Chicago Bears Fall to the Tennessee Titans

The Bears play hard in a loss to the NFL’s only unbeaten team.

The Bears made the Titans beat them through the air as the potent Tennessee running attack was stifled and held in check most of the game.

Where the falter came in is in the pass defense. Now this is something you can’t just put on the secondary as no secondary in the league can cover the pass for an extended period of time without a pass rush.

It’s odd that when the Bears stop the run they win the line of scrimmage and play on the other side of the ball causing rushes for loss. However, when the opponent drops back to pass the Bears are helpless and let the quarterback sit back in the pocket for 5+ seconds.

While that may not seem like a lot, it’s enough to give an experienced quarterback time to go through all his reads and even lets the receivers come back to the ball.

This lack of a pass rush is going to really hurt the Bears when we play some top passing teams. What burns most about this situation is the fact that we have proven play makers on the defensive line who just aren’t doing what they’re getting paid to do.

It’s difficult to swallow this “hot and cold”, “Jekyll and Hyde”, “all or nothing” defense that the Bears play (Okay just one more “White Sox and Cubs”).

The Bears have only allowed one 100 yard rusher all season and have used the fact as a crutch to lean on when people question the likes of Urlacher and Briggs about the Bears pass defense which should be ranked last in the league after this week.

What disappointed me most about this loss is the fact that the Bears strayed away from the two-tight end set that has given them success so far this season. Getting the ball to your play-makers is optimal for every team. The Bears offensive play-makers are Matt Forte, Greg Olsen, and Devin Hester.

While Forte got a considerable number of carries the amount of touches for Hester and Olsen was disappointing.

The Bears played a close game and gave the Titans all the trouble they could handle. If we as Bears fans take anything from this game it should be that with some minor improvements we can very well keep it close with what is said to be the top team in the AFC.

Here’s hoping.

The Good: Run defense. The Bears stop a two-headed monster in LenDale White and Chris Johnson and limit them to 22 net yards on the ground.

The Bad: Rusty Rex. Grossman was over shooting for most of the game and got it together too late to mount a rally. Grossman had several open shots to Davis and Hester, but was a off on the throw.

The Ugly: Pass defense. The Bears once again make a mediocre passer look elite as they give up almost three hundred yards and two touchdowns through the air.

The Difference: Titans' secondary. Knowing they had to stop the pass the Titans were able to stick to Bears receivers like glue most of the day and make plays. The lone Titans interception was a batted ball to a teammates waiting arms.

Five Questions

When are the Bears going to stop the pass?

How much blame does Grossman deserve for the loss?

Can Matt Forte overtake Matt Ryan as the projected Rookie of the Year?

Has Mike Brown lost his killer instinct to play the pass?

Should Mark Anderson and Israel Idonije be given the start in the next game?