Bears' offense looks to clean up its act

Getting 107 rushing yards against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs' defense isn't much to brag about, but that was the crowning achievement of the Bears' struggling offense Sunday.

Then there were the turnovers.

The Bears added 3 more Sunday -- a pair of Rex Grossman interceptions and a Bernard Berrian fumble -- to make it 6 total for the offense in two weeks.

"The turnovers on the offensive side are something that we have to eliminate," Bears coach Lovie Smith said Monday. "It's as simple as that.

And, while Grossman's 56.0 passer rating was marginally better than his 53.7 against San Diego, it wasn't nearly good enough for a team that considers itself Super Bowl material.

"Passing-game wise, we didn't get a lot done, and we have to eliminate the turnovers in order for us to go to the next step," Smith said.

Critics would claim that the Bears' offense in general, and Grossman in particular, have yet to take the first step.

Even the principal participants aren't impressed with the way they've performed as a team so far, averaging just 220.5 total yards per game, more than 100 fewer than the league average in 2006.

"It wasn't pretty," tight end Desmond Clark admitted, "but we won. We know that we can do some things better, but we're happy with the win."

So was Grossman, but he knew a good share of the blame belonged to him in a game that could've been a blowout if the offense had simply pulled its weight.

"I'm always happy when we win," Grossman said. "I take full blame for those 2 (interceptions). I didn't feel it in the second half like we felt in the first half. We just need to put two halves together and it wouldn't have been close."

No one is happy with the combined 254 passing yards the Bears have accumulated thus far. Fourteen NFL quarterbacks threw for more yardage in Week 2 alone.

"Obviously we have to put two halves together, and we weren't able to do that," said Grossman, who completed 13 of 20 passes for 120 yards and a 97.9 passer rating in the first half against Kansas City but was 7 of 14 for 40 yards with the 2 picks in the second. "But we played well enough in the first half with this defense to win the game."

As long as the defense holds all opponents to 10 points or fewer, the Bears might be able to keep winning with the offense playing at the same level. But Sunday night they face an undefeated Dallas Cowboys team that is averaging 41 points.

"I think they're one of the top offenses in the league, averaging over 400 yards per game (415, to be exact)," Smith said. "It'll be a big challenge for us."

Especially for a defense that's carrying an inefficient offense on its back.

When asked to identify where the passing game was failing, Smith couldn't place the blame in any one area.

"It's a combination of things," he said. "It's protection, it's the quarterback throwing the ball to the receivers. The entire operation; we're just not there. It's kind of as simple as that.

"We made progress offensively this past week getting our running game going. The next phase of it will be to bring the passing game along with it, too."

Smith hopes the expected return of tight end Greg Olsen will provide a boost, but it would be asking a lot for a rookie who has missed almost three weeks to step in and make an immediate impact.

And even if the Bears haven't been able to get Devin Hester involved in the offense, they thank their lucky stars for his return ability.

"He has a chance to break it every time he touches the ball," Smith said. "He gave us a lot of offense (Sunday)."

Good thing because the offense needs all the help it can get.