RealGM

Dam that sucked.
IMO the goat is Tillman and the hero is marshall.

Trestman - he takes if for the failed 4th down conversion that, pending a successful FG, who have been the difference. When you say 'go for it' on 4th down, you have to accept that it is a genius or moron proposition. If you make it, you're a genius, otherwise you are a moron. Strike 2 and 3 for Trestman were not taking Jay Cutler out earlier. I'm sorry, but even as early as the 2nd quarter you could CLEARLY see that he wasn't right. Even the commentators were talking about how the playbook seemed to get simplified. On top of that, Trestman was calling some intricate fakes that only a healthy Cutler could have pulled off. Those got blown up because Cutler was injured and couldn't pull off the play. If McCown had wet the bed in either game he played in, this would be acceptable. BUT HE DIDN'T! He looked quite capable in both games, as well as the final drive of this game where he brought them down the field for a touchdown. You put McCown in 2, 3, 4 possessions earlier and I'm confident we win this game. Detroit was handing it to us on a silver platter with all of their stupid penalties and drops.

Offense - Even though Detroit got to Cutler, I still think the O Line did a good job. I think Cutler's state probably had as much to do with him getting hit more than the O Line did. I thought our WRs looked really good as well. I put most of those drops on the QB, as they were clearly over or under thrown, especially later in the game. The touchdown that Alshon 'bobbled' wasn't really a bobble IMO. He clearly had a hold on the ball, it's just that the defenders helmet knocked it loose. That's going to happen to most players, honestly, and I don't hold that against Alshon. It was a hell of a grab and Detroit was lucky.

Defense - Say what you will, the defense played great. For the most part, they held Detroit to 14 points. That last touchdown, I think, was a direct result of our offense being completely ineffective due to Cutler's injury. Had McCown been in, we would have eaten up a lot more clock and Detroit probably doesn't even get a chance for that drive. Conte, while burned on the one big run, came up big when he had to. A couple pass deflections and a key interception. The line didn't record any hits on Stafford, but got a bunch of big tips at the line. Tillman played well. I don't expect him to win vs. Megatron all the time. That last touchdown was either a very poor defensive call or a very poor decision by the safety. Everyone in the building knew they were going go to a back corner Megatron shot in that situation. There should have been help coming over to break that up. My only critical thought on Tillman was his sudden stupid knack for committing unnecessary facemask penalties. The first was acceptable because it stopped a sure touchdown and had minimal yardage penalty. The second was completely unnecessary, as Tillman and another Bear had that guy just about wrapped up and they were far enough from goal line where half the distance was a big deal. Wooten played very well and showed up a lot.

Special Teams - No big flubs and No big plays. Kept Detroit from busting any big returns. I know that onside kicks are rarely successful, but Gould doesn't even make his look like we have a chance to get them. Good lord. Can't he practice that crap more? We've had like 2 or 3 opportunities already this season where a well executed kick meant another chance at a win.

All in all, we lost this game when Trestman decided to start and continue to play Cutler. Even if we believe the ankle thing (which is bull because Cutler was grabbing and stretching his groin repeatedly for several quarters), Cutler still should have come out at halftime. McCown showed that he was more than capable of sustaining long drives that chew up clock - exactly what you needed in this game, as Detroit wasn't lighting the world on fire offensively.

Playoffs are possible but 8-8 or 9-7 is more likely.
Coaching was bad in this game.. Cutler clearly looked stiff, like he couldn't move at all.
Should have put McCown in significantly earlier, especially with how well he was playing.
Defense didn't play awful. Detroit has an explosive offense. They were average, which with our offense (normally) all we need to make the playoffs.
Forte was shut down completely.
Alshon Jeffrey should start being mentioned soon with the likes of Dez Bryant and AJ Green as elite young receivers.

Even if we don't make the playoffs, there are a lot of positives we can take from this year. It can be looked at as kind of a transition year. Offense has pieces in place to be elite,

Just kills me that this game was well within our grasp and we pretty much beat ourselves. You win this game, and you're pretty much in the playoffs. Now that we have lost it, we have completely stacked the deck against ourselves. Only a complete Detroit fold will get us the division, which is pretty much what we need to make the playoffs.

And Tillman to the short-term IR. At least 8 games out. Perfect.