Bears Blitz

Published by Andrew Chadwick on December 12, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

In bitterly cold blizzard conditions, the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears faced off in what was supposed to be a close battle between two division-leading teams.  Instead, the Patriots proceeded to dominate the hapless Bears on national television.

Tom Brady and company moved the ball effortlessly against the defense, the Bears offense was completely ineffective, and Chicago squandered good kick/punt return production.   

Adverse weather certainly played a role in the blowout; however, with more favorable conditions, the Patriots looked like they still would have won handily.

Fortunately for Chicago, Green Bay also lost today, lessening the sting of this loss that ended a five-game winning streak for the Bears.

Here are my 10 observation on an embarrassing Bears loss: 

1.  Chicago’s defense is highly vulnerable to spread offenses that utilize quick passes and screens.  Tom Brady moved the ball against the Bears with ease.  Other QBs, like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Aaron Rodgers, enjoyed similar success with this tactic.  This vulnerability becomes highly problematic when the pass rush is contained, as was the case most of the afternoon. 

2.  Even though the Bears were humiliated on national television, Bears fans should remain optimistic.  The Patriots, after all, dominated other great defenses this season, including Pittsburgh, Baltimore and the New York Jets.  Expect Chicago to bounce back strong against the Vikings next week.

3.  The Patriots are in a league of the own these last couple of weeks.  Brady continues to prove he is the best quarterback in the game.  Who can stop this Pats offense?  I can’t think of anyone right now.

4.  The deep dropbacks have been disastrous for the Bears.  Fans often ask why the Bears have struggled with deep passes in 2010.  The answer is Jay Cutler cannot drop back more the three steps to set up longer developing routes. 

5.  Chris Harris has to make that interception on the Brian Urlacher deflection during the first quarter.  The same goes for Urlacher in the late second quarter, when he had a chance to intercept a Brady pass. Both of those missed turnover opportunities were followed by Brady TD passes.

6.  The Bears offense was completely ineffective in the first half, as they scored no points, dropped easy passes and allowed the Patriots to dominate the trenches.  In the second half, the Bears improved slightly, but were still unable to move the ball consistently.  Cutler also had two INTs in garbage time.

7.  The Bears’ run defense was inexplicably bad in the first half, just as it was against Detroit last week.  With Adrian Peterson coming up next week, the run defense needs to have a solid outing to contain the Vikings offense.

8.  Cornerback Charles Tillman had a forgettable afternoon.  Brady picked on the veteran early and often.  Tillman’s excellent tackling ability makes him a valuable asset to Chicago, but his coverage skills are questionable at times.

9.  Even though the Bears looked completely lost on defense in the first half, they performed better in the second half, allowing just three points, compared to 33 in the first half. 

10.  With the Green Bay traveling to New England next week, Chicago should have a good chance to extend its lead against the Pack if they can hold off the Vikings on Monday Night Football.  

In the end, this blowout has only a minimal impact on Chicago’s postseason aspirations, given the Packers lost today.  Still, this blowout is concerning, given the Bears, at times, looked completely lost all afternoon on defense, offense and special teams. 

Chicago must move past this embarrassment and focus on its upcoming matchup against an improving Vikings team.  

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