Five questions on the Bears with Windy City Gridiron

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To get ready for Thursday's Detroit Lions game, I exchanged five questions with Dane Noble from Windy City Gridiron, SB Nation's Chicago Bears blog. You can check out his answers below.

1. The Bears have back-to-back wins after going through a pretty rough stretch of games. What's been the biggest difference the last two weeks?

When a team is hitting a rough stretch and needs to feel better about themselves, playing the Vikings and Buccaneers in back-to-back weeks will do the trick (no offense to the Vikes or Bucs). But even when you look at those games, the Bears still weren't firing on all cylinders. We've seen weaker teams back into the playoffs year after year, and some even go on to win Super Bowls, but I wouldn't lend too much credence to the current streak the Bears are on... yet. A convincing win over the Lions might be enough to make us reconsider, though.

2. Do you think the Bears need to move on from Jay Cutler after this season, and is that even a possibility given his contract?

I know I won't be speaking for the rest of the fan base here, but I like Cutler in Chicago. He's crazy athletic and has the ability to make throws that most other quarterbacks in the league can't make. But, of course, we all know the downside to Cutler -- when he gets in a rut, he digs that son of a gun deeply. Cutler wasn't set up for success his first four seasons in Chicago, but with the Trestman regime, his numbers are among the best in the league. But numbers don't win games, and I'm sure that the Bears locker room is a mess right now. One would hope that the quarterback would at least have a significant part in keeping everything together, but from what we've heard, Cutler isn't really that behind-the-scenes Sheriff keeping everything in line. I say give him and Trestman one more year together, and if in 2015 there isn't a major push for a conference championship, send them both packing.

3. Staying on offense, which player should the Lions be most worried about on Thursday: Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall or Alshon Jeffery?

Forte is by far the most complete player, but Jeffery and Marshall both have the ability to beat you big. The Bears will give both wide receivers 3-4 home-run swings per game, but death by a thousand cuts will otherwise be on the agenda with Forte carving up the yards underneath. It's hard to keep Marshall, Jeffery and Martellus Bennett bottled up down the field and still keep Forte in check.

4. What are the Bears' biggest strengths and weaknesses on defense?

Willie Young has been a huge surprise, and when the front four are able to get their push, they can make great things happen for the linebackers and defensive backs. When that push isn't there, though, bad things can happen. The Bears haven't been able to cover tight ends since the late 1980s, and misdirection still works like a charm. Just like an easily distracted little puppy dog, the old fake-left, throw-right exercise will pay dividends when used at the right moment.

5. What does the future hold for Marc Trestman if the Bears don't go on a big run to end the season?

It depends on how you define "big run". With all of the talent on this team, there is no excuse to be pooping this season away like they have been. If the Bears show some sort of spark, even if they miss the playoffs, I think Trestman gets one more season to do the thing. But if the Bears close out with 2-3 more embarrassing performances, I think he might get his walking papers. I hope he gets one more shot, but taking such a step backward in his second year might be an indication that a head coaching position in the NFL is too big for him. We'll see...

Editor's Note: FanDuel is hosting a Thanksgiving Day-only $2,000 fantasy football league for SB Nation. It's $5 to join and first place wins $200. League starts Thursday 12:30 PM ET and ends the same night. Here's the link.