Rozner: Bears' rally says much about new era
It speaks to just how far the Bears have come in the last few weeks that they are at their best when Jay Cutler has the ball in his hands and is making decisions on his own.
Imagine saying that any time in the last seven years.
It tells you a lot about offensive coordinator Adam Gase and the John Fox staff in general that the Bears don't quit and they do make improvements, making the best of a bad situation when completely outmanned and totally overwhelmed.
That translated into a game-winning drive in the final minutes for the second consecutive week as the Bears improved to 2-3 with an 18-17 victory at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
"I've gotten a lot of questions about (Cutler) since I got here," Fox said. "I couldn't be more pleased or impressed with how he's handled himself, not just this week and last week, but since we got here."
The Chiefs built a 17-3 lead, which could have been larger if not for the ineptitude of Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith, and the Bears got a huge lift when Pernell McPhee blocked a field goal in the third quarter.
With the Chiefs in prevent, the Bears scored with 3:05 left in the fourth on a terrific toss from Cutler to Marquess Wilson, cutting the lead to 17-12.
Behind a shuffled offensive line and without receivers Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal, Cutler was severely limited in his options and was running for his life a good portion of the game.
"It was fun to see guys grow," Fox said. "It's about playing smarter, tougher, longer than your opponent, and we did that today."
Despite it all, Cutler had the ball in his hands with 124 seconds left and a chance to win the game, 67 yards away and with a single timeout.
He calmly walked the Bears down the field and, after a bad snap, picked up the ball and flipped it to Matt Forte for the game-winner.
"Really proud of the guys up front going up against a really good defensive line," Cutler said. "Little down in numbers on the outside (at receiver), but those guys fought."
In a very loud environment with a makeshift offensive line, playing against a ferocious defensive line, a beating by the Chiefs wouldn't have been shocking.
It was an unfortunate combination for the Bears, playing a rookie center - Hroniss Grasu - against a stacked defense, playing - for all intents and purposes - next to a new guard and two new tackles.
The Kansas City defense ran line games right from the start, and they took advantage of Bears infractions and indecision to score the first touchdown of the game on a sack-fumble, which almost turned out to be the difference.
"It's like a bar fight," Fox said. "There's not time for normal conversations. You set your helmet back straight and learn to adjust. (Grasu) did a fine job and we expected him to."
Even down 17-3, however, there was no defeat in this team, a tribute to Fox but even more to the coordinators that are constantly replacing bad players with new players, and finding a way to make it work.
"We have a lot of new guys out there," Fox said. "I don't know that people actually realize the numbers we've been through. Some of the guys have had to step in with some pretty gutsy performances."
It's the kind of season that often looks bad on the scoreboard and offers incremental improvement that's difficult to see, but it's there for those who want to view a bigger picture.
"It seldom goes as smooth as you want. I don't care who you are or what you do," Fox said. "You keep battling and staying aggressive and not quitting. Those are things you preach not just in football, but in life.
"I'm proud of Jay and the whole football team. It was a character victory."
The Bears are getting coached and they are taking steps, however small they may be, and Sunday they hung around again long enough to make plays and steal a game.
That's something that wouldn't have happened the last few years - and it says something about where this team is headed.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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