October 13, 2008
Morning Box Score: Bears Choke Again
October has not been kind to Chicago sports fans. We got both baseball teams into the playoffs for the first time since 1906, and then watched helplessly as they combined for just one win before exiting in the opening round. But while the end of baseball in Chicago signals the beginning of our full-time devotion to the Bears, they've been even more frustrating to watch. Are curses contagious?
The Bears had already mastered the art of the choke in games against Carolina and Tampa Bay during the first month of the season. But Sunday's 22-20 loss to the Falcons absolutely takes the cake.
Granted, the Bears were thoroughly outplayed, and didn't really deserve to win the game. Still, they still managed to drive down the field in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter and score the go-ahead touchdown with only 11 seconds remaining on a fantastic pass from Orton to Rashied Davis. And yet, somehow, they left too much time on the clock.
After a decent, but not spectacular kickoff return, Atlanta's rookie QB Matt Ryan took over the ball with :06 on the game clock. He connected with Michael Jenkins for 26 yards before Jenkins got out of bounds at the Bears' 30 yard line, with one tick remaining on the clock. Jason Elam, who thought he'd blown the game with a missed 33 yarder just before the Bears final drive, had a chance at redemption from 48 yards. And redeem himself he did, albeit at the Bears' expense.
While the defense kept the Bears in the game in the first place, holding the Falcons to just four field goals through the first three quarters and limiting the NFL's leading rusher to just 54 yards, they also deserve the lion's share of the blame. In addition to screwing up coverage on that last-second pass that set up the game-winning (or game-losing, if you will) field goal, Pro Bowler Tommie Harris had earlier bone-headedly tossed the ball away after recovering a fumble - but he hadn't been ruled down. So Atlanta not only retained possession, but with a new set of downs.
We figured that the offense was this team's weak link. But a matured Kyle Orton and surprising Matt Forte have the Bears moving the ball and scoring points; it's the defense that's costing this team games.
AP Photo/Dave Martin
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Can you really call it a choke? I mean the Bears and Falcons as teams didn't play great but the Bears D did their job for the most part. I'm blaming this one completely on the coaches, just a really poorly coached game. the goal line attempt, bad plays called there, no wonder they couldn't go 6 inches. Squib kick, just an awful idea, then not knowing that the only play Matt Ryan was going to run was that pass play! JESUS! EVERYONE IN AMERICA KNEW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO!
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Yeah, the squib kick was a particularly bad call. Why put a team that needs to run one play for a field goal in a position to do so? I know Norwood is a dangerous return man, but c'mon.
Painful loss.
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I don't think you ever want to squib a kick in that situation, regardless of who you're playing. But then to do that to a team that has Matt Ryan at QB, a guy who was feasting on the Bears secondary all afternoon! JESUS CHRIST! You kick the ball deep and it's a touchback, then they're still at the 20! They still have a long way to go and not much time to do it. If someone actually catches the ball and makes a run he either has to go all the way and score or the game is over. What are the odds that's going to happen 2 kickoffs in a row, even with a tired bears special teams? It was the most asinine thing I've seen from the coaching staff in a long time.
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It's not that the squib kick was a bad idea, it just wasn't executed properly -- he kicked it too short.
I didn't see a problem with going for it on fourth and goal, I just don't understand why don't run a QB sneak. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line!
Luckily, I'm not a Bears fan. But my team also lost in crushing fashion, so I feel your pain.
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This was indeed the king og all chokes, regardless of whether it was a coach or a player doing the choking.
Remember, a Bear is just a Cub grown up.
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There's also the fact that the Bears are awful, and couldn't really stop the Falcons on offense for 99% of the game. There just happened to be one play on every drive that seemed to kill it...the Bears didn't deserve to win that game, anyway..