Morning Box Score: Bears Lose to Favre Yet Again
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Nov 30, 2009 4:00PM
We don't even know why we continue to watch this train wreck. The Bears keep looking worse and worse as their season progresses, dropping to 4-7 after losing to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 36-10 on Sunday. The Vikings' offense obliterated the Bears bumbling defense, with the ageless Favre completing 32 of 48 passes for 392 yards and three touchdowns; the Vikings racked up 537 yards of total offense. Five different receivers caught at least five passes from Favre, led by rookie Percy Harvin's first 100 yard game on six receptions. With the defensive game plan focused on Adrian Peterson, the Bears "held" the star running back to 85 yards rushing, and the Vikings still managed 159 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Bears offense was equally inept on Sunday. hey managed 169 total yards -- just TWO yards after halftime -- and ran just six more plays (37) on offense in total than the Vikings had first downs (31). Jay Cutler connected on 18 of 23 passes, but for just 147 yards. Cutler found Johnny Knox for a TD in the second quarter to briefly tie the game, but as has become all too common, Cutler again threw a pick in the red zone to kill a promising drive on their next possession. There weren't many of those to come later in the game. Even when Knox ran the second half's opening kickoff back 77 yards to get the Bears inside the 10 yard line, the offense couldn't sustain the momentum to punch the ball into the end zone. Instead, the team moved backwards on each play before settling for a field goal. As for the running game, Matt Forte gained 27 yards on eight carries, but did Kahlil Bell even make it on to the field? After a glimmer of promise when he was finally promoted off the practice squad last week, we'd have liked to see Bell a bit more this week.
"We feel like crap," coach Lovie Smith said after the game, which is how Bears fans have felt for much of this season. We're simply glad he didn't give some "it's now a five game season" crap when we all know this year is over. For those who still care, the Bears have perhaps their most winnable game coming up next Sunday when they host the 1-10 Rams. Between that and the Lions in the finale, the Bears might reach 6-10 and will miss the playoffs for a third straight season since playing in Super Bowl XLI. Any afterglow or benefit of the doubt Lovie Smith earned has long since faded. The offense isn't working. The defense isn't working. Lovie Smith and the rest of his coaching staff need to be axed as soon as the season concludes -- if not sooner. Rumors continue to swirl with a number of big name coaches linked to potential Bears vacancies. Nothing's going to quiet them until a change is made.