Look in the mirror
The Bears gave up a team-record 34 points in the fourth quarter. They committed 14 penalties for 102 yards. Besides the three interceptions, they fumbled five times. Blame injuries to some degree, but they don’t explain a veteran team looking so sloppy and unprepared. Lovie Smith talked to his team about accountability after the game and it starts with him. They’re 1-3 and in danger of becoming the sixth Super Bowl runner-up in the last seven years to miss the playoffs.
No change, really
Be careful what you wish for, Chicago. Getting rid of Rex Grossman didn’t get rid of the offense’s chronic problems with turnovers, which are ruining this season. Brian Griese didn’t provide any answers — only different questions. Like, how safe is his job unless things change quickly? It wasn’t all Griese’s fault. A sputtering running game behind slowpoke Cedric Benson forced the Bears to throw 52 passes, Griese was sacked six times and receivers dropped passes.
M*A*S*H unit
It took the Lions three quarters to figure it out, but the Bears played the NFL’s best passing team without the secondary that started their season opener. Overall, they were without six regulars and had to change their game plan to stay out of the nickel defense after fill-in safety Kevin Payne injured his arm early. Thanks to ends Mark Anderson and Adewale Ogunleye, the pass rush nearly rescued the Bears. But ultimately the holes in the secondary were too gaping.
Rock bottom?
Devin Hester returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD — his ninth return for a score in 23 NFL games, including the playoffs. But that was it for highlights. This is a team that looks finished after finishing the first quarter of its season. It didn’t have the impact of Mike Brown declaring “We suck!” in Cleveland in 2005 after that 1-3 start, but Brian Urlacher’s “We’re a bad team right now,” set the proper tone. The temptation is to say they’ve hit rock bottom, but that might be optimistic.
