Three days after their disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Bears return to the practice field Wednesday to prepare for Sunday's road game against the Atlanta Falcons.
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Playing their fourth road game in five weeks, the Bears (2-3) will look to snap a two-game skid. They lead the all-time series with the Falcons 13-12 and have won four of the last six games. Atlanta is also 2-2 after dropping back-to-back games on the road to the Vikings and Giants.
The Bears won the last meeting 30-12 in the 2011 season opener at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns while posting a 107.8 passer rating. The Chicago defense generated three takeaways and a touchdown while keeping the Falcons out of the end zone.
In three career games against the Falcons, Cutler has completed 68 of 102 passes for 828 yards with five TDs, three interceptions and a 95.5 rating. He enters Week 6 tied for second in the NFL with 12 TD passes, tied for third with 130 completions and 13th with a 94.9 passer rating.
In three games versus Atlanta, Kyle Long has rushed for 167 yards and one TD on 51 carries. He needs 15 yards rushing to become the 58th player in NFL history to reach the 7,000-yard plateau.
The Bears rank 17th in the NFL in offense (22nd rushing and 14th passing) and 17th in defense (16th against the run and 17th versus the pass). The Falcons rank third in offense (17th rushing and second passing) and 29th in defense (28th versus the run and 24th versus the pass).
On special teams, Atlanta is led by former Bears star Devin Hester, who ranks fourth in the NFL in punt returns with a 14.4-yard average and one TD and eighth in kickoff returns with a 24.2-yard average.
ChicagoBears.com will provide all the latest news throughout the week from Halas Hall. Coach Marc Trestman will address the media Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Linebacker Lance Briggs, defensive end Jared Allen, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis will be available Wednesday, while Cutler, Forte and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer will speak Thursday.
