Bears vs Vikings: 8 Things We Learned from Chicago's 17-13 Win

Despite a day when Jared Allen beat J'Marcus Webb to break the franchise record for sacks, the Bears ended their miserable season with a win over the equally-hapless Minnesota Vikings, 17-13.

Allen was a beast again on Sunday, recording 3.5 sacks and falling one short of breaking Michael Strahan's all-time NFL record for sacks (22.5).

But in the end, it was the Bears who prevailed, thanks in part to two unsuccessful field goal attempts by the Vikings.

The first one was blocked by the big paw of Julius Peppers, while the second unsuccessful attempt came on a botched snap and hold.

A D.J. Moore interception sealed the game as Joe Webb was marching Minnesota down the field, hoping to go 94 yards with two minutes to play and no timeouts.

The only negative that came out of this game for Chicago was the injury to Brian Urlacher in the fourth quarter. Urlacher left the game with his knee heavily wrapped.

So, for the last time this season, let's take a look at the lessons learned in a game that ended the Bears' five-game losing streak, allowing Chicago to finish at 8-8 on the season.

Ponder Injury Worst Thing for Bears

When Isreal Idonije unloaded on Vikings QB Christian Ponder, ending the Vikings QB's day, it may have, in fact, been the worst thing that could have happened for Chicago.

That's because Joe Webb entered the game, and he is a talent who should actually be starting for Minnesota in my opinion.

Webb is athletic, escaping the grasp of numerous Bears defenders—most notably Julius Peppers—to make plays with his arm and his feet.

He completed his first six pass attempts following Ponder's hip injury, though the Vikings could only come up with three points due to a field goal attempt blocked by Peppers, the 11th of his career.

Ponder was under a heavy rush and had an 8.3 QB rating when he left the game. Even though Webb didn't lead the Vikes to victory and finished with pedestrian numbers, I believe the Bears would have won easily if Ponder was in there.

Webb is so strong and has a good zip on his ball. His escapability kept the team in the game.

The Vikings may have a QB controversy next season.

Israel Idonije Decides to Show Up

Following a pretty decent year in 2010, when Idonije came up with a career-best eight sacks, Idonije has been mostly invisible in 2011.

Yet in the last game of the season, he showed up, applying consistent pressure and making plays. Even as the game wore on and he failed to make sacks, he played well.

Idonije's sacks took Ponder out of the game, and he finished with four solo tackles, two for a loss.

But Idonije finished with half of the sacks he had in 2010, two fewer forced fumbles and fewer assists.

The pass rush has to be an area of focus for 2012 for the Bears. Unfortunately, they have no shortage of areas of concern to deal with.

Kahlil Bell's Fumblitis Could Hold Him Back

We asked last week if Bell could possibly become a feature back and perhaps even affect the Bears' decision to franchise running back Matt Forte.

Well, Bell didn't do himself any favors by fumbling the ball in the first half on a play in which the ball simply slipped right out of his hands untouched by a defender.

Bell, who fumbled twice last week, has a tendency to hold the ball too loosely at times.

But he did hold onto the ball the rest of the way and has a tough, punishing running style that could complement Matt Forte well when Forte returns next year.

Bell finished 17-of-54 for a 3.2 yard average on the day. If you take away his longest run, he averaged a paltry 2.4 yards per carry.

Devin Hester Is Useless Right Now

Hester clearly should not have been out on the field Sunday. With a bothersome ankle injury, he once again couldn't do anything in the return game.

The injury, combined with a troubling tendency for Hester to slip into a funk over stretches of a season, makes you wonder why he is playing in such a meaningless game.

Why not let someone else try returning kicks and punts to see who else can do it, especially if Johnny Knox isn't fully healthy at the start of next season?

On the day, Hester returned two kicks for just 22 yards and two punts for just four yards.

J'Marcus Webb Cannot Play Left Tackle

Sure, Allen is a beast, but still, Webb simply proved once again what we already knew—he can't play left tackle.

The Bears like him because he's athletic, but his execution leaves much to be desired.

All season long, the Bears have had to keep a tight end in to help Webb, and even then, he hasn't always kept the blind side pressure away from the Bears QBs.

On Sunday, the Bears had two tight ends and other help to stop Allen. Left tackle must be an area of focus for next season, either through the draft or via free agency, though those guys are seldom available. 

Urlacher Injured in Meaningless Game

This is what I warned you about, Bears fans. Lovie Smith's desire to win this game instead of getting a look at younger players and risking injury to his star players was a bad idea.

Urlacher played inspired football on Sunday, but he was hurting throughout the week, yet he started an otherwise meaningless game with nothing to prove.

Unfortunately, as he went up for an interception in the fourth quarter, he was run into by Major Wright, causing Urlacher to land awkwardly on a twisted left leg.

Though he walked off under his own power, this could be an MCL or even an ACL injury, and at 33, this is something the man does not need.

This is also the second time in recent weeks where Urlacher had a chance to make a play, only to be thwarted by his own teammate (Chris Conte).

Meanwhile, Urlacher led both teams with 10 tackles, three for a loss.

Bears Would Have Made Playoffs Without Hanie

Not that McCown has been a world-beater, because he has only been about average as an NFL QB in his limited 2011, but one has to believe that if Caleb Hanie had not started, and McCown was in the fold, the Bears would have won two more games.

And those two additional wins might have put the Bears in the playoffs, where hopefully Cutler and Forte would be ready to come back.

Of course, this is only speculation and doesn't really amount to a hill of beans in the end. Still, it is interesting to think about.

Once again, the Bears offense wasn't good on Sunday. Yet the took the ball away with three interceptions and did just enough to stave off a bad Vikings team.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking they could have used this same recipe to defeat the Broncos and the Chiefs.

Where Do the Bears Go from Here?

So they won a game and ended their five-game losing streak. Some say that a .500 record is a moral victory and will make Chicago feel better going into next season.

I thumb my nose at such silliness, for if anyone looks at this win as an opportunity to overlook the many needs the Bears have, then shame on them.

One positive is that the Bears may have found their backup QB. Earlier this week, I listed the options for Chicago to consider, but most likely, they will stick with Josh McCown, who did OK on Sunday.

But there are still many other areas of need for the Bears to address in the offseason.

First and foremost, will Jerry Angelo return as GM? I say he will, with one year left on his contract. If so, can we count on a great draft to help pull the Bears out of trouble given his poor track record?

But yes, the draft and free agency will both be key for Chicago, as we need wide receivers, offensive line help, a cornerback, a future replacement for Urlacher and weakside linebacker help in general, as well as an improved pass rush.

Meanwhile, I predict that Mike Martz will be replaced by Mike Tice as offensive coordinator. I wrote about Tice earlier in the week. That should help the Bears a bit.

That's quite a laundry list. However, perhaps what the Bears need most is good health and good fortune. If Jay Cutler doesn't go down, this is a playoff team.

Wait 'till next year, Bears fans.