Monday, December 1, 2008

Little Things Made Big Difference in Minnesota Win


The little things that the Bears have been trying to fix all season finally caught up to them in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears' defense gave up 200 yards running and 178 yards passing in a loss to Minnesota 14-34.

The inconsistency of the Bears' defense yet again is still vulnerable to attack. The Bears were unable to shut down the passing game which kept a lot of Minnesota's drives going. However, it was the running that ultimately brought down the damage. At first the Bears defense did an excellent job of containing Minnesota's running back Adrian Peterson, but as Peterson got more carries he was able to put together some big runs that spread out the Bears defense and left it open for wide receivers to pick up large gains.

The game all started down-hill once the Bears offense failed to convert on forth down at Minnesota's one-yard line for a touchdown. Right after the failed conversion Gus Frerotte threw a pass to Bernard Barrian for a 99-yard touchdown run. From there on things just started to get out of hand.

The Bears offense was just a little off their game. The Bears offense combined for a total of 331 yards compared to Minnesota's 556 yards. A lot of Orton's passes were "catchable" for the receivers he threw them to but were dropped- a lot of times just bobbled off their fingertips. Many of these dropped passes were crucial to keeping the Bears' drives alive and giving some time to create some flow to the game. I have to admit, however, that after Orton threw his first interception some time in the second half we knew that the game was over. The offensive lineman throughout the game was hassled by the defensive lineman of Minnesota. Orton was constantly being pressured which led to his three interceptions and 17 Minnesota points.

No matter what the Bears have to bounce back and adjust. The Bears defense has to play consistent, Orton has to react when being pressured, and wide receivers have to make plays when they are called upon. Let's get ready for Jacksonville.

GO BEARS!!!

No comments: