Grossman knows what he's facing

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The opponent has the fourth-ranked defense and has allowed fewer points than any team but his own, not that Rex Grossman needed the reminder. It wasn't necessary to mention the New England Patriots have won three of the past five Super Bowls, either. The Chicago Bears quarterback knows what he's up against, and he realizes he needs to get off to a better start than in last week's 10-0 victory over the New York Jets. "It's not something complicated that I'm going to figure out," Grossman said on Wednesday. "It's just a matter of going out and playing well. For the most part, I made good decisions, but I didn't deliver the ball the way I wanted to. That's easily correctable." All but seven of Grossman's 119 yards against the Jets came in the second half. And he wound up 11-for-22 with a touchdown -- a short pass that Mark Bradley turned into a 57-yarder -- after completing 5-of-11 in the first two quarters. The Jets outgained the Bears 156 yards to 80 in the first half, but Chicago prevailed thanks to its running game and several key plays by the defense and special teams. Chris Harris recovered a Jets onside kick to start the third quarter, leading to a field goal. Brian Urlacher intercepted Chad Pennington in the end zone in the second quarter, and Nathan Vasher picked off a pass in Bears territory in the third. Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson each averaged more than 5 yards per carry, with Jones running for 121 and Benson adding 51. "We didn't go into the game saying we'll be conservative," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "We never got a chance to get Rex into a rhythm or get our offense into a rhythm. And in the second half, we did get conservative. We were getting six, seven yards a carry." That explains why a Bears team (9-1) that looked like it was headed toward a slump after losing 31-13 to Miami at Soldier Field, has visions of a three-game road sweep. After beating the New York Giants and Jets on back-to-back weekends at the Meadowlands, the Bears have the NFC North all but wrapped up and hold a three-game lead in the race for the conference's No. 1 seed. A win on Sunday and losses by Green Bay and Minnesota would give Chicago the division title. "We're excited about where we're at," Grossman said. "We're pumped up at 9-1. ... It's up to you to decide if it's a measuring stick." To Vasher, this week's game is just that. "It's a measuring stick to where we ultimately want to be," he said. "That's one of the premier teams in the league." The Bears will be tested by quarterback Tom Brady, and Grossman will see a defense that's among the best at confusing quarterbacks. "They do a really good job, and they always seem to have some wrinkles," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "They try to take away what you do best." Grossman has had moments of brilliance and games where he had more success getting the ball to the opponent than to his receivers. He committed six turnovers in a one-point win at Arizona on Oct. 16 and four in the loss to Miami, and he has a tendency to veer from his fundamentals when pressured. Still, he's 13-4 as a starter. Grossman acknowledged he's trying to find a balance between his gunslinging instincts and simply managing the offense, which is what he did last week. He plans to spend "a lot of time" reviewing the Patriots (7-3), who run the same defense as the Jets, but he already realizes New England's front seven is one of the best in the league. He doesn't need a reminder. "They're not only great players, but they've been in the system a long time," Grossman said. "They really understand what they're trying to do with pass routes and coverages and mixing up different looks."