Instant Analysis: Bears Fall to Seahawks 23-20

I hate to give our Madden 11 simulator credit, but it predicted a Seahawks win.  It actually predicted a Seahawks blowout, but at the end of the day, a loss is a loss and the Seahawks handed the Bears their second of the season in stunning fashion.  Check out the official NFL.com highlights here.

It appeared the Bears would roll to a big win, scoring a Matt Forte touchdown on the opening drive, but that was the the highlight for the Bears’ offense.   Matt Hasselbeck picked on the Bears defense all day long and a resurrected Mike Williams and newcomer Marshawn Lynch keyed the Seahawks attack.

Jay Cutler and the latest offensive line combination struggled all day long, as Cutler was sacked 6 more times and hurried and pressured constantly.  The Bears struggled mightily on 3rd down, failing to convert a single 3rd down conversion all day, the second time this season.  Care to guess the other game they failed to convert one?  You guessed it, their loss to the Giants.

Let me go rapid-fire bullet points for the rest of my instant reaction:

The offensive line is simply offensive.  Fire all of them.  Go out to the nearest all-you-can-eat and find five fat guys off the street.  They couldn’t do much worse.

The play calling is ridiculous.  The Bears did so well running the ball last week, so you know how many times they ran the ball today?  Twelve times  not counting two Jay Cutler scrambles.  I’m sure our Observations of a Mad Scientist will touch on this more,  but man this is getting ridiculous especially when you consider the onslaught this quarterback is facing.

Greg Olsen is as useless as tits on a bull.  If the ball isn’t placed exactly between the 8 and the 2 on the front of his jersey, he ain’t catching it.  BUST!!!!

Devin Hester is simply RIDICULOUS.  Another punt return for a TD, to officially tie the NFL record.

Earl Bennett may not come up big on the stats sheet, (3 catches for 55 yards) but did you see him completely annihilate the Seahawks punter on the Devin Hester punt return?  I don’t care if it’s the punter; that was an instant classic!  Check it out below:

• Is it just me, or did Jay Cutler seem completely disinterested in this game?  Not sure if it’s post-concussion or just frustration from getting the crap knocked out of him all day.  From his Marty McFly getup in the post-game presser to his surly attitude, it was a poor showing from JC.
• Last week, we saw the best of Lovie’s Cover-Who defense in getting takeaways, bending but not breaking, getting pressure.  This week, the exact opposite.  No sacks, no pressure, no takeaways = no win!
• Tommie Harris shows up to recover a fumble right after a false start is called.  So typical.
• Question of the day – who annoys you more, Fox announced Brian Billick or Pete Carroll?  I’ll hang up and listen for my answer.
• If the loss isn’t frustrating enough, the Packers lost to the Dolphins.  The Bears could be running away with this division with a win.

Plenty more coverage, but that’s the instant reaction.  Time to go rake some leaves and stew about this one for a while.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Through the month of October, my usual BEAR DOWN signoff will be in pink to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.