The Bears came into the final week of the season needing a win and a Vikings loss to keep their playoff hopes alive. First, they had to beat the Lions and then play the waiting game to see if the Packers would give them some help in getting into the playoffs.
Cutler and company had solid outing on offense, especially Matt Forte who ran for 103 yards on 24 carries. As for Cutler, he was 18 of 31 for 257 yards and a TD. One player that stepped up on the offensive side of the ball was Earl Bennett, who had 5 catches for 109 yards and a TD. Brandon Marshall had a light week with only 5 catches for 42 yards, although he still led the Bears on the season with 118 receptions for 1508 yards.
The offense relied heavily on the special teams and defense to bail them out, as they have for much of the season. The Bears defense had a stellar performance, coming up with 4 turnovers against Matthew Stafford and company. One player who came up big with one of those four turnovers was Pro Bowler Tim Jennings, who got his ninth interception of the season. Also, Israel Idonije had big game with a FF and a sack. This defense has been coming up big all season and that’s why the team leads the league in forcing turnovers.
The Bears finished the season 10-6 after and a 7-1 start, and sent the Lions to 4-12. Bears needed help from the Packers to get into the playoffs and didn’t get it as the Vikings beat the Packers on a game ending field goal by Blair Walsh to push the Vikings into the playoffs and knock the Bears out.
With the Bears finishing 3-5 in the second half and missing the playoffs, a lot of questions will need to be answered during the offseason. Has Lovie Smith coached his last game with the Bears? Has played Brian Urlacher played his last game as a Chicago Bear? The Bears definitely figure to make some changes, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but everything is on the table after their second half collapse.
As far as the coaching staff, I expect Lovie Smith to be here next season, but that is far from a certainty at this point.
By Jamal Bivins
