Bears have not won on the road this season and it looks to continue that trend. The Broncos are gaining back their form with Plummer under center and they have no margin for error. The Bears are fighting a quarterback controversy and sticking with the one that has a 62.9 rating. Denver could be caught looking ahead, but their next game in Oakland is no longer quite the matchup it has been anyway.

Chicago Notes

The Bears fall to 3-7 in the NFC North with their close loss to the Rams.

Quarterbacks:: Chris Chandler was given the full support of his HC Dick Jauron which is an indication of something when Jauron felt it was necessary to even do. Chandler comes off a 153 yard, one touchdown effort against the Rams and has a QB rating of only 62.9, better than only three other quarterbacks. While fans and even some teammates call for Rex Grossman to get a shot, Chandler remains the starter.

Running Backs: Anthony Thomas gained 71 yards on 17 carries in the first half but only had eight runs the rest of the game. He ended with 92 yards and scored once. Since the A-Train got his groove back on this season, he typically gets all but one or two carries in a game.

Receivers: Chandler's pedestrian passing numbers are preventing the wideouts from making a difference. Marty Booker had five catches for 60 yards last Sunday but has not scored since week five. Dez White caught his second score of the season and David Terrell remains awful.

Desmond Clark had his second consecutive four catch day, with 44 yards this week and 39 yards previously when he scored.

The wideouts remain a relative non-factor in this offense.

Match against the Defense: This game has the chance to get not pretty earlier than later.

Anthony Thomas goes to Denver where no rusher has exceeded 100 yards and in most games, they top out at around 50 yards. If Denver gets an early lead which is likely, Thomas may not get that.

The Denver secondary can be beaten and four times it has yielded multiple passing scores but Chandler and crew have not given an indication that he will be able to join the club. Just because the Bears will have to pass to stay in the game does not mean that they will do it particularly well. With Denver scratching for a wildcard, the Bears will not be overlooked.

Denver Notes

The Broncos rise to 6-4 and are now three games back in the AFC West with the Chiefs loss.

Quarterbacks:: Jake Plummer was sore after the game last week, but his three touchdowns were more than the Broncos had in the previous four games without him combined. It was only San Diego visiting, but then again this week it will only be the Bears visiting. Last week was a monumental drubbing of the Chargers.

Running Backs: Last week Clinton Portis ran so well - 25 carries for 106 yards - that they gave him almost the entire second half off to watch Quentin Griffin gain 55 yards on 15 carries. It was good for Denver to see their backup get some gametime experience, but less so if you were actually starting Portis on your fantasy team last week.

Receivers: With Plummer back, Rod Smith had ten catches for 84 yards and while Ashley Lelie only ended with two catches for 57 yards, Plummer was trying to hit him early when it still mattered. Both receivers ended up taking a back seat to Shannon Sharpe who turned seven catches into 101 yards and three touchdowns.

The offense clicks dramatically better with Plummer back and the wideouts are a big beneficiary.

Match against the Defense: The Bears on the road have yet to win and their inability to stop the run is a big reason why they are 0-5. Clinton Portis should enjoy a good game here but likely not a monster one as Plummer continues to shake off any rust.

Plummer faces a secondary that has yielded two scores on the road three times this season and only Brooks failed to go over 200 yards. Chicago has been good against wideouts up until last week when Holt had 122 yards but where they have been hurt is against tight ends as they have allowed six touchdowns from the position this season. And we are not talking Gonzo, Heap or Shockey. They gave up touchdowns to Franks, Kleinsasser, Conwell, Ricks and Manumaleuna.

Shannon Sharpe is a big thumbs up here again.

* Fantasy point rankings calculated using standard Huddle fantasy points