What the Chicago Bears Need to Change in Order to Rescue Their Season

After the New York Giants murdered the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football two weeks ago, I wrote an article saying Bears fans should still have hope for their beloved team and that the future looked bright for the Bears.

Boy was I wrong!

I think now might be an appropriate time to hit the panic button because the Bears played one of their worst games of the season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, losing in what many Bears fans assumed would be an easy home win. The game wasn't nearly as close as the 23-20 score indicated, as the Seahawks were the next team to poke holes in the Bears' plans for the season.

The Bears are obviously struggling and will have a long second half of the season if they do not make changes.

Here are the five changes that must be made if the Bears want a shot at the postseason.

The Bears Must Protect Jay Cutler

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Aaron Ross #31 of the New York Giants sacks Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Jay Cutler was sacked 51 times during his 37 games with the Denver Broncos. Cutler has only played 21 games with the Chicago Bears and has already been sacked a humiliating 58 times!

On Sunday the Seattle Seahawks were the next team to get to Jay Cutler, netting six sacks and one safety. Cutler, out last week against the Carolina Panthers with a concussion, is getting frazzled, and it is clearly affecting his performance.

The Bears must find a way to protect one of their biggest investments before Cutler sustains yet another concussion or other serious injury.

Todd Collins proved last week against the Carolina Panthers that he does not have what it takes to lead the Bears offense.

The Bears Must Establish a Much-Needed Running Game

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CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 10: Running back Matt Forte #22 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

It's usually not a good sign for your run game when your quarterback has more rushing yards than your starting running back in a game. Twice this season, Jay Cutler has outrun Matt Forte: Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers and Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Bears, ranked 23rd in rushing, have to get a running game going if they want to be successful on offense.

Running the ball will open up the pass game for the Bears and will take some of the pressure off of Jay Cutler. The Bears have two great backs in Forte and Chester Taylor, but are struggling when it comes to the offensive line and Mike Martz' play-calling.

The Defense Has to Make Big Plays and Force Turnovers

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CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 10: Quarterback Jimmy Clausen #2 of the Carolina Panthers throws the ball over defensive end Julius Peppers #90 of the Chicago Bears at Bank of America Stadium on October 10, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Geoff Burke

There is no question that the Chicago Bears defense thrives on forcing turnovers. It attacks the ball better than any other team in the NFL but the entire team tends to struggle whenever the defense doesn't make big plays.

Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks didn't contain a single turnover and it was obvious that the defense was struggling. A big play on defense may have given the entire team a spark of momentum to build a win off of.

As the Bears start to go up against some tougher teams, the defense must step up and make big plays to keep the momentum in the team's favor.

Special Teams Have to Continue to Produce

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CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 27: Devin Hester #23 of the Chicago Bears returns a punt against Sam Shields #37 of the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on September 27, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears special-teams unit has been the only group to be consistent throughout the season for the Bears.

Devin Hester has awoken from his slumber and appears to be back to his old 2006 self. He and Daniel Manning are consistently gaining great yardage on punt and kick returns and threaten to take it to the house every time they touch the ball.

Hester alone as provided the spark needed to turn games around, but unfortunately in this Sunday's Seahawks game it was a little too late.

This cannot change if the Bears want to win games going forward.

The Coaching Staff Must Make Better Decisions

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears looks on from the sidelines against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 3, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Lovie Smith and company must step up their game just like the Bears players. Too often their game plan is predictable and they appear to arrogant when it comes to making changes. Smith has made some poor decisions this season, especially when it comes to fourth downs, but he and Mike Martz need to be more aggressive.

Martz was a much-needed breath of fresh air to the Bears offense but his faith in the run game is clearly gone. He gives up on the run too soon and doesn't appear to want to make adjustments when Cutler is running for his life.