(Best E Casino) - The Denver Broncos have found their way back to the top of the AFC West standings and will try to stay there when they visit the Chicago Bears this Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

After a 3-5 start, the Broncos have won back-to-back games for the first time since the first two weeks of the season. They handed the Tennessee Titans a 34-20 loss on Monday night thanks to big plays and are now tied with the rival San Diego Chargers atop the division standings.

Denver set a franchise record with four touchdowns of more than 40 yards in the win over Tennessee, scoring on a 48-yard catch by Brandon Stokley, an 80- yard punt return by Glenn Martinez, Brandon Marshall's 41-yard reception and Andre Hall's 62-yard run that accounted for the final margin of difference. Not to mention the fact that the Broncos racked up 359 total yards against Tennessee's vaunted defense.

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler has been playing well over the past two weeks, having thrown three touchdown passes and one interception. He threw for 200 yards and a pair of scores in Monday's win and is starting to bear fruit from his high draft position of a year ago. Cutler outdueled Tennessee quarterback Vince Young, who was selected third overall in the 2006 draft. Cutler went to the Broncos with the 11th pick.

Denver head coach Mike Shanahan has to be pleased with the way Cutler is handling the offense lately, especially after watching his team implode following a 2-0 start to the season.

Chicago is trying to stay alive in the playoff picture and is tied with Minnesota for last in the NFC North division at 4-6. The Bears, fresh off a their second-ever Super Bowl appearance, have alternated wins and losses over the last six games.

In Sunday's 30-23 loss at Seattle, quarterback Rex Grossman was under center again for the injured Brian Griese and had a costly turnover in Seattle territory. Grossman's fumble led to a Seattle field goal and eventually Chicago's sixth loss of the season.

The Bears played poorly on defense too, as Seattle became the fourth team this season to record more than 400 yards against Chicago. It was also the fourth time an opponent scored more than 30 points on the Bears this season.

Grossman still has the starting job, but it would be no shock if head coach Lovie Smith decides to go with Griese, who has a sprained left shoulder but is expected to be available on Sunday. Smith, who also has third-string quarterback Kyle Orton at his disposal, needs to make some sort of move with the defending NFC champs still mathematically eligible for the postseason.

SERIES HISTORY

The all-time series between the Bears and Broncos is knotted at 6-6, with Chicago evening the series by virtue of a 19-10 road win when the teams last met, in 2003. Denver won the previous meeting, a 17-12 affair at Mile High Stadium in 1996. The Broncos also prevailed in the last matchup between the clubs at Soldier Field, taking a 13-3 decision there in 1993. Chicago won the previous tilt between the organizations in the Windy City, a 27-0 rout in 1984.

Shanahan is 1-1 in his career against Chicago, with both of those matchups dating to his tenure with the Broncos. The Bears' Smith will be meeting both Shanahan and the Broncos for the first time as a head coach.

WHEN THE BRONCOS HAVE THE BALL

Cutler (2,082 passing yards, 11 TD, 9 INT) will try to duplicate his success from Monday night against the Bears. Cutler has seven touchdown passes with three interceptions over his last three games and will lead the 13th-ranked passing offense against Chicago's 22nd-rated pass defense, which allows 222.9 yards per game. Cutler's favorite targets this season have been wide receivers Marshall (55 receptions, 3 TD) and Stokley (31 receptions, 4 TD). Marshall had four catches for 56 yards and a 41-yard touchdown grab against Tennessee and has emerged this season as Denver's top deep threat this year. Stokley has three touchdown grabs over his last five games and posted 75 yards and a 48- yard touchdown reception on three catches Monday night. Wideout Javon Walker (19 receptions) hasn't played since Week 3 due to surgery on his right knee, but returned to practice this week and has a chance to suit up on Sunday.

