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Bears lose grip on playoffs after embarrassing 51-23 loss

The Bears hit rock bottom Sunday in Foxborough, Mass., with an effort so pathetic it landed them in the record book.

Marc Trestman's team allowed 38 first-half points, the most in franchise history. Twenty-one of those points came in a 57-second spurt of the second quarter that turned a lopsided loss into a total embarrassment.

The 51-23 final score appeared more respectable than Chicago's performance. The Bears NOW head into their off week at 3-5 and no realistic chance of participating in the NFL postseason.

The Bears defense allowed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to complete 30 of 35 passes for 354 yards, 5 touchdowns, no interception and a 148.5 passer rating. Arlington Heights native and Patriots rookie Jimmy Garoppolo finished the game for Brady.

In a fitting display, Bears defensive end Lamarr Houston had the team's only sack, which came late in the fourth quarter, long after the outcome had been decided, but he suffered an injury celebrating the hollow achievement.

One of the Patriots' touchdowns came when defensive end Rob Ninkovich returned a Jay Cutler fumble 15 yards with 55 seconds left in the first half. That swelled the Patriots' lead to 38-7, and it climbed to 45-7 before a couple of meaningless touchdowns by the Bears.

Cutler's fumble was the fourth he has lost this season. He also gave up his eighth interception on a failed Hail Mary pass toward the end zone near the end of a first half that should have left players and coaches looking for a hole to climb into.

Cutler regrouped in the second half and finished 20 of 30 for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns for a 108.6 passer rating, although most of his production came in garbage time. Running back Matt Forte rushed for 114 yards on 19 carries and caught 5 passes for 59 yards and 1 TD.

Tight end Martellus Bennett's TD catch was the highlight of the season so far, and he finished with 95 yards on 6 catches.

Adding to the insulting loss, guard Matt Slauson suffered a pectoral injury, linebacker Darryl Sharpton left with a hamstring injury and cornerback Kyle Fuller, who tried to play through hip and hand injuries, was unable to finish.

• Follow Bob's Bears and NFL reports on Twitter@BobLeGere.

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