What exactly happened last night?  Besides Hester getting literally pantsed towards the end of the game, it was a complete disaster.  Yet somehow the Bears were “in it” until the end.  Later this week when I have time to think about this game more, I’ll have some better analysis, but here are a few quick observations:

• We weren’t playing from way behind the whole game, so why did we pass the ball 43 times and run 20?
• This must be some kind of anomaly, but Jay Cutler had 0 accuracy.  He was overthrowing, underthrowing, just not making passes that he generally can.
• The D-line got some pressure on McNabb.  They couldn’t plug the holes in the run game, but at least it felt like there was a pass rush.
• I know Robbie Gould missed that field goal, but him and Maynard are awesome.  I love those guys.
• Kahlil Bell (rb) and Tim Shaw (st)?  I don’t know who they are, but wow.  Loved Shaw’s hits on kick coverage.
• Charles Tillman may not be able to cover anyone, but boy can that guy strip the ball.

At 4-6, the Bears season is pretty much over.  Unless they go 6-0 (we’ll be lucky if they go 2-4, its a tough stretch with Minnesota twice!), the front office can probably start planning for next season.  Just getting Urlacher back from injury may be enough to shore up an aging, fading defense, but what about the offensive line?  Wide Receivers?  Secondary?  There are a lot of questions with seemingly very few answers.

h/t pic: Detroit4Lyfe

And just for shits and giggles, here’s that Super Bowl return Super Tecmo Bowl style:

“I saw more things [that] you normally don’t see as far as just in the huddle,” said Hester. “We got a little rowdy, a couple players got into some altercations with some fights on the field, and he was the guy who was like, ‘Hey, chill out, let’s get down and put these points on the board and worry about that later.’ You see a quarterback [taking control of the situation] like that, you know you got a good leader going forward.”

Mmmmm.  Kool-aid.

h/t: Docksquad Sports

Looking back at recent Super Bowl winners, this might not be the best strategy for Chicago though.  I mean that has to be the goal for this Bears squad, right?  In a division that is up for grabs, a move like the one made for Cutler is designed to make you instant contenders.  Sure, there is some time to develop some of the young guys, get Cutler settled, and get a receiver next year, but this defense isn’t getting any younger and will have to play a major role in any kind of run to and through the postseason.

There are very few champions in the last decade-plus who have had worse receiving situations than Chicago.  Last year’s Steelers come to mind immediately, but Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward are much better than any of the Bears receivers, plus Pittsburgh had another factor working for them that sets teams without great receivers apart: an amazing defense.

After the Steelers, we’re looking at Plaxico, Harrison/Wayne, Hines Ward’s younger self, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, and a Rod Smith/Ed McCaffery combo that was solid for Denver.  Even runner-ups sported guys like Fitzgerald and Boldin, Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, TO, Randy Moss, and Steve Smith.

There were also some teams that bucked the trend, but they all had something the Bears don’t.  The Ravens, Steelers, and Bucs form a group of Super Bowl champs that didn’t wow anyone with their wideouts, but they had elite defenses and outstanding coaching. Throw the Patriots teams in there that won Super Bowls under the latter category as well.  The point is, you need some kind of X-factor if you don’t have a great wide receiver and Forte, Olsen, and Clark only make up about an M-factor.

This isn’t to say that the Bears should sell the farm to pay for what’s left of the wide receiver free agent class, or that they don’t have a chance at a successful season.  I suppose the defense has a chance to return to the form of a few years ago, but I wouldn’t count on it.  They are also lacking in the special teams department as Devin Hester tries to be that number one receiver.

Thus ends your Bears doom and gloom.  Go Lions.

Hey if nothing else, they still get to play Detroit twice and Brett Favre will probably be in the NFC North, so they will have a 50/50 chance of winning the division against the Packers.

h/t: Docksquad Sports