A look at the highs and lows of the first half of the season for the Chicago Bears and what to expect in the second half.
Midseason MVP: Jay Cutler is the easy choice. The 32-year old quarterback is having his finest season in Chicago under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Adam Gase and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains. The Bears have been competitive in every game when Cutler is under center. Without Cutler, the Bears’ offense looked abysmal in six quarters versus Arizona and Seattle. Cutler has actually played better than his numbers seem to indicate. Cutler is the consistent bright spot in an otherwise frustrating season.
Best moment: Down 17-3 at halftime, the Bears rallied in the second half to defeat Kansas City 18-17 at Arrowhead Stadium. Cutler was clutch in the fourth quarter, firing touchdown passes to Marquess Wilson and Matt Forte. The victory gave the rebuilding Bears a modest two-game winning streak. At the time, the goal of reaching the bye week at 3-3 sounded realistic. There was genuine enthusiasm inside the Bears' locker room after that game. Too bad it turned out to be short-lived.
Worst moment: There are several nominees in this category. But the lowest point so far occurred in Week 8 when Minnesota erased a late deficit to beat Chicago 23-20 at Soldier Field. The Bears literally snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong in the final minutes. The secondary (Sherrick McManis and Antrel Rolle) collapsed on crucial downfield plays to Minnesota receivers Stefon Diggs and Charles Johnson, and rookie tailback Jeremy Langford dropped a third-down pass to kill the Bears’ possible game-winning drive. If that wasn’t enough, special teams surrendered a 65-yard, punt-return touchdown. Special teams’ miscues have been a recurring theme.
Mark your calendar: Coach John Fox faces his former team, the first-place Denver Broncos, on Nov. 22 at Soldier Field. We’ll see how Fox and Vic Fangio’s defense fares against Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, whom many around the league viewed as washed up after last season. The Bears have a quick turnaround the next week when they travel to Green Bay on Thanksgiving. Legendary former Packers quarterback Brett Favre is scheduled to have his number retired that evening during a halftime ceremony at Lambeau Field -- as if Green Bay needed any further motivation versus the Bears. The Packers have won nine of 10 in the series. Ouch.
Key to second half: First and foremost, the Bears need better luck with injuries. Key players such as Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, Shea McClellin, Cutler, Forte and Rolle have all been hurt. If Fox can keep the injury report under control, the Bears have winnable games coming up versus San Francisco, Washington, Tampa and Detroit. Expect the Bears to be in position to stack some victories (unless Cutler regresses). The key is finishing. The Bears need to clean up mental mistakes in all three phases and learn to close out games. Chicago has enough coaching skill to finish the year 6-10 or 7-9, which is still an improvement over last season.