There are probably hundreds of plays that cost the Chicago Bears their shot at a postseason trip for the 2011 season. Of course it’s easy to blame it on injuries and while I want to include one that is not what ruined the Bears’ season.

Jay Cutler’s Injury:

I did say we wouldn’t count injuries. This wasn’t an “injury” as much as it was a “play.” And it was a very dumb play at that. Wouldn’t it be fair to say that Cutler’s attempt to tackle the man who intercepted his pass was “not smart?” Why did he do it?

In the NFC Championship last year Jay Cutler was considered less than a man because he sat out much of the game and those who are self-proclaimed “experts” said he should have stayed in the game despite having to obey the coaches.

It is for that reason I believe that Cutler went after the defensive player who intercepted the pass. I think he wanted to prove he had “heart.” As a result the Bears are not in the playoffs. Quarterbacks have no business trying to tackle people. Keep a close eye on those who have won Super Bowls.

Marion Barber runs out of bounds against Denver:

Perhaps this loss to the Broncos was one of the saddest losses in Chicago Bears’ history. The Bears controlled the game completely and could have run the clock out at the end. Barber ran out of bounds and gave the Denver Broncos hope. It also took the Bears’ record down to (7-6).

Underestimating the Kansas City Chiefs-”Hail Mary”:

When Coach Lovie Smith went for a first down on fourth and a yard I had a bad feeling and I was right. Going into the game there was an aura of arrogance on the part of the Bears because Kansas City wasn’t doing well and the Bears were at home.

However play after play and failure after failure kept the Chiefs close and sure enough at the end of the first half the Kansas City Chiefs completed a ridiculous “Hail Mary.”

Roy Williams dropped pass in the Kansas City game:

Roy Williams was obtained by the Bears to be a tough big receiver. He dropped a lot of balls in 2011 but none bigger than the pass near the Kansas City goal line that could have tied the game in the fourth quarter.

Bears failure to understand their quarterback situation:

After two Caleb Hanie losses Chicago should have been making some kind of deal. The coaching staff is too slow.

And now, despite having a record of (7-3) after 10 games with an easy schedule, the Bears will watch the playoffs from home.

I wonder if we’ll ever try something new.

Reference:

MyNorthwest.com, Associated Press, “Bears’ Quarterback Cutler to have surgery on broken thumb”

NFL Video.com, “Barber’s Big Mistake”

YouTube, “Jay Cutler Quits NFC Championship Game-No Heart Son”

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Chicago Bears won’t be home for Christmas. However, if they don’t find a way to upset the Green Bay Packers on Christmas night? They’ll be home for the playoffs.

Bears head coach Lovie Smith received more discouraging news in regards to the health of the remaining players on the Bears’ roster. Devin Hester has always been a threat as a return specialist against the Packers’ suspect special-teams coverage units. The Bears need him because of injuries and legal issues that have decimated the receiving unit.

Hester missed the entire week of practice with an ankle injury and is listed as questionable as of December 23, 2011. Smith claimed that the chances of Hester playing weren’t looking very good. The injury would force Earl Bennett into the role of punt return specialist.

Here are a few other key players who may be sidelined for the Bears as they fight to keep their slim playoff hopes alive on Christmas night.

Jay Cutler (Out)

Jay Cutler is still recovering from surgery that he had on a broken thumb on his throwing hand. Following a 7-3 start with Cutler, the Bears have lost four consecutive games with Caleb Hanie as his replacement. Josh McCown will get the start as he’s only completed two passes since the 2007-08 season.

Matt Forte (Out)

Matt Forte suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Forte has been ruled out for this game. He was leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage before the injury. This will force McCown to make some plays in the passing game.

Johnny Knox (Out)

The Chicago Bears lost their go-to receiver after he was placed on injured reserve with a back injury earlier this week. Knox would’ve been the return specialist had Hester not played. Bears special-teams coordinator Dave Toub will likely rely on Earl Bennett and Armando Allen if Hester can’t play.

Marion Barber (Doubtful)

Along with Matt Forte, Marion Barber is also expected to miss this game with a calf injury. Kahlil Bell and Armando Allen would receive the majority of carries in their absences. Allen may also handle the kickoff return duties if Hester can’t play. This will be Bell’s second career start.

Lance Briggs (Questionable)

Lance Briggs was a limited participant during practice on Friday. Henry Melton and Briggs are game-time decisions.

