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Sports

Chicago Bears Monday Morning Quarterback

The win that shouldn't have been still leaves more questions than answers.

Check your pulse. Crack a half-smile. And move on.

That's all Chicago fans can do after a truly baffling performance by both the Bears players and coaching staff on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

If it weren't for the NFL's preposterously complex definition of a "catch," the Bears would find themselves at the bottom of the NFC North and one of only three teams to lose to the Lions in Detroit's past 33 games.

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Instead Calvin Johnson's "dropped" game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds left in the game means the Bears escaped, eeking out a win (19-14) in the easiest game they'll have all season.

No matter the result, Sunday's game did little to answer the questions people had about this team coming out of the preseason.

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While the offense certainly moved the ball against an improved Lions defense, yards do not equal points. Jay Cutler's passing statistics look solid, but his two turnovers--a fumble from holding the ball too long in the pocket and a forced throw downfield into triple coverage for an interception--show that he is still not mature enough to be an elite quarter back.

The defense was the Bears' biggest bright spot Sunday. A healthy and rejuvenated front seven brought back memories of the vaunted 2006 unit that created havoc, caused turnovers and saw Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs cover more ground than any other linebacking duo in the league.

They forced countless three-and-outs and single-handedly dominated the field position battle for the Bears. To top it off, they provided what should have been the game-changing play when Briggs forced and recovered a fumble at the Detroit one-yard line with 10 minutes to go.

For a head coach already in a make-the-playoffs-or-be-fired position, Lovie Smith didn't exactly gain much fan confidence after his decision to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Detroit goal line failed with the Bears down 14-13.

While the statistics support Smith's decision–NFL teams convert about 75 percent of fourth-and-one situations–common-sense game management does not. Playing against a backup QB at home with a re-energized defense, Smith chose to forego an almost automatic Robbie Gould field goal that would put the Bears ahead in favor of running Matt Forte who was stopped short on both first and third down of that goal-line series.

If there's one thing we can take away from this game, turnovers will always be the ultimate equalizer in the NFL and one of the determining factors for a Bears team that analysts have called both a potential "sleeper" and "bust."

No team can compete at a playoff-caliber level while coughing up the ball four times. At least not without a little help from the little-known specifics of the NFL rulebook.

Maybe against Dallas, the Bears can pray for the tuck rule.

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