Jay Cutler Mistakes, Soft Defense Doom Chicago Bears Again
Published by Zach Kruse on September 28, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
A couple of poor plays from quarterback Jay Cutler and a defense incapable of getting off the field could pretty much sum up the Chicago Bears‘ 38-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers Sunday at Soldier Field.
The same descriptions could also be used to tell the story of Chicago’s home-opening loss back in Week 1.
While the script now feels old and overused, past redundancy hasn’t kept the Bears from replaying it over and over. And the end result—another loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers—prevented a golden opportunity for the Bears to start 3-1 and open up a two-game gap over Green Bay in the NFC North standings.
Instead, Cutler’s decision-making and the stunning ineffectiveness of the defense will dominate the headlines in Chicago for the next week.
Yet for the first 30 minutes, it appeared as if Cutler would match Rodgers blow for blow.
He opened the game completing 12 of his first 16 passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears scored 17 points and gained 235 yards on just the offense’s first three possessions. But momentum shifted at the very end of Chicago’s fourth and final drive of the first half, when Cutler’s completion to tight end Martellus Bennett was ruled short of the goal line as time expired.
The Bears’ chance to score and retake the lead going into the locker room was eliminated after replays were deemed inconclusive. Chicago would remain stuck at 17 points the rest of the contest.
Cutler was at least partly to blame.
On Chicago’s first possession of the second half, Cutler attempted to find Josh Morgan on a short slant route. However, Packers cornerback Tramon Williams—who was playing inside technique—jumped the route, and the ensuing deflection landed in Clay Matthews’ hands for an interception.
One series later, a mixup between Cutler and Brandon Marshall—who did not practice all week due to an ankle injury—led directly to a second interception. Marshall ran a stop-and-go double move, while Cutler threw the simple hook. With Marshall taking off downfield, Packers cornerback Sam Shields was left in perfect position to make the easy pick.
Head coach Marc Trestman placed the blame for the second interception on Marshall’s shoulders, not Cutler’s, via David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune:
The two turnovers led to 14 points for Green Bay, which effectively broke open an otherwise close game.
On some level, the result was a microcosm of the Cutler experience: elite production over 95 percent of the game, with one or two bad plays that turn the contest. He finished with 256 yards and two scores on 22-of-34 passing, but his two interceptions marked the sixth time in 10 games against Green Bay that Cutler has thrown at least two picks. The Bears are now 1-9 overall in those games.
Damning statistics aside, Mel Tucker’s defense deserves much more of the blame for Sunday’s debacle.
A Packers offense in such disarray over the first three weeks suddenly sparked to life against Chicago, gaining almost eight yards and a play and scoring on its first six possessions. Only a blocked field goal in the fourth quarter kept Green Bay’s offense from finishing a perfect 7-for-7 on scoring drives Sunday.
While the Bears much-maligned run defense held firm—the Packers rushed for just 56 yards—the secondary and pass rush had no answer for Rodgers.
After throwing for just 162 yards in Detroit last Sunday, Rodgers exploded against the Bears, completing 22 of 28 passes for 302 yards and four scores. His 151.2 passer rating was the second highest of his NFL career.
An inability to pressure Rodgers was the root of the problem.
Rodgers took just one sack—on a scramble to the sideline—and was dealt zero quarterback hits. The uninterrupted time in the pocket allowed his two favorite receivers—Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb—to consistently get open against a banged-up Chicago secondary. Nelson and Cobb finished the contest with 17 catches, 221 yards and four touchdowns between them.
The Bears opportunistic defense of the first three weeks also evaporated. Ranked first in takeaways (13) entering Week 4, Chicago did not turn over the Packers Sunday.
How obvious was defense lacking at Soldier Field? Neither team punted over 15 total possessions.
The Bears certainly had no problem piling up numbers against Green Bay’s defense. Chicago closed the game with 496 total yards (the most since hiring Trestman), 33 first downs (tied for the most) and 235 yards rushing (most since 1988).
The two turnovers were killers. In game with so little margin for error, two empty possessions provided the edge, especially after Rodgers and the Packers were set up in Chicago territory after each interception.
However, not many teams survive when the only stop delivered by its defense is a blocked field goal.
While this loss to Green Bay at Solider Field comes at a better time than last year’s defeat, the Bears still must be flabbergasted at the similarity of the team’s two home losses in 2014.
In Week 1, the Buffalo Bills forced two critical turnovers from Cutler and played efficient (enough) offense, especially late in the contest. On Sunday, the Packers followed the same script—but the lead in this picture was Aaron Rodgers, not EJ Manuel.
After four weeks, the 2014 Bears look fairly easy to figure out.
Protecting the football remains especially imperative for Cutler, and the defense is essentially takeaway-or-bust. While that can be a winning formula, days when the pieces don’t come together can certainly produce losses like the two the Bears have suffered over the season’s first month.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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