Sunday's loss to the Broncos wasn't the first time this season the Bears were left lamenting what might have been after failing to make key plays in the fourth quarter.
"Anytime you don't get it done there is going to be second guessing in hindsight, on my part as well," quarterback Jay Cutler said after the Bears fell to the Broncos 17-15 at Soldier Field.
| Jay Cutler completed 18 of 32 passes for 265 yards with no touchdowns, one interception, one lost fumble and a 70.4 passer rating. |
It was the Bears' third loss by three points or less in their last five games.
"We've missed some tight games like this and we haven't gotten it done in the fourth quarter like we wanted to," Cutler said. "You look back at those games and think what you could have done differently; what throws could I have made, what plays could we have checked out of?
"So there is definitely going to be that. At the end of the day we gave ourselves a chance to win at the end but we just have to find a way to just make it happen."
The Bears scored their first touchdown Sunday with :24 remaining in the game on Jeremy Langford's 2-yard run. But Langford was stuffed on the subsequent two-point conversion run that the Bears needed to tie the score.
Early in the fourth quarter, Cutler threw three straight incomplete passes from the Broncos' 4-yard line. The final one came on fourth-and-goal as the Bears opted not to attempt a 22-yard field goal that would have closed the gap to 17-12.
Cutler said he wasn't surprised by coach John Fox's decision to go for the touchdown, given how well both defenses were playing.
Asked if he always wants to try for the touchdown on fourth down, Cutler said: "You want to take a shot. But there are times when you're smart enough to know, 'Hey, let's kick the field goal.' But that wasn't one of them. I agree with Fox. I loved the call to go for it. Offensively, we just have to be better."
Cutler completed 18 of 32 passes for 265 yards with no touchdowns, one interception, one lost fumble and a 70.4 passer rating.
The Bears offense played without running back Kyle Long and receivers Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal against the NFL's top-ranked defense. In their absence, Marquess Wilson caught four passes for 102 yards and Joshua Bellamy had four receptions for 57 yards.
"We're missing some guys, but that's nothing new," Cutler said. "We've had guys in and out of the lineup all year long. I thought JB (Bellamy) and Q (Wilson) stepped in there and had a heck of a day for us. We tried to use the tight ends a little more. When we get [the injured players] back, it'll be great."
