Bad News Bears: Chicago drops third in a row

After starting the season winning three of their first four games of the season, the Chicago Bears are in the midst of a downward spiral, losing five of their last six games, resulting in a 4-6 record. Their latest defeat came this past Sunday night at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles 24-20.

Quarterback Jay Cutler had yet another disappointing game, completing 24 of his 43 pass attempts for only 171 yards, one touchdown, and the one interception that ended the game. Cutler wasn’t on the same page with his receivers. Greg Olsen, Devin Hester, and Johnny Knox all were out of reach of a potential Cutler touchdown pass. Not only was the passing game out of sync, but the running game failed to come together once again. If it wasn’t for Bears running back Kahlil Bell’s 72-yard run in the second quarter, Chicago wouldn’t have rushed for over 100 yards as a team. Bell was the team’s leader with 81 yards on just four carries. Running back Matt Forte and the offensive line continues to be a disappointment to the Chicago fans by not getting remotely close to the production of last year’s running game. But the one thing that has haunted the Bears’ offense all season long is their failure to produce touchdowns in the red zone. Chicago had to settle for two of Robbie Gould’s four field goals, which were in the red zone.

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On the other side of the ball, the Bears returned to their ball-hawking ways. Cornerback Charles Tillman forced three fumbles—two of which were recovered by the defense—and Zackary Bowman hauled in his fourth interception of the year. But along with those takeaways came big plays that led to points for the Eagles. Early in the first quarter, on 3 rd and short, Philadelphia sent in Michael Vick who ran for 34 yards, which resulted in a David Akers field goal giving the Eagles a 3-0 lead. In the third quarter, rookie safety Al Afalava was beaten by Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson for a 48-yard touchdown to give Philly a 17-12 lead. The biggest play that the Bears’ defense allowed was the go-ahead touchdown by rookie running back LeSean McCoy.

With each loss, the hole gets deeper for the Chicago Bears. And this coming Thanksgiving weekend, things aren’t going to get easier because they will be traveling to the Metrodome to face the 9-1 Minnesota Vikings.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent