The NFL announced that the Dec. 12th New England Patriots at Chicago Bears match-up has been moved from 1 to 4:15 p.m ET.

It is the second Bears’ game to be moved (Sunday’s victory over the Eagles also was shifted from 1 to 4:15).

There is only one more game on the schedule that can possibly be moved, the Jan. 2 finale at Green Bay. The Bears will play at Detroit at 1 this Sunday. The Dec. 26 game vs. the New York Jets is locked in at 1 and will not be moved (it’s also being shown on CBS).

In other news, the Philadelphia Eagles-Chicago Bears match-up this past Sunday was the highest ranked football game since 1996 on any network according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

Check out Bears Report Card on NFL.com.

The Bears stopped Michael Vick and played their most complete game on offense all season long on Sunday. They beat the Eagles 31-26, but the game wasn’t as close as the final score insists.

They improved to 8-3 and are currently ahead of the 7-4 Packers by one game in the NFC North.

Jay Cutler played arguably his best game as a Chicago Bear. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 247 yards, four touchdowns and most importantly no interceptions. His QB rating was 146.2, the highest of his career. Good Jay showed up against the Eagles.

The offensive line allowed him to get sacked four times in the first half, but after that they protected him pretty well and that allowed him to make some big plays.

Wide receivers Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Devin Hester all had big catches in this game. They all had lots of yards after the catch. They seem to be thriving in the Mike Martz system.

Speaking of big catches, TE Greg Olsen caught his fifth receiving touchdown when he took the ball away from an Eagles defender in the end zone.

The running game set up all these big plays. Matt Forte ran the ball 14 times for 117 yards. He had runs of 61 and 28 which helped the Bears offense out tremendously. This breakout game by Forte helped open up the passing game for the Bears.

They seemed to have a perfect mix of run and pass in this game and if the offense keeps clicking like this they will be hard to beat.

The most steady part of the team is the defense and they contained Michael Vick. Vick had most of his passing yards in the second half.  They didn’t let the Eagles make the “big play” and that allowed them to contain Vick. The Eagles converted only 4 of their 13 third down conversions.

The defensive line consistently brought pressure. Julius Peppers had a sack and a forced fumble. Matt Toeaina had a sack. Anthony Adams had a sack and a forced fumble. Israel Idonije and Henry Melton both recorded a half of a sack.

This defense was startling Vick with four man pressure. Most importantly if Vick actually got past the line, the linebackers were ready to wrap him up. Brian Urlacher had nine tackles and Lance Briggs added five. Safety Major Wright had four tackles and played his most snaps all season long.

The most critical moment in the game came with two minutes in the second quarter when the Eagles were trailing 14-13 and looking to score. DT Tommie Harris got his hands up and tipped a Michael Vick pass into the hands of safety Chris Harris who returned the ball to the Bears 35 yard line.

Then off that interception the Bears took the ball down the field and scored with 38 seconds left before the half.

Bears fans have been all over Tommie Harris since he basically disappeared from the stat sheet a couple of seasons ago. I have always liked the guy, but I understand the hatred towards him. Fans have to love Harris a little more after Sunday’s performance against the Eagles.

Without that tip by Harris, safety Chris Harris would have never picked that ball and the Bears wouldn’t have gained the momentum they needed to get back in the game.

My hats off to both Harris’s on the play, but Tommie Harris stepped up and showed why he is still a good player. Plays like that are expected by the Bears defense and Tommie Harris. So it was good to see him make a big play.

Special teams is the third phase head coach Lovie Smith talks about and they played pretty well. Danieal Manning and Devin Hester split time on kick returns and both consistently set up the Bears offense with great field position.

With all three phases clicking, offense, defense and special teams this team will be very hard to beat. This was the biggest win all season for the Bears and it proves that this team does have what it takes to win it all, um Pat Kirwan doesn’t think so.

Four straight wins, a one game lead in the NFC North all feels good, but they still have four very tough games left on their schedule. They better not take the Lions for granted this Sunday either. They need to keep playing at the level they have been playing at in their four latest wins.

Here are the week 13 Bears power rankings from various sites around the web:

ESPN: #9 (Last week: #12)

Analysis, “Big win over Philadelphia proves Chicago is a legit threat in the NFC.”

Yahoo Sports: #7 (Last week: #12)

Analysis, “Isn’t it time to start giving offensive line coach Mike Tice some serious credit for his unit’s dramatic turnaround?”

Fox Sports: #6 (Last week: 9)

Analysis, “Say what you want about this team, but last week’s win over the visiting Eagles was very impressive. And look no further than their defense for being the reason for Chicago’s success this season.”

CBS Sports: #7 (Last week: #12)

Analysis, “The Jay Cutler-Mike Martz combination isn’t so laughable now, is it? The Bears are the team to beat now in the NFC North.”

