Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bears' Week 11 Loss

The Chicago Bears had a chance to get to .500 for the first time this season, but they lost 17-15 to the Denver Broncos in Week 11. The loss dropped the team to 4-6 on the year.

Chicago's offense gained 347 total yards, but the defense allowed 389 total yards. Denver's Brock Osweiler got his first career start in place of the injured Peyton Manning on Sunday, and the former Arizona State star completed 20 of his 27 passing attempts for 250 yards with two touchdowns against a Bears defense that recorded five sacks.

On offense, the Bears struggled to get into a rhythm both on the ground and through the air, and they struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone.

A short week awaits the Bears in Week 12 when they travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers on Thanksgiving night. The Packers improved to 7-3 on the year after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, and the Bears will need to show improvement on both sides of the ball if they want to come away with just their second win against the Packers since 2011.

What are our biggest takeaways from Chicago's Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos? 

Run Defense Needs to Improve

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears struggled to corral Denver RB Ronnie Hillman in Week 11.

A week after holding St. Louis Rams rookie standout Todd Gurley to just 45 rushing yards on 12 carries, Chicago's defense was gashed in the running game by Denver's Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson in Week 11.

Denver gained 170 yards rushing on 36 carries, and Hillman led the way with 102 yards on 21 carries. Anderson carried the ball 12 times for 59 yards in relief of Hillman. 

Chicago's defensive line struggled to gain leverage at the point of attack early in the game, and its safeties and linebackers were unable to control both running backs on the outside.

"Outside contain/gap control issues early for the Bears defense," tweeted CBSChicago.com's Dan Durkin in the first quarter. "Both Hillman and Anderson were able to get to the perimeter untouched."

Inside linebacker Shea McClellin played well against the run in his return to the lineup last week versus the Rams, but he struggled to shed blockers early in the game. Linebacker Christian Jones led the team in tackles with eight, but he also struggled to shed blockers in the running game.

The defensive line did a nice job against the run up the middle, but the defense was burned numerous times on stretch runs to the outside.

Safety Adrian Amos made a couple of plays against the run, but outside linebackers Pernell McPhee, Sam Acho, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young struggled all afternoon to corral both Hillman and Anderson on the ground.

The Bears have played relatively well against the run this season, but they proved on Sunday against the Broncos they still have a lot to work on.

Jay Cutler Had Two Costly Turnovers

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Since missing a start in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Jay Cutler has been Chicago's best player on offense.

He entered Sunday's game with five interceptions in eight starts this season, but he threw an interception and lost a fumble in his first game against the Broncos since being traded by Denver to Chicago in 2009.

Cutler completed seven of his 12 passing attempts for 118 yards in the first half, but he fell back on old habits in the second half. On his interception in the third quarter, Cutler tried to hit wide receiver Marquess Wilson in the middle of the field, but the ball was picked off by Denver linebacker Danny Trevathan.

"Cutler said he saw Trevathan on the interception, but 'sometimes it’s hard for those guys to flip their hips.' Wished he put more air on it," tweeted Durkin after the game.

Wilson struggled to create separation off the snap, but Cutler tried to force the ball to Wilson anyway. That interception was Cutler's worst decision of the afternoon, but he also struggled to protect the ball late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.

Cutler stepped up in the pocket on first down with just over two minutes left on the clock, but edge-rusher Von Miller beat left tackle Charles Leno off the edge and forced the ball out of Cutler's hand. The ball bounced off right guard Patrick Omameh, and defensive tackle Malik Jackson made the recovery.

The fumble is more a result of poor pass protection than anything, but Cutler has struggled throughout his career with turnovers. That fumble was his fifth this season and the third one he has lost.

The veteran quarterback did make some nice plays with his legs and was able to connect on big passes down the field to Wilson, but his two turnovers slowed down Chicago's momentum on offense in the second half.

John Fox's Aggressive Decision on Fourth Down Changed the Game

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Head coach John Fox has been a conservative coach this season when it comes to deciding whether to go for it on fourth down, but he bucked that trend in the fourth quarter against Denver.

With the Bears trailing 17-9 with under 12 minutes to go in the game, the offense started to find a rhythm. The offense got itself into the red zone following a 40-yard completion through the air from Cutler to Wilson, but after failing to get into the end zone on three straight plays, Fox opted to go for it on fourth down at Denver's 4-yard line.