More from Yahoo! Contributor Network

Christmas Miracles that Are More Probable Than the Chicago Bears Shutting Out the Green Bay Packers: Fan’s Trash Talk

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: Fan’s NFL Pick Against the Spread (Week 16, 2011-12 Season)

Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and Jarrett Bush Amongst Leading Vote-Getters for 2012 Pro Bowl: Fan’s Take

Chicago Bears Will Start Josh McCown Against Green Bay Packers: Packer Fan’s Take

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will face off on Christmas Night during the 2011-12 NFL season. The Packers are coming off their first loss of the season in a 19-14 upset from the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers’ offense became stagnant after they lost three of their four best offensive tackles. They’re also without their starting running back (James Starks) and go-to wide receiver (Greg Jennings).

The Bears defense has always been tough against the Packers ‘offense. Since 2009, they’ve held the Packers’ offense to fewer than 22 points in five of the past six meetings. The Packers only scored 10 points in last season’s regular-season finale.

Now if you’re confident enough in the Bears shutting out the Packers? You might get a rebate that covers the purchase of a car.

A car dealership called Sawicki Motors in Rochelle, Illinois, has started a promotion. They’ll rebate the purchase price of any automobile that’s bought from their car lot from December 16, 2011, to December 23. The catch is that the Packers can’t score any points against the Bears on Christmas night.

The promotion has done what general manager Ron Matula wanted: increase exposure for Sawicki Motors. Regardless, there are many improbabilities in Chicago sports that would happen before the Bears’ hold the Packers to zero points.

Santa Claus might need some help from Matt Flynn with this list of Christmas miracles.

The Chicago Bears And Green Bay Packers Will Combine For Two Points

The Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes five games that ended in a 2-0 score. The Bears and Packers were involved in the last two games during the 1930s. The Packers had a 2-0 victory over the Bears on October 16, 1932. The Bears defeated the Packers 2-0 on September 18, 1938.

The Chicago Bears Will Score Exactly Four Points

The Racine Legion had some strange scores against Chicago teams during the 1923 NFL season. The Chicago Bears handed them their first loss of the season with a 3-0 loss. However, that wasn’t as bizarre as the Legion’s 10-4 victory later in that season against the Chicago Cardinals.

Maybe the Cardinals hit a grand slam? The Chicago Cubs have a better chance of hitting a grand slam in this game when compared to the Bears’ ability of shutting out the Packers’ offense.

Josh McCown Will Have More Touchdown Passes Than Aaron Rodgers

Most of them will be completed to players on the Packers’ defense.

Shawn Slocum Will Outcoach Dave Toub

Packers special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum’s job is easy since he has the NFC’s leading vote-getter for special teams (via fan votes), Jarrett Bush. I’d just love to know why stuff like this happens.

Barack Obama Will Trade Aaron Rodgers To The Chicago Bears Via An Executive Order

President Obama has probably learned that a certificate of stock in the Packers is more useless than the United States Congress or the Electoral College when there are more than two parties involved in a presidential election.

Chicago Will Host The Summer Olympics

Just not anytime before 2024.

If Lovie Smith Didn’t Think This Was A Must-win Game For The Chicago Bears

I wonder if Lovie Smith would now consider that divisional loss against the Detroit Lions as a “Must-win game?”

Terrell Owens Will Sign With The Chicago Rush

With Jerry Angelo’s inability to find a go-to wide receiver for Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler over the past decade, it’d be funny if the best wide receiver in Chicago happened to play in the Arena Football League. An AFL tandem of Roy Williams and Terrell Owens might have some success with the Chicago Rush. Maybe.

Albert Pujols Will Still Haunt The Chicago Cubs

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. That would mean that the Cubs are winning National League pennants with Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. I wonder who fans of the St. Louis Cardinals would cheer for in a World Series between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Cubs?

Commissioner Scrooge (Roger Goodell) Won’t Fine Anyone This Holiday Season

Happy Holidays!

Sam Hurd Will Have a “Johnny Jolly Christmas”

The sad part is that I wouldn’t be surprised if they were busted again if they were given another opportunity.

Brett Favre Will Come Out Of Retirement And Play For The Chicago Bears

The feud between Ted Thompson and Favre is tied at two. Time to settle this once and for all!

Jerry Angelo Will Win A Super Bowl As General Manager Of The Chicago Bears

Some Bears fans might argue that this has the same probability of happening as the Packers’ offense getting shut out or the Bears having any playoff hopes remaining after Christmas night:

No chance.