Pro Football Weekly: #7 (Last week: #10)

Analysis, “Jay Cutler’s best performance as a Bear? It might have been.”

Pro Football Talk: #7 (Last week: 11)

Analysis, “If Rod Marinelli continues to beef up the Chicago defense, the Lions might hire him to be their head coach again.”

WEEI.com: #7 (Last week: 11)

Analysis, “In a battle between two first-place teams, the Chicago Bears played their best overall game of the season. The defense played well again and forced a key interception in the red zone. Jay Cutler benefited from some great protection and threw four touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Matt Forte also enjoyed the great performance from the offensive line and exploded for 117 yards.”

The Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears will meet for the 41st time tomorrow at Soldier Field. The Eagles lead the all-time series 28-11-1. The Eagles defeated the Bears last season 24-20 at Soldier Field.

This time around a lot has changed. The Eagles have Michael Vick as their starting quarterback, LeSean McCoy as their running back and the Bears have Brian Urlacher healthy and Julius Peppers causing havoc on the defensive line.

Both teams are 7-3 and atop their divisions. WR Jeremy Maclin leads the Eagles receivers with 705 yards and seven touchdowns, LeSean McCoy has added six touchdowns rushing and Michael Vick has thrown 11 touchdown passes and rushed in for five touchdowns.

Vick has been almost mistake free this season, in seven games, he has zero interceptions and one fumble loss. The key to this game is shutting down Vick. He is so good on the run, whether running the ball or throwing it, he is just a freak.

For what its worth, the Bears are 3-0 all time against Michael Vick, but this season Vick is more dangerous than ever. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin have been great weapons for Vick and the Bears need to rattle Vick or he might be able to beat them for some big plays. Tim Jennings against DeSean Jackson is a key match-up that should be watched all day tomorrow.

The Bears defense will have to contain him and make sure they don’t make the big mistake Vick will be waiting for. They just need to play sound defense, so they won’t give up that big play.

The Bears offense might help their defense out if they can have success against the Eagles defense. The Eagles will be without NFL interception leader Asante Samuel. Jay Cutler might want to take advantage of that weakness on the Eagles defense. The running game looked solid against the Dolphins last week in Miami. If they can run the ball like they did last week, that will just open up the pass.

This game is huge for both teams playoff chances. The Bears can’t lose a fourth NFC game because if they do they will find it hard to land a wild card spot in the NFC. The Eagles didn’t look as ridiculous last week against the Giants, but they still put up 27 points against them. Just when you think you have figured them out they come out with some great play on a key play.

Key Match-ups:

Brian Urlacher against Michael Vick

Urlacher will be all over the field tomorrow. He knows how big this game is. Michael Vick has shown how good of a player he is this season and Urlacher knows that. The middle field is Urlacher’s space. If he fails to defend that, he might be in for a long day. Urlacher has to play his best game tomorrow against Michael Vick.

Matt Forte against the Eagles defense

Forte had his most complete in Miami last Thursday since week one against Detroit. He needs to keep the Bears offense on the field to give the Bears defense a break from containing Michael Vick. The Bears have improved their third down offense and Matt Forte has been better since the improvement. Expect the Bears to come out running and Matt Forte will have to run hard if the Bears want to win this one.

Bears receivers against Eagles backup CB Joselio Hanson

As reported by the Chicago Tribune, Eagles CB Asante Samuel has been ruled out of this game and Joselio Hanson will get the start in his place. The Bears need to take advantage of Samuel’s absence. Earl Bennett, Devin Aromashodu and Devin Hester will all get time against 5’9″ Hanson and Cutler should pick on him all day long.

Players Who Will Step Up:

1) Devin Hester- He has been great all season on special teams. Expect him to be a beast on special teams and offense tomorrow. If the Eagles choose to kick him the ball, watch out.

Prediction: 4 catches, 45 yards, one touchdown. Good stats on special teams.

2) Lance Briggs- He has been solid all season long. He will be pumped and ready to shut down Michael Vick and the Eagles.

Prediction: 10 tackles, one interception.

3) Jay Cutler- I have never put Jay Cutler in this segment. I feel he will come out and prove his critics wrong and have a great game. A good running game will only help him, as long as he refrains from throws off his back foot.

Prediction: 20/29, 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.

Final Score:

This game is huge for the NFC playoff picture. The game honestly can go either way. If the Bears run the ball on offense and win the time of possession battle that will only help the defense that has to contain Michael Vick. If the Bears defense can’t stop Michael Vick, this game will turn into a shootout quickly. I don’t know if the Bears offense has what it takes to keep up with the Eagles powerful offense.

