Don’t be fooled by the Bears win over the Bucs on Sunday. I know, I know, a win is a win, but it was against a team that is 2-8. The disturbing thing was at halftime the Bucs were up 10-0 Bucs and the Bears had a whopping 68 yards on offense. I’m done trying to figure out why the Bears offense starts slow, can’t put up points in the 1st half, find some kind of balance and… well I could keep going but I have to get this out before the Thanksgiving game against the Lions arrives. The sad thing is the Bears, I’m not sure how, are still clinging onto post season hopes. Yes! Postseason?!! I know I just said that.

“The last two wins over bad teams are like spraying cologne on musty gym clothes.”

You don’t have to be at Halas Hall every day to know that there needs to be changes across the board. The last two wins over bad teams are like spraying cologne on musty gym clothes. They might smell good for a while, but sooner or later you will smell so so so funkified. Whatever smells are coming from the Bears this season hasn’t smelled good.

The O-Line and pass protection has to be a focus headed into the Lions game. They gave up 3 sacks in the first half, but seemed to calm down in the second. A big help in the 2nd half was that Cutler got the ball out quicker. That helped with the line holding their blocks. The Lions pass rush is much better than the Bucs and the Bears need to get things fixed this week in practice. The one constant that I continually remind everyone about this season is Matt Forte. Weekly he shows us why he is the Swiss Army knife of the NFL. Forte finished with over 100 yards of total offense and capped his day off with 2 TDs. I wonder what my dad would say about Forte’s game. My pop believed in versatility and Forte certainly is that! If the Bears are going to have any chance of winning in Detroit they will need a balanced attack with a heavy dose of #22.

“The defense kept the Bears in the game.”

The defense kept the Bears in the game and credit has to go to the defensive line that got pressure on Josh McCown. David Bass and Cornelius Washington, two guys that were questionable to make the roster came up big with two of the 5 sacks yesterday. Stephen Paea has been playing like a man looking to get a new contract. Paea has been solid all season playing right along with Jeremiah Ratliff. When Jared Allen and Willie Young are getting up field, it helps out Paea get the one on one match up the bears are always looking for. For all the noise Chris Conte has received since donning a Bears jersey, when he’s healthy, the kid can ball. Conte showed how he can tackle in the open field and his ball skills are solid. With Kyle Fuller leaving the game Al Louis-Jean played the whole second half and had a pretty good showing.

Looking forward to the Lions game, if Fuller can’t go that means Al Louis-Jean will have to be ready to go and who will be up to the plate next…Megatron. The Bears did what I said they had to do to win this game, create turnovers or as Lovie would say “Takeaways”. The Bears defense created 4 turnovers and watching the film they left some on the table. The way that Cutler turns the ball over the defense will have to get every turnover they can if they want to keep this winning streak going.

“They have yet to put 4 solid quarters of football together.”

The Bears are 5-6 and they reflect that in their play. They are a just below average team that is winning games against teams they should be blowing out, considering their talent level. The real challenge will be to see if this team can hold up and beat a Lions team that will be chomping at the bit for a victory. The most alarming thing for the Bears, 11 games into the season, is they have yet to put 4 solid quarters of football together. Will they ever? The previous games would lead me to no, but football is a crazy sport, where anything can happen. I know one thing is for certain the Bears are not set up for the playoffs. The only thing this team can do is take it one game at a time. If they somehow get to the playoffs then let the chips fall where they may. Let me stop looking ahead and focus in the task at hand…the Lions! Lions, tigers and Bears oh my. #BearDown