Bears' offense struggles with inconsistency

Three-quarters of the way through his second season at the Bears' helm, coach Marc Trestman has learned some hard lessons.

"What I've learned is that we haven't been a consistent offense," Trestman said. "We haven't been able to put four quarters together for whatever reasons, and there are multiple (reasons), as we've said.

"So that's what we're trying to improve on … to play the way we did on the first series in Detroit, and really the first series of the third quarter."

While jumping ahead of the Lions 14-3 in the first quarter and then tacking on a field goal to start the second half, the Bears flashed the production that was commonplace last season when they were No. 2 in scoring and No. 8 in total yards.

"We haven't been able to sustain the football and finish drives and not hurt ourselves and get ourselves out of field position where we can't get points," said Trestman, whose team is 21st in scoring and 20th in yards.

"We've been consistently doing that, and we're trying to overcome that."

The Bears should have opportunities against a Dallas Cowboys defense that is 22nd in yards and 16th in points allowed.

Dallas also is 27th in average gain allowed per play and average gain per run allowed, 28th in sack percentage and 30th in third-down defense.

OMG, they're BFFs:

Quarterback Jay Cutler appreciates the pass protection he gets from second-year guard Kyle Long, in addition to his upbeat, fun-loving personality, which also makes Long popular among his teammates.

Cutler even lets Long hang out with him off the field - occasionally, almost like a little brother tagging along.

"Sometimes you want to pass him off on somebody else," Cutler joked. "He's a heck of a guy.

"I think all the guys in the locker room enjoy being around him and enjoy having him in the huddle. Sometimes I even let him come over to the house."

Cutler even lends his fashion sense to Long if he needs approval for his game-day outfit.

"Sometimes he sends me pictures of what he's going to wear, some selfies," Cutler said, laughing. "It's an unusual relationship."

Unusual enough for the two to have gone shopping together?

"I better not say never," Cutler said. "I introduced him to my suit guy, so I've been with him whenever he's bought some suits from time to time. I don't know, is that bad? C'mon, don't judge me."

Stick with it:

One of the excuses used for just seven running plays being called against at Detroit was the 24-14 halftime deficit, so offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer was asked if it was feasible to run the ball when down by 10 points.

"Yeah, that's a good point," Kromer said. "And I think in the future, that will happen."

Injury report:

Safety Chris Conte (eye), defensive end Cornelius Washington and wide receiver Chris Williams (hamstring) did not practice Monday.

Tight end Martellus Bennett (foot), cornerback Tim Jennings (groin), wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (hamstring), defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff (knee), defensive tackle Trevor Scott (knee) and linebacker Darryl Sharpton (hamstring) were limited.

Guard Kyle Long (calf) had full participation.