year Bear, looked extremely impressive in preseason and hopefully he can carry that into the regular season without any injuries.

If all these areas click then the Bears have great potential this year. However, all Bears fans know (myself included) that in the end, The Bears can always find a way to disappoint, even if they have all the talent in the world.

Devin Hester has broken his own record with 7 combined punt and kick return touchdowns. This happened despite efforts from many team to squib kick the ball or kick it away from him. This season, when used as a wide receiver, Hester score two touchdowns and was named the Bears MVP. Devin Hesters game changing ability is amazing. Whether its by giving the bears better field position or running the ball back for a touchdown there is no doubt that Hester is an important contribution to the team.