The Day After the Debacle

The Bears were trounced yesterday by the Patriots. Trounced may not actually be a severe enough word. Let me put it this way, at halftime I went outside to shovel snow. I returned to the second half of... Jets-Dolphins. That's right, in Indianapolis, CBS made the decision that the Bears game was too far out of hand and too boring to continue to broadcast (a fate usually reserved for 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament). And it is with that indignity in mind that I take time to reflect on Sunday's game, and the state of the Bears going forward.

I have not known what to make of this Bears team all year. And honestly, I still have no idea what to make of them. The Bears ran into a buzzsaw Sunday, but the Patriots put the Jets through that same buzzsaw Monday night. The sad reality is that the Bears are built to be a dome team and the Patriots were a matchup nightmare.

The Bears defense is fast and their success ultimately depends on their ability to get to the quarterback. Against the Eagles and Mike Vick's 15 step drops, Julius Peppers and the rest of the defensive line were able to utilize their speed to make Vick uncomfortable. The Patriots, on the other hand, spread the Bears out and Brady releases the ball so quickly that it minimizes an effective pass rush.

The offense is clearly the Bears' weak spot. Cutler is a strong weapon because he can make every and any throw (so long as he can stay out of his own way and avoid turning the ball over). The offensive philosophy, however, is that of a finesse team. And in December, in the snow, that is a recipe for disaster against a team as good as the Patriots.

So where does that leave the Bears? Surprisingly enough, yesterday was a good day for the Bears playoff hopes. The Packers dropped a critical division game to the Lions. That means that if the Bears beat the Vikings at Mall of America Field Monday night, the Bears hold the tiebreaker. The demise of the Metrodome also means that the Bears will avoid one of the loudest and most hostile venues they could play in this season. The Bears play at Minnesota and host a suddenly vulnerable Jets team in Week 16 ahead of the Week 17 clash in Lambeau (a game that is meaningless if the Bears take care of business in Weeks 15 and 16). The Packers, on the other hand, travel to New England (possibly without Aaron Rodgers) and then host the Giants. Thus, the Bears are still in the driver's seat in the division.

I am all too aware of the Bears limitations, and I have no delusions of Super Bowl glory, but after three seasons without a trip to the playoffs, a January with the Bears would make for a nice change of pace.