History and most of the 57,897 fans at Soldier Field on Sunday will remember the Bears’ biggest missed opportunity coming on their final offensive play, when Detroit safety Bracy Walker intercepted a pass intended for David Terrell in the end zone.
But a review of the videotape likely will show the Bears their 20-16 loss can be more fully explained by examining a series of squandered chances that made such fourth-quarter drama necessary.
“I think we’ll see how many missed opportunities we had, things we gave them that they didn’t really earn,” tight end Dustin Lyman said.
In other words, the Bears’ new offense resulted in the same old frustration.
Here are five examples, beginning with the most frustrating.
A three-down sequence on the first drive of the third quarter.
The Bears had just brought the crowd to life with a dazzling 56-yard punt return on a reverse by Justin Gage. Gage slipped for no apparent reason at the Detroit 16, but still the Bears had a chance to go up 14-3 and give the worst road team in the NFL every reason to doubt itself. The Bears handed off three straight times to Thomas Jones, including on third-and-4 from the 10-yard line.
The Lions weren’t fooled.
Offensive coordinator Terry Shea had discussed his confidence in passing plays in the red zone but called three straight running plays instead of going to Terrell or tight end Desmond Clark.
On fourth down, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers blocked Paul Edinger’s 27-yard field-goal attempt, Walker returned it 92 yards for a touchdown and the complexion of the game changed for good.
First-and-10 from the Bears’ 36 on the next series.
With the Bears finally figuring out that going to the tight end makes sense, Clark found a seam and Grossman connected for a 28-yard completion to the Lions’ 36. Rookie linebacker Teddy Lehman stripped the ball from Clark as he hit the ground, forcing a fumble that the Bears challenged unsuccessfully, burning a timeout they eventually would need.
Instead of answering the Lions’ lethal blow on the blocked field goal, the Bears gave Detroit another chance to build momentum. The Lions didn’t–throwing an interception to Mike Green two plays later–but the fumble still stopped the Bears on a series in which they needed to regain confidence and continuity offensively.
Third-and-4 from the Bears’ 47 near the middle of the third quarter.
Again, the Bears botched an opportunity to make Detroit pay for its mistakes. The Green interception gave the Bears the ball in good field position and a chance to either tie the game or take the lead, but a mental error prevented that from happening.
Left tackle Qasim Mitchell, the problem spot on the offensive line for the second straight year, was beaten on a speed rush by Lions defensive end James Hall. Hall tomahawked the ball out of Grossman’s hand and Rogers recovered, thwarting the Bears’ drive. That turnover led to a 21-yard field goal by Jason Hanson six plays later, putting points on the board and keeping the home crowd at bay.
Second-and-2 from the Lions’ 49 on the first play of the second quarter.
Wide receiver Daryl Jones had cornerback Andre Goodman beaten by a step and a half down the sideline, but a badly underthrown pass resulted in an interception for Goodman. The call showed a boldness that Shea’s offense always has promised, but failure to execute let the Lions off the hook.
Grossman made a good decision but simply threw a bad ball, a reality of young quarterbacks with the mentality of a gunslinger. Had Grossman thrown the ball with his usual accuracy, the Bears would have been up 14-0 with three quarters to play.
First-and-10 from the Bears’ 45 with 5:29 left in the third quarter.
Grossman located Lyman perfectly in the seam for what would have been a big gain into Detroit territory to keep a drive alive and possibly get into field-goal range, but the tight end let the pass slip through his fingers. On the next play, Grossman was sacked for a 4-yard loss and the Bears’ offense eventually would have to punt the ball back and return to the sideline, unfulfilled.