Denver should feel pretty good right now with a struggling Bears team on the horizon. Chicago allowed 425 yards against Seattle, with Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns. D.J. Hackett burned the Chicago secondary for 136 yards and a score on nine receptions. Cornerback Nathan Vasher (5 tackles, sack), who has sat out seven games with a groin injury, has certainly been missed by his teammates and coaching staff. Top corner Charles Tillman (49 tackles) understands time is running out to make a case for the postseason. He did his part with eight tackles and a pass defensed against Seattle. The Bears failed to pick off Hasselbeck on Sunday and will need to start forcing turnovers for a shot at defending their NFC title. Strong safety Adam Archuleta (51 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) is starting to play better, but you wouldn't know after Sunday's game. He ended with a sack and four tackles. Free safety Daniel Manning (41 tackles, 2 INT) chipped in five stops. All three secondary members will share the spotlight against pass-happy Denver, but do have the home crowd in their favor.

The running back carousel in Denver continued to turn on Monday night, as new starter Selvin Young (385 rushing yards, 1 TD) went down with a sprained right knee during the third quarter. Young had 54 yards on 14 carries before giving way to rookie Hall (108 rushing yards, TD), who had 89 yards on seven carries, including a 62-yard touchdown run to complete the scoring. It seems any running back can perform well in Shanahan's system, and Hall proved it. Young should be okay for the Chicago game and will lead the NFL's 11th-best ground attack into a hostile environment. Original starter Travis Henry (580 rushing yards, 1 TD) has missed back-to-back games because of a knee injury and is questionable to return this week. The Broncos' leading rusher also sat out Denver's overtime loss to Green Bay on October 29 with sore ribs.

As for the Bears, they have had trouble against the run this season, fielding the league's 26th-rated run defense. That's hard to believe with linebackers Brian Urlacher (74 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT) and Lance Briggs (69 tackles, 2 sacks) leading the Chicago stop unit. Against the Seahawks, Chicago allowed backup running back Maurice Morris to run for 87 yards on 18 carries. It doesn't help that defensive tackle Tommie Harris (25 tackles, 7 sacks) is still bothered by a knee injury. He only had one tackle last weekend for the Bears, who allowed the Seahawks to score on six of their first 12 possessions. Urlacher is the leader of the defense, which should bounce back this week at home. The Bears recorded just one takeaway against the Seahawks, with defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (34 tackles, 7 sacks) causing a Hasselbeck fumble that Urlacher recovered. The Bears have forced just 17 turnovers this season after leading the NFL with 44 last season. After ranking second in the NFL with 24 picks in 2006, the Bears are tied with the Eagles and 49ers for last in the league with just six this year. That puts Chicago in jeopardy of eclipsing its team record for fewest interceptions in a season, which is nine back in 2002.

It will be tough for Denver's running backs to find much room, but that's what Chicago thought when former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander missed last Sunday's game for Seattle and Morris filled in admirably as his replacement. If Henry and Young are both unable to play in the Windy City, the rookie Hall will be in for a long day.

WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL

Although Griese (1,508 passing yards, 9 TD, 10 INT) has been able to shake off his left shoulder injury, Grossman (908 passing yards, 2 TD, 6 INT) has been thrust back into the limelight as the Bears' starting quarterback. Griese was the emergency quarterback last Sunday, one week after he sprained the non- throwing shoulder in a comeback win at Oakland. Before the Seattle game, Griese had started six straight times. Grossman has lost three of his four starts this season and was under center for the first time since Week 3. He threw for 266 yards and lost a fumble, but was not picked off. Grossman has completed 31-of-51 passes for 408 yards with a TD, no interceptions and a 92.6 passer rating in the last two games. He will have three main targets for the 14th-best pass attack in the league, as Bernard Berrian (51 receptions, 2 TD), Mushin Muhammad (26 receptions, 3 TD) and rookie tight end Greg Olsen (28 receptions, 2 TD) will be at his disposal. Berrian has been a pleasant surprise and came down with nine catches for 109 yards against Seattle for his first 100-yard receiving game of the season. Olsen had 43 yards on seven catches, while Muhammad added three catches for 71 yards.

