It's Hanie Time!

So Jay Cutler is going to be out for the rest of the regular season and we probably won't see him again until next season pending Caleb Hanie doing the unthinkable and leading the Bears to the playoffs and a wild card round win. If Jay Cutler is indeed out for 6 to 8 weeks, this is how the Bears schedule will end up:

@ Oakland
Raiders 30, Bears 9
This was a toss-up game before Jay Cutler got hurt but now Oakland should win this game rather easily and end the Bears five game losing streak. The Raiders currently have a playoff spot if the season ended today and are playing great football after the Carson Palmer trade even with Darren McFadden sidelined with an injury. McFadden might be back for this game but if he's not ready, Michael Bush has done a great job filling in for him. The Raiders best receiver Jacoby Ford also missed his last game with a foot injury. Playing in Oakland in front of the Black Hole is probably not the way you want to make your first start. Raiders win.
Bears: 7-4

VS Kansas City
Bears 17, Chiefs 10
Expect this one to be a low scoring game with the Chiefs losing both Jamaal Charles and Matt Cassell to injuries. The Chiefs are starting some dude named Tyler Palko at quarterback right now. Isn't that Keanu Reeves' character from "The Replacements"? This is going to be an ugly game but the Bears defense should lead them to victory.
Bears: 8-4

@ Denver
Bears 16, Broncos 13
The Broncos have been playing great under Tim Tebow but I really don't think this will continue against the Bears. I had this pegged as an automatic win before Cutler went out but now it might be a little closer but I still think the Bears find a way to win. The Bears have done a great job in the past in containing run-first quarterbacks that are better than Tebow and I don't expect this trend to stop. I hope Von Miller doesn't kill Hanie though.
Bears: 9-4

VS Seattle
Bears 17 Seahawks 10
Another close win for the Bears. Tavaris Jackson is another quarterback who like Michael Vick is run-first but obviously he doesn't have the speed or the arm like Michael Vick. Expect the Bears to win another low-scoring game.
Bears: 10-4

@ Green Bay
Packers 31, Bears 13
I didn't have the Bears winning this game before Jay Cutler got hurt although I thought the Bears could give the Packers a mini-scare. Maybe the Bears will get a let-down from the Packers but this is pretty much an automatic loss.
Bears: 10-5

@ Minnesota
Bears 24, Vikings 20
If 10 wins doesn't get you in the playoffs as a wild card, then the season could come down to this. There might be an outside chance that Cutler could return for this game if the Bears really need him I think but this should be Hanie's game assuming he's still starting. The Vikings are not a good team and have a terrible secondary but teams like the Vikings who have nothing to play for at the end of the season scare the shit out of me and playing on the road at the Metrodome is never an easy task especially for an inexperienced quarterback like Hanie. I have the Bears winning this game but it could really go either way.
Bears: 11-5

11 wins will get you into the playoffs in the NFC and the Bears would get either the Cowboys, Giants, or Saints on the road in the Wild Card playoff game. My money is on New Orleans being the 3rd seed. It'll be fun seeing Caleb Hanie potentially going into the Superdome for a playoff win. Thankfully the Bears have a pretty easy schedule to end the year. I had them tabbed at 12-4 if Cutler finished the year so 11-5 with Hanie isn't too big of a drop-off but losing Cutler for a potential playoff game basically guarantees a loss.

Hanie is not a bad quarterback but he's not a good quarterback either. People who still don't like Cutler are going to learn to appreciate him by the time this season is over. I guarantee it.