Bears Lose Fourth Straight

If anyone still has doubts of how valuable Jay Cutler is to the Chicago Bears, doubt no more. The Bears (7-7) are now 0-4 since the injury to Cutler, suffering their latest defeat to the Seattle Seahawks by the score of 38-14. With this defeat, Chicago is now on very thin ice when it comes to making it into the postseason.

The Bears were just simply outplayed on both sides of the ball. Although the defense did hold Marshawn Lynch, one of the top rushers in the league, to 42 yards, Lynch did manage to score two touchdowns against the Bears’ 10 th ranked run defense. In the passing game, Seattle quarterback Tavaris Jackson threw for 227 yards and a touchdown.

The only highlight for the defense happened late in the first quarter. Defensive end Julius Peppers stripped the ball from Jackson in the end zone and was recovered by defensive end Israel Idonije for a touchdown tying the score a 7-7. That sack by Peppers gives him 10 on the season, making him the first Bears player with double-digit sacks since Mark Anderson in 2006.

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Offensively, things aren’t getting better. Quarterback Caleb Hanie had yet another disastrous game, completing 10 of 23 passes for 111 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Hanie has thrown more interceptions than Cutler has (six) this season with 212 fewer pass attempts.

What really didn’t help Hanie was the injury to wide receiver Johnny Knox. In the first quarter, Knox caught a pass for a 17-yard gain, only to have it stripped from him. While trying to recover the fumble, Knox was hit by Seattle defensive end, Anthony Hargrove, injuring a vertebra in his mid-to-lower back. Knox was carted off the field, and will be out for the remainder of the season.

Running backs Marion Barber and Kahlil Bell both did a decent job running the ball. Barber had a modest 33 yards on 11 carries, while Bell had better production with 65 yards on 15 carries. In addition, Bell had five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown (all team-highs). Those numbers just might give Bell the nod for the starting spot in the Bears’ next game against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas night.

The only hope for the Chicago Bears to make the playoffs is to win their final two games, which are against the Packers (13-1) and the Minnesota Vikings (2-12). Winning these two games won’t be enough. The Bears will also need the Atlanta Falcons (9-5) to lose their final two games against the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent