Emma: Bears Leave Loss With Optimism -- And Rightfully So
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Now a dozen losses deep to the Green Bay Packers in his career, the postgame pandemonium that ensues is nothing new for Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.
His rebuilding squad hung around Sunday with Green Bay, considered a Super Bowl favorite by many, but Chicago came up short. The many bright spots from Cutler and his team in the 31-23 loss will be overshadowed by the one pass they want to have back, the game-changing pick by Clay Matthews in the fourth quarter. It's what will be remembered from Sunday's season opener.
After all, narrative from the past tends to prevail over promise for the future. That means Cutler will take the blame for throwing away the game to Green Bay with one simple mistake.
"Probably," Cutler said with a smirk. "That's fair."
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While that part of the narrative felt familiar to years past, the rest wasn't.
Leaving the locker room at Solider Field, it was clear the Bears felt pleased -- and rightfully so. There's no more dysfunction from the troubled run of Marc Trestman, and the loud Brandon Marshall is gone, too. Coach John Fox didn't get a win in his debut, but he and this new regime showed why this 2015 season may not be all doom and gloom. There's reason for optimism.
"You're only in this to win," Fox said. "There's no consolation prize, no second place, so you're never happy (after a loss). But this is a process."
View it through the Bears' perspective for a moment. All they've heard leading up to this 2015 curtain raising was that they will be bad -- that this season was a wash.
Expectations for this Bears team were set miserably low. Following the drama-filled 5-11 campaign of 2014, most pundits picked Chicago for fewer wins but far less of friction. Signs of progress are warmly welcomed by those in the locker room. There was plenty of that to be found.
Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase out-coached his counterpart, the Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers, bringing out a unit that played with balance and great pace. Chicago tallied up 402 yards of offense and had the ball for 31:52. Cutler seemed to be a natural fit in the offense, and Matt Forte excelled in his important role in this system.
It became clear that Gase's calls and Cutler's guidance can give the Bears a chance to win.
"Jay played a hell of a game," receiver Alshon Jeffery said. "He payed his (butt) off."
Of course, Cutler's play will be overshadowed by his miscue and Matthews' big play in the fourth quarter. With the Bears down 24-16 with about four minutes remaining with the ball at Green Bay's 29-yard line, Cutler was zoned in to his receiver over the middle, and the Packers' star sniffed it out. Matthews emerged from out of Cutler's vision and sealed the Green Bay victory with a pick.
Those are the kinds of mistakes Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers never seems to make. He was efficient at 18-of-23 for 189 yards and three touchdowns, but the Bears' defense managed. They just couldn't take advantage to get that big turnover -- or any turnover.
Chicago didn't even get Rodgers to the turf Sunday. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio mixed his personnel and worked disguises well in his defense, which played in a nickel formation nearly the entire game. The greatest worry from the Bears' defense comes in the secondary, where the group struggled in coverage.
Facing Rodgers usually exposes a weak secondary. Still, the Bears were right there.
"Let's be real," linebacker Pernell McPhee said. "You come in and say Aaron Rodgers throws for 189 yards and we lose? S--t. That shocked me."
Moral victories usually come in lieu of losses, as was the case on Sunday. The Bears started their season with a defeat and are 0-1. In the record books, that's what matters.
Looking through the lenses of what the Bears are attempting to accomplish this season -- not dwelling on the past or any prior game with the Packers -- this was something to build on. Inside the losing locker room, there's genuine optimism.
"We got to continue to build on what we already started, but it's not like rebuilding," Forte said. "We should expect to win games and be in the playoffs."
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