I have picked the Bears every game this season, but Michael Vick is just to good. If the Bears do pull it out it will be because of QB Jay Cutler, I can promise you that.

Eagles 24, Bears 21.

The weather forecast for tomorrow’s game is 43°F

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Bears DE Julius Peppers has been named NFC defensive player of the week.

This is what Biggs had to say:

“Julius Peppers has been named the NFC’s defensive player of the week for his effort in the Bears’ 16-0 victory at Miami last Thursday.

It was the Bears’ first shutout in four seasons and Peppers tied a career-high with three sacks of Dolphins quarterback Tyler Thigpen.

It was the eighth time in his career that he had three sacks in a game.

Peppers also deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage that cornerback Charles Tillman intercepted.”

Here are the week 12 Bears power rankings from various sites around the web:

ESPN: #12 (Last week: #17)

Analysis, “Bears have quietly won three straight with solid defense.”

SI.com: #12 (Last week: 14)

Analysis, “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team fix a problem mid-season quite like the Bears offense has with its third-down issues. In its four October games, Chicago was 5 of 50 on third downs (10 percent), and ranked last overall in the league in that category. But since November dawned, the Bears are 28 of 49 (57.1) on third downs, with three consecutive games at 55 percent or higher. In a related development, Chicago’s on a three-game winning streak.”
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/don_banks/11/23/nfl-power-rankings-week-12/index.html#ixzz16J38w41e

Yahoo Sports: #12 (Last week: #16)

Analysis, “After baiting ex-Broncos teammate Brandon Marshall into a taunting penalty last Thursday night, is Jay Cutler storing material for next year’s prospective meeting against Josh McDaniels and the Broncos?”

CBS Sports: #12 (Last week: #13)

Analysis, “That defense is getting better and better, which is key as we move to December. The patchwork offensive line is playing better as well.”

Fox Sports: #9 (Last week: #11)

Analysis,“I still have issues with their offense, but the Bears are really starting to play very good football. And keeping QB Jay Cutler under control is a huge key for their success. Chicago’s defense is good enough to keep them in every game — and that wasn’t the case last season.”

Pro Football Weekly: #10 (Last week: #12)

Analysis, “Couple of tough offenses coming up on schedule.”

Pro Football Talk: #11 (Last week: #13)

Analysis, “Beat the Eagles, and then we’ll take the Bears seriously.”

WEEI.com: #11 (Last week: #15)

Analysis, “The Bears defense is starting to emerge. In the past two games, the Bears D has five turnovers and seven sacks, and has held opponents to 2-for-20 on third-down conversions.”

Veteran LB Pisa Tinoisamoa missed his first game of the season last week against the Dolphins. Nick Roach played in his place and the Bears defense didn’t miss a beat. But Tinoisamoa has being playing very well this season.

A right knee injury caused Tinoisamoa to miss last week’s game, but he should be ready for the Eagles this Sunday. He didn’t practice today, but he might just being resting his knee up for the big matchup against Michael Vick and the Eagles.

The Bears need Tinoisamoa, he has being playing as well as fellow linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. So far in nine games this season, Tinoisamoa has made 34 tackles, one sack and has forced one fumble.

Having Tinoisamoa back on the field on Sunday will make the Bears defense that much better. They need him because this might be the hardest matchup all season because of the weapons the Eagles have around Michael Vick. Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy are all weapons the Bears need to be wary of.

Pisa Tinoisamoa returning to action might not be that big of a move, but it will help against the much improved Eagles offense.

Danieal Manning had a huge hit on Dolphins WR Devone Bess on the final Dolphins drive in Miami last Thursday.

Bears defenders and coaches spoke up about Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick. Here’s what they had to say:

Brian Urlacher: “I’m not amazed with anything he’s doing. He’s Michael Vick, he was doing that before. I think it’s just now, he’s back in full shape and fully healthy. He’s an elite athlete.”

””He’s a quarterback now, when he was with Atlanta, they said he was a dangerous runner. Now he’s throwing the ball. He runs because he has to, not because he wants to.

“He’s sitting back there waiting for his guys to get open, then taking off. He’s got a cannon. We’ve all seen his arm. Just phenomenal.”

DE Julius Peppers: “It’s not hard to see what he’s doing. He’s the MVP, in my opinion, it will be a good challenge for us.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli: “How do you defend him? You have to stay on your feet, especially with our rushers, you have to contain this guy. But at the same time, you have to go after him. You have to really go out and compete because he’s a great one and has become an accomplished passer. He never lets a play die.”

LB Lance Briggs: “We have to play our game, Michael Vick looks like the phenomenal player that I always thought him to be. But it’s not about what Michael Vick does. It’s about what we do.”

all quotes from Chicagotribune.com