Latest loss all but ends any talk of postseason

The Bears keep finding new ways to lose.

Sunday night on national television, they came up with a new formula in a 24-20 loss to the Eagles, who improved to 6-4.

At 4-6, the Bears can forget about the playoffs.

The defense forced 3 turnovers and at times put pressure on Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb, sacking him three times.

But late in the game, it couldn't hold a 20-17 lead, and Chicago native McNabb finished with a 101.6 passer rating.

Robbie Gould, the second-most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history, hit 4 in a row but then had a fifth, from 48 yards, blocked in the fourth quarter, and it led to the Eagles' winning touchdown.

The offense? Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked just once, but he was unsuccessful connecting with receivers who, at times, were as wide open as they've been all season.

"I missed some throws early," Cutler said. "It can't happen. We're not scoring enough points; we're not helping the defense."

After spotting the Eagles a 10-0 lead the Bears got on the board with Gould's 45-yard field goal on the third play of the second quarter. But on the two previous plays the Bears wasted touchdown opportunities.

First, tight end Greg Olsen was wide open in the red zone, but Cutler's pass barely brushed his outstretched fingertips. On the next play, Hester was even more open, but Cutler's pass was way overthrown deep in the end zone.

Cutler finished 24 of 43 for just 171 yards, 1 TD, 1 interception and a passer rating of 63.2.

"I have no explanation why," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "He missed some throws early. It's as simple as that."

Cutler has played horribly in the Bears' four night games, all losses.

In those games, he has tossed 12 interceptions and just 4 TD passes. Cutler was asked if his diabetes had any effect on his play at night.

"No," he said. "We've had good (blood-sugar) numbers. Diabetes has never been as issue and never will be."

Even when the offense finally made it safely through the treacherous red zone that has tripped up Cutler and Co. most of the season, taking a 20-17, late third-quarter lead, it wasn't enough.

The Eagles retook the lead, 24-20 on LeSean McCoy's 10-yard TD run with 5:31 left.

The Bears have now lost five of six games after a promising 3-1 start.

"The last couple weeks this stuff is getting old fast," defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said. "It's frustrating. The lack of consistency is becoming unsettling and disturbing. It's starting to really be dreadful, going home and facing this city, the fans, facing (the media). It's starting to become a drag."

A final Bears drive that began with 1:51 and no timeouts left ended when Cutler's pass intended for Greg Olsen was intercepted by Sean Jones after Eagles linebacker Tracy White deflected it.

The loss left the Bears all but dead, at least as far as the playoffs. They still have to play the 9-1, NFC North-leading Vikings twice, including Sunday at Minnesota.

The Bears were concerned with wide receiver DeSean Jackson's big-play ability all week, and he showed why he's so dangerous when he got behind rookie strong safety Al Afalava to haul in a 48-yard TD pass from McNabb.

That score gave the Eagles a 17-12 lead with 5:53 remaining in the third quarter. Jackson also caught 3 passes for 24 yards on the Eagles' final scoring drive.

But the Bears' offense finally took a drive all the way to the end zone, avoiding the red-zone miscues that had hampered it recently, to reclaim the lead 3:01 later.

Cutler's perfectly lofted fade pattern fell gently into the outstretched hands of tight end Kellen Davis for a 15-yard TD, giving the Bears an 18-17 edge.

The Bears went for 2 and Cutler drilled a bullet over the middle to Matt Forte to increase the lead to 20-17.

But the offense went three-plays-and-out the next three times it got the ball, even though the middle possession ended with the blocked field goal.

That was set up by cornerback Charles Tillman's third forced fumble of the night, the second one that the Bears recovered.

An offense that has been inconsistent at best for most of the season, was horrendous on third downs Sunday night, converting just 3 of 16 for an anemic 19 percent. The Eagles converted 47 percent of their third-down opportunities (7 of 15).

The six-week slump that followed the bye week has left the Bears searching for answers and explanations, not to mention a victory of any kind.