Denver is 10th against the pass in 2007 but allowed Titans quarterback Vince Young to throw for a career-high 305 yards in Monday's win. The Broncos defense, though, came away with two huge interceptions in the fourth quarter to save the victory. Denver has perhaps the best cornerback tandem in the game in All-Pro Champ Bailey (54 tackles, 2 INT) and Dre' Bly (35 tackles, 4 INT). Bly came away with one of Young's two interceptions on Monday and is probably happy now that the Detroit Lions traded him in the offseason, despite first making a fuss over the deal. Bailey and Bly will have the privilege of shutting down Berrian, Chicago's main deep threat, while getting a chance to collect more picks with the erratic Grossman under center. Veteran safety John Lynch (27 tackles, 1 sack) returned to action for Denver after missing the last two games with numbness in his arm suffered against the Green Bay Packers on October 29. Lynch is an emotional and vocal leader of the defense and came away with five stops versus Tennessee.

Bears running back Cedric Benson (627 rushing yards, 4 TD) is starting to come around and recorded 89 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries versus Seattle. Benson, who gained 43 and 20 yards on his first two touches last week, enjoyed his second-best performance of the season. He had 101 yards on 24 carries back in Week 2 against Kansas City. Benson will get more than enough carries against the Broncos' 26th-rated run defense on Sunday. Denver did a decent job in slowing down one of the top rushing offenses on Monday, holding the Titans to 133 yards on the ground. Even though Young had 74 yards and a score on 11 scrambles, the Broncos were able to contain running back LenDale White, who ended with 42 yards on 13 carries after coming in on a hot note. Linebacker and Broncos leading tackler D.J. Williams (82 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) had seven stops and a forced fumble last week, while linebacker Ian Gold (59 tackles, 1 sack, 1 1NT) came away with eight stops. Williams and Gold will be relied on again to shut down Benson, because neither one of Chicago's quarterbacks are mobile.

FANTASY FOCUS

Fantasy owners should start Benson this week at home against Denver after his promising game at Seattle. The Bears neglected the run late in the game against the Seahawks and may have had a chance to win if Benson remained the focal point of the offense. Plus, he has posted a touchdown in two straight games. Berrian has been solid the entire season and is on pace for his first 1,000-yard campaign. He is coming off two big games and should find the end zone on Sunday despite having to face top Denver corners in Bailey and Bly. If you're desperate for a tight end, Olsen would be a nice pickup in an emergency situation. Olsen is coming off a big game in which he hauled in a career-high seven passes for 43 yards. He has no less than 43 yards receiving in each of his last five games. As for the Broncos, Cutler is starting to play well after a few dismal weeks of action. He had two touchdown passes against the Titans and now must face a tough Soldier Field crowd. Cutler's favorite targets are wideouts Marshall and Stokley. Marshall is the top threat and is a definite starter for this week. He has played in every game this season, recording 56 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. Stokley has three touchdown catches in his last five games and posted a season-high 75 yards on just three catches versus Tennessee.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The 5-5 Broncos are well aware that 4-6 Chicago is just 1-3 at Soldier Field this season, so expect Shanahan to come out firing on all cylinders. Cutler is starting to find his groove and has passed his team to the top of the AFC West standings along with San Diego. However, the Bears are in a more desperate situation and must win this game to stay alive in the NFC playoff chase. The Bears will not win the NFC North again, because Brett Favre and the 9-1 Green Bay Packers will take the division when the regular season concludes. If the Bears use Benson more often than they did late on Sunday, then Chicago will have an even better shot at coming out on top. Benson has been playing well over the last few weeks and the offensive load will rest upon his broad shoulders this Sunday. Chicago will have a tough time passing with Bailey and Bly roaming the secondary. Either one of them is capable of coming out with an interception against the shaky Rex Grossman. Grossman, though, always has something to prove every week. And with Benson carrying the load, he won't have to do much to fulfill his ambitions.

Best E Casino Predicted Outcome: Bears 24, Broncos 17