Chicago Bears Done in by Dallas Cowboys: A Mostly Unbiased View
Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) catches a touchdown pass over Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) during the second half at Soldier Field. Dallas won 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of the near comeback, I was reasonably impressed with how the Chicago Bears finished this game. Despite being down 35-7 at one point and missing the closest thing to a leader they have to a leader on offense in Brandon Marshall, the Bears still mustered enough of an effort to make Jason Garrett sweat on the opposing sideline. Say what you will about the Chicago Bears coaching staff, they had this team believing they could win and playing hard for all 4 quarters. A loss is a loss and they don’t get any extra points for effort, but resilience like that could very easily translate to next year when they are playing in games that actually matter again.
Inconsistent play from young players is another aspect that is killing the Chicago Bears in every phase of the game. A perfect example of this is a play rookie defensive tackle Will Sutton failed to make during the second half. Sutton fired off on the snap, stayed low and absolutely jacked up the opposing guard to control his gap. Sutton di everything perfectly on this play, right up to the point where he didn’t see DeMarco Murray running through said gap and failed to make the tackle which led to a big gain for the Cowboys. Plays like this are maddening and have happened all too often this season, but they are correctable with time. As the young Chicago Bears continue to grow and learn as a team, we will see more and more consistency from this team.
Jay Cutler finally showed some accountability. The interception in the end zone at the end of the game was heartbreaking, but I took more away from it than that. Seeing Jay Cutler on the sidelines afterward looking at his teammates and pointing at his own chest gave me a small amount of hope for the future. He actually looked like he felt bad about it. It wasn’t his usual pouty apathetic face, he genuinely looked like he felt he had let his team down. I know most of you are hoping that the Chicago Bears Jettison Cutler during the offseason but, as Boomer pointed out yesterday, that is unlikely to happen any time soon. All we can really hope for is improvement, and an honest showing of accountability for his own mistakes could be a huge step in the right direction.
I’m sorry to say, this just isn’t the Bears’ year, my fellow fans. I wish there were some way I could sugarcoat it, but there isn’t. Beyond the obvious blown assignments and miscues, there seem to be an unusual number of unlucky plays happening this season. If it weren’t for my obligation to this website, I’d likely be in full draft mode already. Just take heart in the fact that in a couple short months, we’ll all be undefeated once again. Bear Down, but keep it balanced…