Hopes were very high for the Chicago Bears before the start of the 2009 season

Having acquired a stud quarterback in Jay Cutler, the Bears were ready to eliminate and overcome the one major question mark that may have weighed them down over the past few seasons. Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman were average quarterbacks at best, and diminished the effectiveness of an amazing defensive unit and a great running game, especially after the emergence of Matt Forte.

The biggest obstacle the 2009 Bears may have faced was at the wide receiver position, but Devin Hester and Earl Bennett were adequate enough with the presence of Jay Cutler, not to mention Greg Olsen, a strong, developing force at the tight end position.

The Bears opened up the 2009 season with a visit to Green Bay to face the Packers on Sunday Night Football. Expectations for this game were very high, and some even favored the Bears to win. Unfortunately, the team collapsed during this game, much of it stemming from the ineffectiveness of Jay Cutler, who threw a total of four interceptions during this game.

On top of this was the injury of Pro Bowl defender Brian Uhrlacher, injured for the entire 2009 season. This is a crippling blow to the Bears.

Cutler redeemed himself in the team's second game. Facing the defending Super Bowl champions, Cutler and the Bears looked like a different team out there, finding their way to a 17-14 victory over the Steelers, highlighted by a 4th quarter comeback that saw the team score 10 points.

This was a nice way for the team to redeem itself, and the Bears suddenly have a clean slate going forward.