Morning Box Score: Bears Lose Ugly to 49ers
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Nov 13, 2009 4:00PM
The calls for Lovie Smith's head are only going to escalate following the Bears' 10-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. Fans don't care about the added cost of firing a head coach with years left on his contract, we just want to see our team win. Especially the winnable games. Thurday night's game, against a team that entered the game with a 3-5 record, was one of those games the Bears had to win if they had any dreams of making the playoffs.
Of course, teams don't go very far when their quarterbacks throw five interceptions in a game. Extending his streak of poor performances in prime time -- 11 of his league-leading 17 INTs have come in three evening games -- Cutler killed a number of the Bears scoring opportunities with untimely turnovers. San Fran nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin picked off a Cutler pass with the Bears on the 49ers' 1-yard line in the first quarter, ending a trip to the red zone without any points. He similarly ended the game on an end zone INT in the final seconds, when the Bears were down by four. Cutler threw for over 300 yards, but it went for naught as the ball never found the endzone. Some of his five picks weren't truly his fault - Hester got picked by an umpire in one case and slipped on another play.
Hester also got called for penalties on back-to-back plays at one point in the game. When was the last time you saw a WR called for a false start? In fact, the whole team played a sloppy game, committing 10 penalties for 75 yards. Many occurred at the most inopportune times, negating both a Lance Briggs interception and a 40-yard catch by Earl Bennett. In addition to being called for numerous flags, the offensive line was largely ineffective in all facets of the game. Their inability to open holes for Matt Forte -- he managed just 41 yards on 20 carries -- forced Cutler to the air. But a lack of pass protection caused him to force some of his throws and contributed to the turnovers.
If there was a bright spot to Thursday's game, it was that the defense finally played a decent game. In spite of missing yet another starter due to safety Al Afalava's shoulder injury, the defense allowed just 10 points and 216 total yards of offense. But a decent performance on one side of the ball isn't enough to win too many games. This is still the same defense that has allowed 31 points in a half twice in the past month.
In spite of an extended rest, the schedule doesn't get any easier. Next up are the Eagles on Sunday night in Week 11, followed by the Vikings a week later. At this point, equaling last season's 9-7 record looks like a fantasy for Lovie's team. Not that they should remain Lovie's team for very much longer. After last night's game, GM Jerry Angelo said, "When you have games like that, everything is an issue." That's true, and it starts with the coach. Under Mike Shanahan, Jay Cutler was a Pro Bowler. Under Lovie, he's the second coming of Rex Grossman [Ed's Note: At least Rex made it to a Super Bowl. - M.G.] Perhaps Shanahan and Cutler could work their magic together again in the Windy City.