So that happened. After threatening on several occasions in the red zone and leading a possible game-tying drive to the five-yard line, the Chicago Bears rightfully lost a game they had no business winning.
Let’s just get the ugly stuff right out of the way. The Bears had nine accepted penalties Sunday night against the Falcons, including three on their final drive of the night. Eventual Hall of Famer Orlando Pace committed the most costly of infractions, when he moved prematurely on a fourth down and one from the Falcons’ five yard line, cutting down on Chicago’s possible play-calls.
Undoubtedly a more significant contributor to Chicago’s woes was their three turnovers, two of which were in the red zone. A Jay Cutler interception on the first drive and a Matt Forte lost fumble in the third quarter (after a Forte recovered fumble the play before) took at least six points off the board. Cutler also overthrew Greg Olsen early in the second quarter in the middle of the field to end another Chicago drive. Cutler needs to keep his red zone mistakes down and Forte MUST curb this fumbling problem he’s discovered.
Speaking of Matt Forte, the running game was anemic against the Falcons defense; with Cutler rushing for more yards on one scramble (30) than Forte did all night (23). I better see some improvement from the offensive lines’ run-blocking, or this is doomed to repeat itself.
Chicago’s inability to react to Atlanta’s no-huddle offense allowed Matt Ryan to lead his team to end zone scores with minimal opposition. It simply shows another reason why Lovie Smith’s defense isn’t working as well as in the past. Tony Gonzalez was too wide open on his endzone grab because defenders were too preoccupied with keeping their zone that no one followed Gonzalez across the goal line. When a Hall of Fame tight end is that alone in the endzone, something is wrong.
Special teams coverage was poor late, leading to a short field and an Atlanta score. It was simply unacceptable for a unit so highly touted over the years. Dave Toub needs to lock down his kick coverage schemes.
Oh yeah, and that pass pressure I said the Bears needed to win this game? It was non-existant, with no sacks or hits on Matt Ryan. He had all day to do whatever he wanted with the football. Any NFL quarterback would have succeeded with that kind of protection.
On the injury side of things, Pisa Tinoisamoa returned to the line-up from knee surgery only to leave the field again due to a knee problem. Besides Pisa, the Bears emerged from this lackluster performance unscathed.
Switching to the positives, Orlando Pace pancaked defensive end John Abraham on multiple occasions throughout the night, negating Abraham’s speed advantage. Despite his idiotic penalty, Pace did show glimpses of his former self. Tight end Greg Olsen got on track, catching 5 passes for 47 yards and another touchdown, giving him scores in three straight games.
Earl Bennett, Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are becoming a solid trio of receivers and more reliable than I would have anticipated. Hester is especially improving thanks to Knox’s contributions on special teams. Desmond Clark had a couple big grabs even if he couldn’t pull in the final throw from Cutler.
Aside from their no-huddle trouble, Chicago’s defense kept things close with Atlanta all night. They picked off Matt Ryan twice and held Michael Turner to only 30 yards rushing on 13 carries. Still, big plays are a problem, and anyone not named Charles Tillman has been routinely exposed in pass coverage. I loved the graphic they showed of QB rating and completion percentage against the left and right side of the Bears defense that showed how awesome Tillman has been this season.
All of the key mistakes made against the Falcons are fixable. Jay Cutler will learn to protect the ball in the redzone and Matt Forte will cure his fumblitis. Penalties will always be a part of the game, but Lovie Smith’s Bears have always kept their mistakes to a minimum. Remember that regardless of all the mental mistakes or poor decisions, the Bears STILL had a shot to win this game. That’s all you can ask for.
Have a good time watching the Monday nighter and MLB playoffs! I’ll be back later in the week for my Opening Drive and Bears Gameday Preview!
