Cincinnati @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 25, 2009 ) Chicago 10, Cincinnati 45

The Chicago Bears watched their season fall apart after quarterback Jay Cutler went down in 2012. With a brand new coach and a healthy Cutler on board, the Bears begin the slow climb back to playoff contention when they open the 2013 campaign by hosting the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Bengals made the playoffs in 2012 and are back for more with upgrades on both sides of the ball.

The Bears started 7-1 in 2012 before dropping five of their last eight to miss out on the postseason, leading to the firing of longtime coach Lovie Smith. Replacing Smith is offensive guru Marc Trestman, who is coming off a successful coaching stint with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Cincinnati is still led by Marvin Lewis, who brought the team to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons but has yet to win in the postseason.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Bears -3. O/U: 41.5

ABOUT THE BENGALS (2012: 10-6, tied for first AFC North): Cincinnati drafted tight end Tyler Eifert from Notre Dame in the first round of the draft to add another weapon for quarterback Andy Dalton to go along with Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green. Dalton and the offense faded down the stretch in 2012 and was held to 198 total yards in a first-round playoff loss to the Houston Texans. The Bengals are 0-4 in the postseason under Lewis but dealt a blow to the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers by importing playoff-tested veteran linebacker James Harrison in free agency.

ABOUT THE BEARS (2012: 10-6, tied for second NFC North): Cutler has spent most of his time in Chicago running for his life behind a suspect offensive line. Trestman, who worked well with quarterbacks like Rich Gannon and Steve Young as an NFL assistant coach in the past, tied to solidify the line by bringing in veterans like Jermon Bushrod and Matt Slauson to go along with a pair of rookies that will make up an almost entirely new unit. Veteran linebacker and the face of the franchise, Brian Urlacher, retired in the offseason and the team brought in Mel Tucker as the new coordinator for a defense that forced 44 turnovers in 2012.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Bengals have won five of their last six on the road against NFC teams and are 4-1 all-time at Chicago.

2. Chicago WR Brandon Marshall hauled in a career-high 11 touchdown passes in 2012 and accounted for a team-record 118 catches for 1,508 yards.

3. Cincinnati has never made three straight trips to the postseason.

PREDICTION: Bears 24, Bengals 21