Cutler rolled out to his right after facing pressure up the middle, but he was unable to connect with rookie running back Jeremy Langford in the end zone with 10 minutes still remaining on the clock.

Many questioned Fox's decision to go for it on fourth down, including the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell.

"John Fox likes to say it's easy to make decisions after they happen," Campbell tweeted. "But taking the three points seemed smart there, no?"

The Bears later got themselves within two points of the Broncos following a Langford touchdown run late in the quarter, but the team came up short on the two-point conversion attempt. Had the Bears connected on a field goal earlier in the quarter instead of going for it on fourth down, they could have come away with a victory over the Broncos.

Fox explained his decision to go for it on fourth down after the game.

“We felt that was going to maybe be our last opportunity [to get into the end zone]," Fox said, per WGNRadio.com's Adam Hoge.

It is easy to look back in hindsight and criticize Fox's decision given the way the game ended for Chicago, but there were still 10 minutes left on the clock. Chicago's defense had played well enough against Denver's offense up to that point in the game, and not going for the field goal forced the Bears to attempt a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.

Offense Struggled Without Its Playmakers

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Matt Forte (right) missed his third straight game on Sunday against Denver.

For the third straight game, the Bears were without starting running back Matt Forte on Sunday. In addition to being without Forte, the Bears were also without starting wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal.

Jeffery has battled with injuries all season, but he has made 36 catches for 515 yards with two touchdowns in five games. He played in the opener against the Packers at Soldier Field, but he missed the team's next four games. Jeffery returned to the lineup against the Detroit Lions in Week 6, and he played in the team's last four games. 

The former South Carolina Gamecock was held out of Sunday's game with groin and shoulder issues, according to NFL.com.

Like Forte, Royal missed his third straight game on Sunday. Signed this offseason to be the team's primary slot receiver, Royal has recorded just 26 catches for 171 yards and one touchdown in six games this season.

Langford got the start for Forte for the second week in a row, while Wilson started for Jeffery and Joshua Bellamy started in place of Royal.

Chicago struggled to pick up yards on the ground against Denver, and Langford finished the game with just 25 rushing yards on 13 carries. He also hauled in three catches for 17 yards. Wilson and Bellamy fared better in the passing game, but Jeffery's presence in the red zone was missed.

Wilson caught four passes on seven targets for 102 yards, while Bellamy caught four of five targets for 57 yards. Chicago made four trips into the red zone on offense, but it was only able to convert one trip into a touchdown.

Langford has a chance to be Chicago's primary running back in the future, but his performance on Sunday proved how important Forte is to the offense. Wilson and Bellamy both played well considering the circumstances, but the Bears need playmakers in the passing game like Jeffery and Royal in order to score points against a defense as tough as Denver's.

Pass Rush Beginning to Show Signs of Improvement

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

DL Bruce Gaston recorded one of Chicago's five sacks on Sunday.

A week after recording just one sack against the Rams, Chicago's defense recorded five sacks on Sunday afternoon.

Chicago's five sacks against the Broncos were the team's most since Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, according to ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain.

Young and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman combined for a sack early in the game after Young was able to disrupt the pocket around Osweiler. The young quarterback tried to step up in the pocket, but Young and Goldman took him down for the sack.

The next sack of Osweiler came from defensive end Bruce Gaston. The young defensive lineman got a great jump off the ball, and he pushed guard Evan Mathis to the ground before wrapping up Osweiler for his first career sack. 

"Power rush from Bears defensive tackle Bruce Gaston on the sack...Just walked Mathis back off the ball," tweeted ESPN.com's Matt Bowen.

Amos recorded the team's next sack on a blitz off the edge, and starting strong safety Chris Prosinski followed that up with his own sack of Osweiler.

The Bears did not get much pressure off the edge from McPhee or Houston, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio dialed up a variety of blitzes in Week 11 to help put pressure on Denver's inexperienced quarterback. 

McClellin blitzed the quarterback a couple of times on Sunday, and even though he was unable to take Osweiler down for a sack, he did force the young signal-caller to rush some of his throws.

The bulk of Chicago's pressures this season have come from guys like McPhee and Houston, but Gaston, Young, Goldman, Amos and Prosinski all proved in Week 11 they have the ability to get after the quarterback.

If the Bears want to come away with a victory at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving, they are going to need to put pressure on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night like they did against Osweiler on Sunday afternoon.

Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.