Bears, Cutler, Struggle Against The Bucs

Jay Cutler (6) in a game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 11, 2016
(Credit: Bill Smith)

       The Chicago Bears (2-7) were embarrassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) on Sunday, losing 36-10 in a game they didn't expect to slip away so easily.

      Unfortunately I didn't see much of the game but I do know Cutler had an abysmal game. I kept up on my phone and could tell from the stats that he had a day to forget.

       Cutler was 16-30 for 182 yards, 1 TD, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumbles (one lost). One interception was a typical "Jay off his back foot with a defender right on the receiver" throw that resulted in a pick 6. Did I mention that it was former Bears safety Chris Conte who made the play? The guy who basically couldn't catch a football if it was already superglued to his hands? Yeah. That guy.

       The other interception that Cutler threw wasn't the best of throws but it looked like Jeffery gave up on his slant route and tried to get BEHIND the defender. Obviously if a quarterback is throwing a slant and you go behind your defender, nothing good can happen.

       Jordan Howard on the other hand had a very efficient game, despite his one fumble, running for 100 yards on just 15 carries. This season has been a mess but he is one player to be pretty hyped about on this offense. I see big things for number 24 going forward. 

       To make matters worse, Kyle Long was carted of the field with an ankle injury which has taken him out for the rest of the season, reports said on Monday. Also, Jeffery was suspended four games on Monday for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Good grief....

       There isn't much to say about the defense except the fact that they can't seem to consistently stop an offense. The defense gave up 360 total yards, allowed 27 points (the other 9 points were the result of poor Cutler decisions). Then again, the safety was basically guaranteed once the protection broke. So maybe only 7 points were Cutlers fault.....?

       One might say that the defense couldn't do much because the Bears weren't doing much on offense. But I think they were over-matched and have been most of the season. There are definitely playmakers, such as McPhee and Freeman, but two players can't play every position. Floyd looks to be finding his way in this league as well.

       I think the worst part about this season is that if you give the Bears the win in the two games they probably should have had (Jaguars and Colts) they would be 4-5. Our division leader is only 5-4!!!!! But the Bears have fallen into such a deep hole now that even a miracle couldn't help. But that doesn't mean we won't be hoping for one.