Offense : It's hard to really summarize this groups effort tonight. Overall, they played well, but the few mistakes they made were very costly. Matt Forte's case for not getting the contract he wanted, got a couple of dings in it tonight with two fumbles - one of which directly resulting in 7 Philadelphia points. Sure Forte ended up with 133 rushing yards on the night, but not before being benched for a while after his second fumble. Hopefully Matt starts to realize that fumbling is not an option when pissing and moaning about getting "only" a $14 million in guaranteed money contract offer from the Bears - which he rejected.
Jay Cutler was his usual blend of brilliant and maddening. Cutler certainly took advantage of the time his offensive line provided, and despite a couple of wide open drops from Roy Williams and "Doe-Eyed" Dane Sanzenbacher, hit 9 different receivers on the night. Cutler will never be confused with Aaron Rodgers, but there's no denying his ability anymore. Anybody who still thinks he sucks, clearly isn't paying attention, and anyone who still treats him like he's an axe-murderer is clearly overstating things.
It can't be overstated however, the huge lift Earl Bennett gave the Bears tonight. Playing in his first game back since New Orleans, Bennett hauled in 5 receptions for 95 yards, including the go ahead TD catch late in the 4th quarter. Bennett's touchdown is significant because it was not the play that was called from the booth. Cutler and Bennett checked each other at the line and each knew the fade was on despite the huddle call. That tells me that no matter what happens the rest of the way, come next season Mike Martz is out of a job.
None of tonight's performance happens without the play of the Offensive Line. They get a game ball. Despite hearing all the worry about the Eagles "Wide 9" technique, they still didn't allow any Eagle sacks of Jay Cutler. The line also displayed their Power O blocking scheme, and are getting much better at pulling their guards on both sides of the line of scrimmage, while opening up bigger holes for Forte and an emerging Marion Barber. This unit has showed continuing improvement in the past three games, especially with the odd combo of Chris Spencer at right guard, and Lance Louis at right tackle. It's gotten to the point, where rookie first round pick Gabe Carimi might find himself not starting when he's fully healthy...
Defense : You heard it all week long. Julius Peppers, Henry Melton, and the rest of the line had to show up for this game, and they did. Peppers, while tweaking that gimpy knee he's had all season, got back on the field and was incredibly disruptive.
Most importantly though, Peppers finally wasn't a one-man gang as Melton, Amobe Okoye, and Izzy Idonije got great push up front, while showing excellent contain and pursuit. Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher also played outstanding, as they continued their career excellence against Michael Vick aka Ron Mexico.
Even though the front 7 got gashed by LeShon McCoy a couple of different times, the unit did what they needed to do in limiting a vaunted Philly offense while generating a key turnover in the second quarter.
Special Teams : The return game never got going, as Philly didn't allow the Bears to set up their blocking the entire game. They also got away with not being prepared for a fake punt, which if the Eagles punter Chas Henry didn't throw like a girl, probably would have gone for a touchdown.
Still Robbie Gould was excellent, particularly when he nailed a 51 yard field goal in the first half. For as much as I didn't think Robbie was anything special when he first joined the Bears, he really has blossomed into a legit NFL Kicker. I give him all the credit in the world for working as hard as he has.
Where Do We Go From Here : As I mentioned earlier, this was a huge win for the Bears and their playoff chances. Next week is an even bigger test, as they have a rematch against the resurgent Detroit Lions. A win against Detroit puts the Bears in a tie with the Lions for second place in the NFC North.
Can the Bears do it? It will still depend on the play of both lines, of course, but there's something else that's starting to really bother me and that's the play calling of Mike Martz in short yardage situations. Something really needs to be done about this, as there have been at least three different games now, where Martz tries to be too cute around the goal line, calling plays that have little to no chance of success i.e. throwing a play action fake to a double covered Kellen Davis on 3rd & 1, near the end zone. It makes me long for the Gary Crowton-style wide receiver screens we saw so much of a generation ago.
Either way, it's clear to this observer that Martz is being completely phased out by the rest of the players and coaching staff, and it's with just cause. How long can we trust Martz to not be Mike Martz? He still wants to run what he wants, despite everyone else knowing that what he wants to run will get Cutler killed, aka "Mark Bulger'ed".
Despite the Bears winning three in a row, the question must still be asked, "Do you fire Martz right now?" My answer hasn't changed, has yours?
I gotta hand it to the coaching staff for yet again proving me wrong. It seemed like yesterday when we were texting during the Lion MNF game on how far off the tracks this team was. Great position for a wild card berth which should be the only thing on this team's mind. Just get to the dance.
ReplyDeleteThis team is 180 degrees different from the Detroit game. Cutler is finally playing like he's capable of playing. The offensive line finally found a lineup that works, and the defense is more than just a Tampa 2 one trick pony.
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