| Alright, here's some more in-depth analysis...
Well, the offense did put up a decent number of points against a very good defense, so you can't be totally disheartened. Especially since Rex Grossman is VERY inexperienced and the receiving corps, including the tight ends, is nothing special (Muhsin Muhammad aside).
As for the offensive play-calling, I think Chicago looked at what the Panthers did to the Giants last week, which was basically put 8 guys in the box to stop the run, and let the young, inexperienced QB try to make plays. So Chicago probably decided to throw deep to open up the offense and exploit that type of D. Unfortunately, Chicago doesn't really have the personnel to run that kind of offense, and it didn't work. You'll notice that Grossman got much more accurate as the game went on, suggesting either he got more comfortable in the offense they were running or they went back to the typical Bears offense that got them this far. I didn't watch closely enough to pick up on which one it was.
Turning to the defense, I think it's just reached a point where Steve Smith has become un-defensible. If the corner doesn't play up on Smith, they'll just run that little screen they run all day long, and keep picking up 5-8 yards on it. If the corner does play up, Smith will just burn him, and the double coverage is neutralized, since the corner is basically taken out of the play.
I just wish Carolina had beaten the Cowboys in Week 16, because then they would have been the 3 seed and the Giants would have played Tampa instead in the wild card round.
Basically, to sum up, the Bears far exceeded expectations for this season, and they got beat by a team that many people thought was the best in the NFC this season. And they only lost by one score. I think it's nothing to be ashamed of. |