I mentioned it to a couple of people throughout the game : thank goodness that fight happened because it took my mind off of how poor the offense played. I understand that it's impossible to be perfect week in and week out in today's NFL. I also understand that Detroit, despite exposing themselves as nothing but dirty cheap-shot artists that try to injure rather than defeat opponents, still has some very talented football players on their team. I also understand the lesson Bill Parcells taught us that "you are what your record is".
With all that said, the Bears cannot continue to rely on superb Special Teams and opportunistic Defensive performances if they wish to reach the Super Bowl. Here's what I had a problem with :
Offense : The main source of my consternation involves the dramatic step back this unit took today. The Detroit Lions front 7 absolutely blew up the Bears pull-blocking based running scheme the entire game. The Lions spent plenty of time in the Bears backfield on passing situations as well, as Jay Cutler was hurried all game. As we know, when Jay feels pressure, most of the time he plays really, really stupidly. Today's game was no exception.
The stats reflected the offensive impotence as Cutler was 9 of 19 for a paltry 123 yards and no TD's. Mister "Pay Me" Matt Forte, was a pedestrian 18 carries for 64 yards 40 of which were gained on one play. Only one offensive touchdown happened on the day, and it was a 6 yard run by Forte early in the first quarter. Other than that, there were occasional fumbles combined with a whole bunch of "3 & outs".
Earlier in the week Mike Tice had warned us that the Offensive Line was far from where it needs to be, and the Lions proved Tice's assessment was correct. Too many times it seemed that the Lions front four were playing on field turf, while the Bears linemen were playing on mud. The O-Line needs to be doing their jobs quicker, and with more aggression than today's performance if they're going to go anywhere.
Defense : On the surface, it would appear that this unit was the very definition of dominant. In many respects that is true. Julius Peppers continues to show how versatile and vital he is to the defense's success. His early forced fumble on Calvin Johnson paved the way for the Bears first touchdown on the day. Peppers also spent a lot of time lined up at the 3-technique and got great penetration through the A-gap all day, while adding an extra dimension to the line stunts the Bears like to use. The most amazing part of Peppers play, was that he's doing it on one leg! I'm of the opinion that his knee is more injured than he and the Bears are letting on.
Henry Melton and Anthony Adams also played well on the defensive line while Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs played even more aggressive than usual to fall in line with the overall chippiness of the game. The secondary had a notable day as well with 3 picks on the day, 2 of which were "Pick 6's".
I'm not fooled by this performance however, and neither should you. It was obvious the Bears took advantage of Matthew Stafford's injured right hand. Stafford was oddly inaccurate and sailed a lot of wobbly passes that I know for a fact he normally connects on. Not to mention there were plenty of open receivers, many of which dropped a lot of balls they normally catch.
Despite those factors however, the Lions still had little trouble moving the ball on the Bears. Not convinced? How about the fact that the Bears STILL gave up 393 yards to the Lions on the day? How about the 4.2 yards per carry the Lions averaged on the ground? How about Nate Burleson having 8 catches for 83 yards? Calvin Johnson having 7 for 81 yards? How about 7 different Lions receivers having receptions on the day?
In my odd football world, those numbers are not reflective of a dominant performance by the defense.
Special Teams : No complaints here. Devin Hester continued to add to his NFL Record total of Returns for Touchdowns. Gould missed a field goal, but made three others while having several touchbacks on the day. Dave Toub's unit picked up the slack in the points department for the offense.
Where Do We Go From Here?: For as much as I'm bitching, the Bears have won four in a row. They are now tied for second place in the NFC North at 6-3. If the playoffs started today, the Bears would be a #6 seed against the #3 New Orleans Saints.
1 month ago, the Bears were 2-3 and looking very much out of the playoff picture. They needed to win the next four games, and they've done so. In that respect, I'm very impressed and I give them all the credit in the world.
My issue however, is that the way the NFL is set up in 2011, you must pass the ball to win in January/February. The rule changes alone, dictate the importance of the passing game. Anybody who tells you differently, is not living in this century. If you look at any of the past ten Super Bowl winners, you will largely see Hall Of Fame caliber Quarterbacks hoisting the Lombardi Trophy (Rodgers, Manning, Brees, Brady, etc).
Today's game showed that the Bears passing game, largely the pass protection, is still a work in progress, after showing promise the last three games. I'm confident they can adjust starting next week against the San Diego Chargers.
Still, these types of offensive performances cannot stand, and must never be repeated again.
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