"This wasn't part of the master plan," Smith said. "But that's where we are now. Are we happy with where we're at right now? No."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Grading the Bears</p> <p class="breakhead">GAME BALL </p> <p class="News">DeSean Jackson </p> <p class="News">Philadelphia triple threat DeSean Jackson piled up yards on kick returns, pass receptions and end-arounds in his second visit to Soldier Field. The second-year man returned a punt 53 yards in the second quarter and caught a 48-yard touchdown bomb in the third quarter to highlight his 173 all-purpose yards. He led everyone with 8 catches for 107 yards.</p> <p class="breakhead">QB (2 balls) </p> <p class="News">Jay Cutler overthrew Greg Olsen and Devin Hester on consecutive second-quarter snaps. Either pass would've been an easy TD against the Eagles' injury-plagued secondary. Cutler overthrew other receivers as well, but at least he didn't cough up any interceptions until the final minute, right? Cutler did get a lob pass correct in the third quarter when he hit TE Kellen Davis for a go-ahead score. </p> <p class="breakhead">RB (3 balls) </p> <p class="News">Newest Bear Kahlil Bell dropped an out pass on his first snap with the Beloved, then sprinted for 72 yards on his second snap. That's how modern-day Bears legends are made. Matt Forte didn't often have room to roam, but he didn't maximize the few occasions where it looked like there were big back-side yards available. Forte finished with 14 carries for 34 yards.</p> <p class="breakhead">WR (3 balls) </p> <p class="News">Johnny Knox leaped high to make one catch, then let the next slant bounce off his hands. He also used his speed to draw an illegal-contact penalty and to help Kahlil Bell get extra yards on his 72-yard jaunt. Devin Hester's wide-receiver screens fooled nobody. The first two lost 3 yards apiece. Earl Bennett broke 3 tackles on one play to earn a first down and set up Robbie Gould's third field goal. </p> <p class="breakhead">OL (2.5 balls) </p> <p class="News">If you DIDN'T get a holding penalty among the blocking corps, you seemed like the exception. Fullback Jason McKie, tight end Kellen Davis and center Olin Kreutz were flagged in the first half. Kreutz missed a cut block to hand LB Trent Cole a 13-yard sack. </p> <p class="breakhead">DL (3.5 balls) </p> <p class="News">The pass rush seemed to surround Donovan McNabb all night. Tommie Harris earned a sack for the second game in a row, while Israel Idonije and Alex Brown spent a lot of time in the backfield. Anthony Adams recovered a fumble and celebrated with a somersault. The Mark Anderson sighting included 4 first-half tackles and a shared sack. </p> <p class="breakhead">LB (3 balls) </p> <p class="News">Lance Briggs looked like he got hurt on Philly's first TD, but he stayed in and offered his usual effort - including a third-quarter sack of McNabb. The linebackers did a solid job of plugging the holes and slowing rookie RB LeSean "Shady" McCoy for the most part. </p> <p class="breakhead">Secondary (3 balls) </p> <p class="News">Zack Bowman made a nice play on a McNabb fastball for his fourth interception in the last six games. One possession later, Charles Tillman earned his fourth forced fumble of the year as he stripped Jackson in Bears territory (then he forced another Jackson fumble in the third).</p> <p class="breakhead">Special teams (3.5 balls) </p> <p class="News">Gould drilled a 45-yard field-goal in the second quarter, then drilled the Eagles' Macho Harris out of bounds on the subsequent kick return. Gould added 3 more field goals (28, 28 and 49 yards) to make his Pro Bowl case even more slam-dunkier.</p> <p class="breakhead">Coaching (3 balls) </p> <p class="News">With the Bears trailing 10-6 late in the first half, Lovie Smith went for it on fourth-and-1 at Eagles' 22 and Cutler's sneak worked. It still led to a Bears field goal, but it's the gambling thought that counts. Prior to that, Bears fans booed the offensive play calls (and results) four times. </p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=339004">Week 11: Bears vs. Eagles photo gallery </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>