Joshua Huffman grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs enthusiast. His favorite Packer moments include Super Bowl XXXI, XLV, and Al Harris interception return following Matt Hasselbeck’s “We’re gonna score” comments. As a Packers and Cubs fan, he suffered through Steve Bartman and “4th & 26″ in a span of three months.

More from Yahoo! Contributor Network

Punting on Third Down? The NFL’s Rarest Kicking Strategies: Fan’s Review

Greatest Playoff Games for the Green Bay Packers in the 21st Century: Fan’s Take

Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers is Named 2011 Sporting News Athlete of the Year: Fan’s Take

Chicago Cubs Are Reportedly Discussing Trade with Cincinnati Reds for Travis Wood: Fan’s Take

Hallelujah! Albert Pujols is Out of the National League: Chicago Cub Fan’s Take

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The NFL season is just getting worse and worse for the Chicago Bears. For a season that was recently full of brimming hope and potential just four weeks ago, the Bears have since gone 0-4 (Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks), lost their starting quarterback in Jay Cutler, their starting running back in Matt Forte, and now they’ve lost wide receiver Johnny Knox and rookie safety Chris Conte. This turn of events really has been staggering.

First off, Johnny Knox’s injury was extremely scary. I’m certainly no doctor, but when he went down and I saw the replay a few times, I thought he was done playing football forever. You don’t ever want to see a player get hurt, but let’s be honest, how many of us had dire concern for Jay Cutler because he broke his thumb? Nah, we were more concerned with how it affected the Bears. Knox’s injury is different. That was the type of injury that makes you cringe and genuinely worry about someone —despite them being a distant athlete who you’ll probably never meet, much less have a relationship with. It was good to see that the back surgery to stabilize a vertebra went well and his possibility of playing football again remains intact.

The Bears also lost rookie safety Chris Conte to an ankle injury. While the Bears playoff chances have seemingly been left by the wayside, this is a significant loss for them. Early on this season, the Bears defense was dreadful. This was largely in part to awful safety play from Chris Harris (later released) and Brandon Meriweather. When Conte and Major Wright were sharing time with Meriweather, the safety play improved greatly. Craig Steltz has been playing rather well, too. During his playing time, Conte has given the impression the Bears may have found a long-term solution at safety. He’s looked capable, hard-nosed, and just flat out good.

The big picture is that Johnny Knox’s surgery went well and that his football future looks existent —something I wasn’t sure of after the injury happened. Knox’s injury is just the icing on the cake for season that has turned disastrous so quickly.

Brian is a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the NFL throughout. If you enjoy his writing, despite it being little more than an opinion, follow him on Twitter @bdavis_sports

Sources

Conte Placed on IR

Knox Has Successful Surgery

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

If you want to you can keep blaming the injuries to the Chicago Bears for their sad state of affairs. You can say the loss of Jay Cutler, Matt Forte and now Johnny Knox have left the Bears helpless; the fact is there are always excuses.

You see, what injuries do are point to weaknesses of a team that are hidden when good players are in the game.

I’ve been a Bears’ fan for 55-years as well as a middle school coach and while I don’t pretend to be the final word on the game of football I think I know a few things.

Chicago Bears’ quarterbacks:

You aren’t really going to blame the season on Caleb Hanie are you? We had Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman and Jay Cutler long before him who gave games away with interceptions. Why did this occur?

It occurred for two reasons. The quarterbacks were learning to play in the Chicago system and also had pretty bad offensive line protection. However face it; the Bears have failed to develop quarterbacks.

The Chicago Bears’ Offensive line:

Chicago’s offensive line doesn’t give protection to its quarterbacks. Orton and Grossman just died in the pocket while Cutler and Hanie have tried to move in the same way as Aaron Rodgers does. They aren’t Aaron Rodgers.

My point is that the Bears have failed season after season to develop an offensive line. I know, I know; they played in the NFC Championship Game last year, right? Check out the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the offensive line over last season.

The Bears’ “all or nothing” players:

Years ago it was Walter Payton. Now it is Devin Hester. What it equals is a player whose lack of presence cuts the Bears’ chances of victory to an embarrassing percentage. Hester wasn’t in the Seahawk’s game much.

The Bears’ coaching staff:

Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli was the Head Coach of the Detroit Lions when they went (0-16). Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz can’t continually run the ball; he has to pass.

Head Coach Lovie Smith just doesn’t have the creativity to respond to mid-game or mid-season problems.

