It came down to this game for the Bears and they proved why are one of the most consistent teams in the league—consistent at getting ahead early then giving up more unanswered points than they scored.
Like many games this season, the Bears drove down the field and scored on their first drive. Like many games it was looking like it would be all Chicago after they went up 10-0 over the Texans Sunday.
Like many games the Bears lost due to the conservative play calling of the coaches once they were ahead. One example was not getting the ball to Matt Forte. Another was on the third drive in the third quarter down 21-17, quarterback Kyle Orton was allowed to throw three straight times, resulting in three straight incomplete passes.
Forte has been the bread and butter of this teams offense this year and in a game that contained so much, Forte was used so little. 16 touches too little. Forte ended the season fourth in the NFL in carries, averaging 20 a game. Sunday he had only 13.
Chicago gave up 21 unanswered points and they seemed to wonder why.
The Bears gave up the momentum and the lead after two inexcusable mistakes by Danieal Manning. The third year pro, who replaced the injured Mike Brown at strong safety, got burned for a 43-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson. Manning, and everyone else on the Bears defense, bit hard on a fake hand-off, allowing Johnson to race by him into the clear.
“It wasn’t a miscommunication,” said defensive coordinator Bob Babich. “It was just a misread, and it ended up being a big play for them. Obviously that was something that hurt us.”
That seems to be the story for the Bears secondary this season.
The score, 31-24, seems closer than it really was. With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter and down by seven points, the Bears allowed the Texans to drive 89 yards for the score that put the nail in the coffin.
“We wanted to go ahead and keep the field position,” Babich said. “For them to take it down and score was a big blow to us. At that time they were passing the ball very well. We were stopping the run pretty good at that time. That was one that hurt us.”
Looking Ahead
Well it is time to look ahead at the state of the franchise. One thing will be on what the Bears plan to do with their league worst pass defense. Another will be what will happen with the coaching staff. These are the things that will be discussed in the Chicago Bears Roundtables and my articles throughout the offseason.
One thing that has already been stated is that Kyle Orton will be the starter in 2009.
Be sure to check out last weeks Chicago Bears Roundtable featuring talented Bleacher Report Chicago Bears writers Ian Sheppard and Max Kienzler. Also look for this weeks discussion where Senior Writer Bob Warja will be joining the team.
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