A Signature Win

Anyone who saw this outcome coming after the first two or three Bears offensive possessions, raise your hand.  Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Didn't think so.  After Jay Cutler was so badly terrorized by DeMarcus Ware and Co. that it seemed like the jaws of life would be necessary to pry him off the field, the outlook was certainly bleak.  But then, a strange thing happened.  The Bears actually shifted gears in the offensive game plan during the actual game, something that rarely, if ever, happened during the reigns of Terry Shea and Ron Turner.  Once Mike Martz realized that 7-step drops were going to result in the murder of his prized QB, 3- and 5-step drops were the order of the day, and the end result was a gritty 27-20 Bears road win over a Cowboys team predicted by many to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl come February.  Whereas last week's escape of a win over hapless Detroit didn't do anything to quiet the critics of this team, this is a legitimate road win over a NFC contender that has to be seen as a significant step forward for this group.  Taking care of the ball, forcing turnovers, great play from our QB, big plays down the field...there was a lot to like here.  Much more after the jump

Best catch of your career thus far, #23

Perhaps the biggest development coming out of this game was Martz's ability to shift gears on the fly.  Once he saw the unyielding pressure being levied at Jay, he threw the original game plan out the window, and the resulting quick throws played a big part in gaining the W. Similarly, Mike Tice had to make a lot of big decisions in-game about his initially porous offensive line.  As I mentioned earlier, Cutler was just getting massacred at the outset, and was visibly perturbed on the sideline (justifiably so).  Making matters worse, left tackle Chris Williams went out very early with a hamstring injury and did not return to the game.  His replacement, Kevin Shaffer, was flagged for consecutive penalties immediately upon entering the game, and it seemed like an already bad situation was somehow getting worse.  But Tice made another change, this time for the better, shifting Frank Omiyale from his usual right tackle slot over to the blind side, and he played surprisingly well for getting thrown to the lions (namely, Ware).  The unit gelled a bit from that point onward, and didn't allow another sack the rest of the game.  Could it be that this group came of age somewhat in this game, forged into a capable unit in the fires of the Cowboys' relentless pass rush?  That remains to be seen, but the way they played in the latter stages of this game gives reason for hope going forward.  That being said, there's still plenty to work on - Cutler simply can't be hit this much in the future.  

Another great aspect of the win was the ballhawking defense.  Multiple times, most notably on a Roy Williams catch in the second quarter, the DBs and linebackers delivered crunching blows on would-be receivers.  Jason Witten was knocked out of the game with a concussion thanks to a Brian Urlacher hit, and Chris Harris was the author of several highlight reel sticks.  Two such hits directly led to the two interceptions DJ Moore had, and Tillman forced a fumble on another one.  It was just good to see the return of the takeaway-happy Bears D, something that was sorely lacking last year.  And now, the hail of bullets.

- As Lovie said in the postgame, this win starts with Jay Cutler.  The signal-caller (mostly) kept his cool and weathered the early storm, and adapted to Martz's new gameplan with deadly efficiency. Once he hit some of the short routes, namely Olsen's TD, he had time for the longer drops because the Cowboys had to respect those gaps and back off the blitz, and he made them pay.  This is the guy Bears fans were so excited to be getting back in April 2009, not the turnover machine from last year.  It's really great to see him put last year in the rearview mirror and commit himself to Martz's plan - it's really allowing him to blossom thus far.  The stats back it up - he's got 649 passing yards and a 5:1 TD:INT ratio thus far, which projects out to a ridiculous line of 5,192/40/8 for a whole season.  If he finishes anywhere close to those numbers, the Bears will be quite good.

- While the passing statistics have been gaudy, something they need to do better is run the ball.  Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are averaging right around 3 YPC thus far, something that has to change going forward.  We can't be pass-happy all the time; while it's a great weapon to have, the running game must be able to grind out some clock and get the tough short yardage (see: Detroit goal line stand, Week 1).  Another thing? The offense was 1 for 11 on third down, a percentage which must go up.  That just will not cut it, especially in this division.  

- The secondary has picked off three passes in two games after managing only thirteen all last season.  Good start

- Peanut Tillman Ball-Punch Count: 1

- The defensive front, while not actually getting any sacks, definitely put some pressure on Tony Romo throughout the game.  He was definitely off his game a little, and the reinvigorated, Peppers-infused line had a lot to do with that.  The sacks will come...

- Another D-line note: only 36 rushing yards allowed.  For the season, they've allowed only 56 rushing yards on 41 carries.  That's pretty good

- The job they did on Jahvid Best last week looks a little better in hindsight, huh? Best exploded at home against Philadelphia for over 200 total yards, while the Bears hounded him and held him to 36 total yards in their Week 1 win. Maybe this unit really is on the way back up 

- Urlacher and Briggs are playing at an insanely high level right now.  I can't remember them ever playing this well together.  It's really fun to watch.  Every other snap, one of the two is in the backfield, breaking up a pass, crunching a receiver over the middle, etc.  I smell some tickets to Hawaii...

- How awesome was it to see Marion Barber get massacred/steamrolled/trucked attempt to block Julius Peppers on the Cowboys' lone offensive touchdown? That definitely elicited a chuckle from this Bears fan.  This guy's the real deal, folks.  

Next week is the biggest game at Soldier Field since the NFC Championship Game in January 2007 against the Saints.  Both the Packers and our heroes are 2-0 and to the winner goes first place, and control, of the NFC North.  It's an opportunity for the Bears to become more than just a surprise team, to stake their claim as a team to be reckoned with in a fairly even NFC (at this point, it's pretty much the Saints, maybe the Packers, and then everyone else).  The Packers come in with one of the best young QBs in the league in Aaron Rodgers, but their offense will be hampered by the loss of Ryan Grant, their 1000-yd rusher.  We'll see if these Bears are for real, if there's reason to believe in them this year, or if they're just in over their heads.  Should be an electric atmosphere on the lakefront a week from tonight. Can't wait.

Oh by the way, the Cubs just had the best 9-game road trip (8-1 record) in team history.  Just sayin'.  And get better soon, Tyler Colvin.  What a freak accident...he's a cornerstone moving forward, so hopefully no long-term effects. Honestly, I'm surprised incidents like that don't happen more often, what with how many bats break these days.  Thank God it wasn't more serious.  The playing out of the string continues tomorrow night at Wrigley against the Giants. God Bless anyone in the stands...true Cubs fans, all.  

'Til we meet again...