The Bears led the Seahawks at halftime today, Dec. 18, by the score of 14-7. Caleb Hanie was able to run the ball. Seattle made coaching adjustments but the Bears could not, losing 38-14.

Last week the Bears led 10-0 the entire game against the Broncos before collapsing. It was the coaching.

To make matters even worse, the coaches haven’t learned that words (or “vows”) don’t win games.

It is true that sports are played from the waist up as much as the waist down and the Bears have proven over the years their mental game is routinely weak.

References:

Chicago Bears.com, Larry Mayer, “Bears unravel in second half of loss”

Chicago Bears.com, Larry Mayer, Tebow legend grows with comeback win over Bears”

Chicago Bears.com, Larry Mayer, “Smith vows Bears will respond after devastating loss”

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

I’m a 55-year fan of the Chicago Bears and middle school coach. I’m pretty sure the Bears will be watching the playoffs from the comfort of their overpaid for homes.

To say I am embarrassed by their loss to Denver yesterday, Dec. 11 would be a woeful understatement. To say I am ashamed of the Bears’ organization couldn’t possibly do justice to the way I feel.

Don’t blame Marion Barber:

There are a whole lot of guys on the Bears. When Barber went out of bounds and fumbled he was doing what he always does. He was running with every ounce of energy in his body.

The Bears’ offensive line:

We don’t really have one. Well at least not in the sense of pass protection. We have picked up where we were some time ago with Jay Cutler. We just provided a “Sack-O-Rama” show only this time the victim was Caleb Hanie.

The Bears’ receivers:

I don’t even want to talk about them.

Bears’ Defense’s Disrespect of Tebow:

It’s one thing to lose a game in a shameful way and get down on yourself but an entirely different thing to take away the accomplishment of the other team. Too bad Brian Urlacher had to cheap shot Tebow by saying “He’s a good running back.”

The Bears’ Coaches:

As angry as I am with the Bears I really think the reason they lost was poor coaching. The Bears have shown all season they can’t get plays out to the field on time. They have trouble getting rhythms because they always have to take timeouts.

However I must ask you why Mike Martz continually reverted to the pass even after the run worked, the offensive line couldn’t prevent sacks and the receivers were dropping balls anyway.

My saddest moment came when I read a comment by Head Coach Lovie Smith. He said, “This one definitely feels like it hurts a little bit more” when referring to the loss.

That seems like a pretty mild comment when your team has probably been knocked out of the playoffs.

The coaches should have had the end of the game scenario set. They didn’t and the team signed the game over.

Too bad coaches and players aren’t paid on results.

References:

Chicago Bears.com, “Chicago Bears”

Examiner.com, James Stacho, Bears give the game away late and lose to Denver”

Chicagobears.com, Larry Mayer, “Bears let late 10-point lead slip away in overtime Loss”

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

As a Chicago Bears fan, I won’t lie: the Bears game against the Denver Broncos was one of the toughest games I’ve ever had to watch. The collapse of the Bears, the ramifications to the season based on the loss, having to listen to another week of how Tim Tebow is forever changing the NFL, and a few others all contributed to making that loss so hard to swallow. However, all personal thoughts about the future of where Tebow will fit aside, I say this to Denver Broncos fan nation: enjoy it.

I’m sure you all are; as you should be. The criticism of the team —Tebow specifically— comes from endless sources for endless amounts of reasons —some potentially valid, others not at all. After all, you team is the one sitting atop the AFC West, your team is the one that has playoff hopes, and your team is the one with excitement around it. Enjoy it.

I write this as a Bears fan not because of what happened Sunday evening in Denver, but because we in Bears nation know what it feels like to have our team endlessly undermined regardless of performance. I’m coming to you from an organization that has a dreadful history at the quarterback position. In 2001, the Bears went 13-3 —due in part to a tremendous defense. All season, the Bears were trashed, made fun of, and given no respect because their offense was pretty bad. Now, they lost in the playoffs, but this was a totally legitimate team worthy of the record they had. There are other examples as well.

I’m not saying Tim Tebow is going to go on to be something magnificent—it’s entirely too early to be thinking about stuff like that. The point is that the Denver Broncos are 7-1 since he took over and have gone from a 1-4 disaster to an 8-5 contender. Time will solve all of our questions about Tim Tebow and his legitimacy, but for now Denver Broncos fans, you don’t have to answer to anyone. Enjoy the ride.

Brian is a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the National Football League throughout.

Sources

Broncos Take Down Bears