CHICAGO: 24
HOUSTON: 31

Staring down a playoff birth, the Chicago Bears fell short of expectations yet again.
The Houston Texans, fueled by tremendous assertion along the offensive line and a monster day from receiver Andre Johnson, surged to their eighth victory of the season with a 31-24 win, spoiling the Bears’ playoff hopes in the process.

Riding the momentum of back-to-back overtime wins, the Bears jumped out to an early lead in Reliant Stadium behind a balanced attack of direct runs and high percentage passes that saw Kyle Orton go 5/5 for 48 yards. The opening drive culminated in a four-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lloyd on a fade to the left. A fumble by Texans running back Steve Slaton on the ensuing possession led to another Bears score, putting Chicago up 10-0 near the end of the first quarter.

However, the team’s struggles in the second and third quarter have been evident all season, and this week proved no different.

Failing to move the chains much in the first quarter, the Texans started getting the ball to Andre Johnson and soon found their offensive rhythm. On first down from Chicago’s 43, Houston quarterback Matt Schaub dropped back to find a wide-open Johnson sitting in a gaping hole in the secondary. The pass went the distance and put the Texans on the board.

This play set the tone for most of the remaining contest. It blatantly exposed the Bears’ Mike Brown-less secondary, a unit that had been patched together at the last minute with Daniael Manning and Kevin Payne filling the free safety and strong safety positions, respectively.

It was the first of numerous miscues by the Bears’ defense. On the play, Charles Tillman played off of Johnson a bit, eventually sitting ever-so-slightly on the underneath route because of the safety help over the top. Unfortunately, Manning was too late in his support and Johnson found himself completely uncovered. Houston then capitalized on another Manning error, a fumble on the following kickoff, to take a 14-10 lead into the half.

Chicago’s offense didn’t do much to help matters. After gaining 99 yards on their first two possessions, the Bears totaled 48 on their next four, all ending in punts. The check downs to Matt Forte and quick passes to Devin Hester were noticeably absent in this stretch, replaced instead by weak offensive line protection that forced Orton into making inaccurate throws and gave up costly, drive-ending sacks. The quarterback did finish respectably, going 22/37 for 244 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 97.1.

The unit displayed some resolve when the game began slipping out of reach. Responding to another Houston score, Orton led Chicago on a seven-play, 77-yard drive midway through the third to bring the Bears within four.

Ultimately, though, the Texans’ dominant offensive line play decided this game. Houston’s line had its way against Chicago’s undersized front four, easily pushing forward on running plays (backs Slaton and Ryan Moats carried 32 times for 130 yards, a four yard per rush average) and giving Schaub ample time to pick apart the secondary (he finished 27/36 for 328 yards with two touchdowns, a 9.1 yard per pass average). You only need to see the disparity in time of possession—Houston held the ball for a full 15 minutes longer than Chicago—to realize the control of the Texans’ offensive line.

The Bears also had no answer for the Texans’ 6’3”, 223-pound wide out, Andre Johnson. The receiver grabbed seven balls for 101 yards in the first half alone and finished with 10 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Without an effective pass rush, Chicago fell victim to Johnson’s towering presence on all kinds of slants and downfield throws. The defense also bit on numerous run fakes and blew their coverage on more than a few occasions; mind-numbing mistakes for a unit that once brimmed with pride.

Down by seven, Chicago did have a chance to tie the contest in the fourth quarter. The offense came up short, however, faltering on Houston’s 39. Immediately after, the Texans went on an 11-play, 89-yard drive that ate up six minutes of precious time and ended in a touchdown, effectively icing the contest for the home team.

The final game of 2008 was a fitting microcosm of Chicago’s entire season: A fast start driven by balanced, efficient offense and hard-hitting defense, two quarters of lifelessness and miscues, and then a desperate push in the waning minutes that’s simply too little, too late.

The most unfortunate outcome of this loss was that, had the Bears emerged victorious, they would have enjoyed a wild card berth and a date with Minnesota next Sunday. Instead, these Bears are heading back to their cave, forced into early hibernation for eight long months.

Final Score: Chicago 24, Houston 31

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