The Chicago Bears missed both wide receivers Roy Williams and Earl Bennett last week and it showed. Now with Earl Bennett officially ruled out this week, it's time for Roy Williams to be the man if the Bears are to walk away victoriously this Sunday at Soldier Field versus the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

During the very short but furious off-season after the lockout, most Bears fans were anxiously awaiting the arrival of a big-name free agent wide receiver. I was repeatedly asked about every wide receiver available and each time I responded by saying that if the Bears signed any receiver, expect it to be Roy Williams. With not much time to prepare due to the lockout and with the Bears wanting to go for it all this year, Williams was the only receiver on the market who would be ready to play once plugged in.

Though many fans expressed their disappointment with the acquisition of Roy Williams, some of those same fans were wishing he was on the field versus the Saints last Sunday. The latter sentiment was not lost on me either. On a few plays during the offense's struggles in the Saints game, I also found myself remarking aloud that the Bears are missing Roy Williams. That feeling was only heightened after the loss of Earl Bennett very early in the game.

Of all of the offense's ineptitudes versus the Saints, the one that killed them the most was their lack of conversions on third downs, completing only 2 of 12 for a pathetic 17%. Both of those third down conversions came courtesy of the backfield via Forte and Clutts though the wide receivers were targeted eight times. Without Roy Williams even playing in the Saints game, he's still the third down conversions leader among receivers with two versus the Falcons.

The Bears cannot afford to struggle on third downs versus the Green Bay Packers this Sunday or we are likely to see a repeat of last week's game. Though nearly all fans and media have been demanding balance from the Bears, the Packers main weakness happens to be their pass defense which has given up 400 yards on average during their first two games. Balance or not, you can expect Martz to attack the Packers secondary as part of the gameplan.

The Bears best chance to have passing success versus the Packers will be to get the ball to Roy Williams early and often. After Williams' first third down catch versus the Falcons, they began rolling coverage via the safety to his side, which freed up other receivers underneath. A couple of early Williams catches vs the Packers and the Bears can begin taking advantage of the same forced defensive adjustment. The Packers have also been burnt this early season by playing man coverage behind their risky blitzes. Though Charles Woodson will likely be matched up on Roy Williams for most of the game, Williams must find a way to win the war against Woodson to force the Packers hand defensively.

Don't get me wrong. The Bears must run the ball and more importantly increase Matt Forte's touches to have a shot at beating the Packers this Sunday. Inevitably though, the Bears are likely to find themselves in third and longs which is when they'll need Roy Williams to be the man to move the chains. Though I know Bears fans have been critical of Roy Williams' first down celebration, I myself will actually be cheering for it loudly and hoping we see more of it! It's a small price to pay to keep the chains moving my friends.