Cutler, O-Line provide pre-playoff nightmare

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Sunday, Jan. 2, 2010
8:30 PM

By John Mullin
CSNChicago.com

The offense managed just three points against a good defense but missed too many opportunities, particularly on throws by Jay Cutler. In a tight game one or two plays are the difference and the offense that made them the past couple weeks did little of that this time. The defense created chances but had a breakdown or two - too many in a game where there was no margin for error.

Quarterback D-
Cutler had one of his poorer games of the season, posting a 43.5 passer rating that was his third-worst of the year. Cutler wasted a scoring chance when he threw an interception in the third quarter, underthrowing Johnny Knox badly in a situation where anything but an underthrow was acceptable. He was sacked six times but was never in synch with the overall offense, completing 21 of 39 passes for 168 yards but taking 51 yards in sacks.

Running back B

Matt Forte breezed past 1,000 rushing yards in the first quarter with runs of 25 and 21 yards and added a 27-yard reception in the second quarter. Forte added four pass receptions in just the first half and finished with a game-high eight receptions on eight passes thrown to him. Fortes 91 rushing yards came on 15 carries for a 6.1 average. Chester Taylor had limited impact (11 yards) on his three carries.
ReceiversD

Rashied Davis made something of his chances with Earl Bennett inactive, catching all four of the passes thrown to him in the first half and finishing with a career-high seven catches for 63 yards. Knox was held without a catch for the first time all season, leaving him 40 yards short of 1,000 for the year. Greg Olsen made several difficult grabs among his five catches but only Davis and Devin Hester (one) caught passes among wide receivers, who were not open often enough for Cutler to get rid of the ball with purpose.

Offensive line D

The group got Forte his 1,000 yards in the first half but struggled against an aggressive 3-4 front that blitzed and sacked Cutler six times for 51 yards in losses. Six different Packers had at least a share of a sack. The line was not able to gain any control of the line of scrimmage to the point of sustaining some offense. The Bears had 8 out of 13 possessions on which they failed to pick up a first down. LT Frank Omiyale was beaten for a blind-side sack in the second quarter but the Packers created some coverage sacks. Cutler, however, did his line no favors by not getting the ball out of his hands.

Defensive line C

Henry Melton shared a sack and provided solid pressure. Tommie Harris sack in the third quarter prevented a TD after a first-and-goal from the one and Harris added a tackle for loss and quarterback hit. But the line was credited with just two quarterback hits overall, although the Packers were limited to 2.6 yards per carry.
Linebackers B

Brian Urlacher had a half-sack in the first half and a quarterback hit. Lance Briggs was credited with nine tackles. Pisa Tinoisamoa was forced to play the full way after an injury to Nick Roach and performed well.

SecondaryB

Charles Tillman intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble, the latter forced by D.J. Moore. Zackary Bowman got some playing time in the fourth quarter but was beaten for a 46-yard completion to Greg Jennings to set up a Green Bay TD. Tillman and Tim Jennings had pass deflections but Aaron Rodgers threw for 229 yards and had completions to nine different receivers.
Special teams B-

Brad Maynard put two punts out of bounds inside the Green Bay 20 and averaged 45.5 yards in difficult conditions. Robbie Gould accounted for the games first points with a 30-yard field goal. Sloppy punt coverage allowed Tramon Williams a 40-yard return to the Chicago 44 in the third quarter. Hester had punt returns of 16 and 19 yards but Danieal Manning was held to 31 total yards on two kickoff returns.

Coaching B

The Bears were ready to play in a game that meant virtually nothing beyond a tuneup by kickoff time. The defense was aggressive and disruptive and the offense produced four plays of 20-plus yards in just the first half. Execution failed in several situations and the Packers made several calls that went directly into vulnerable areas of the Bears play. But a creditable job of motivation was done in a situation where a letdown was very possible.

John "Moon" Mullin is CSNChicago.com's Bears Insider, and appears regularly on Bears Postgame Live and Chicago Tribune Live. Follow Moon on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bears information.

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