Baffoe: The Bears Lost, But They Won

By Tim Baffoe--

(CBS) OK, I declared last week that this second preseason game against the New England Patriots was a must-win for the Chicago Bears. Starting 0-2 would be a hole they aren't constructed to dig themselves out from.

Thankfully, Chicago did win. Ignore the score of Patriots 23, Bears 22. Allow me to show you…

Bears scored points

"We got some points," sulked quarterback Jay Cutler. "We were a little bit more efficient. There were a few penalties sprinkled in there that we got to clean up. But the guys played hard."

A 22-point improvement in a week is a big deal when you're these Bears. New offensive coordinator, lots of new personnel on the field, same Cutler. 

A week ago, fans were prepared to down more bottles of booze than points seen for the rest of the season. Now there may be more of a balance between the two.

The spread was Bears +3.5

Covers are wins, folks.

That final series

Down nine points, everyone telling them they couldn't win the game. And still, the Bears, with what looks to be quite the leader in fourth-string quarterback Connor Shaw, refused to take mathematics for an answer.

The two-minute drill was executed to perfection as Shaw marched his band of roster bubble brothers 88 yards. He was surgical, going 4-of-6 for 42 yards and a 126.4 quarterback rating (Cutler's career rating is 86.0, by the way). Of those yards, 22 came as the clock hit 0:00 and a ball floated gracefully into the waiting hands of cowboy romance novelist B.J. Daniels for a touchdown. To Shaw, time is a flat circle. Not to be outdone, he completed the two-point conversion. The kid certainly wanted to play some more, but the powers that be said the game was over. In a lot of ways, it had only just begun.

Cutler hung on to his job for now

Cutler was fine, I guess.

Jeremy Langford is the next great Bears running back

Besides his touchdown and a 34-yard Payton-esque gallop, the second-year Langford averaged a very nice 6.9 yards per carry Thursday, topping Shaw's 6.5 average. It's good to know someone will be behind Cutler to bail him out.

The defense was better

The three sacks, including rookies Leonard Floyd and Jonathan Bullard being involved, five quarterback hits and a nice forced fumble inside the 5-yard line by Tracy Porter were refreshing. This was despite the Bears missing the likes of Pernell McPhee and Kyle Fuller, both of whom we've been again told lies by Bears brass about their injury situations. General manager Ryan Pace told us this week they're taking it easy with McPhee.

Pace said this week he was confident regarding Fuller but added "Let's press pause." Thursday night it was announced Fuller had his knee scoped.

Tom Brady didn't show up

That Bears defense was formidable enough to keep Brady away. He says he cut his thumb with scissors. Nerves tend to make such a mishap occur.

But Jimmy Garoppolo wasn't fazed

It wasn't all wine and roses for the defense. While Brady had a supermodel nurse his wound, the Chicago (suburbs) kid showed (upper middle-class Arlington Heights) Chicago toughness out there Thursday. It's the old philosophical question of what happens when an unstoppable kid from the same geographic area as you meets an immovable local team. Sometimes civic pride trumps team loyalties, and a tear came to my eye seeing the ball slung so well by a guy who has had a beer in some of the very Eastern Illinois bars I was physically removed from on trips to visit friends years ago. When a pro athlete grew up near you, it's almost like a piece of you is on the field.

We were denied the resurgence of Shea McClellin

McClellin left the Bears and is now automatically good because he's a Patriot. I was interested to see his glassy-eyed looks against the Bears and Cutler insulting McClellin's relatives, but alas. He was probably scared like Brady.

Daniel Braverman watch

Braverman had two punt returns for a total of minu-3 yards. It's not ideal, but I don't feel he hurt his team. My faith remains unshaken in perhaps the key cog in the receiver and special teams corps.

A familiar face back returning kickoffs?

Deonte Thompson was injured Thursday night, meaning kick returns may go back to the warm, comforting hands of Marc Mariani to make the offense start more series inside its own 20.

"Marc is an excellent competitor," Cutler said, if positive comments from Cutler can be considered endorsements. "He's a great teammate. He represents our organization well. He's very competitive. And that's what we expect of Marc and that's usually what Marc delivers."

That's exactly how you talk your way around a white guy being slow and not elusive.

The head coach is feeling the positivity

"The quality of our play is what it is," John Fox beamed like a dad potty training a child.

"Luckily for us it improved."

That'll get a team up.

So while the final numbers might not officially say so, the second preseason game should be taken as a win, all things considered. Maybe it's a start to a theme for the rest of the season: "Ignore the score."

Tim Baffoe is a columnist for CBSChicago.com. Follow Tim on Twitter @TimBaffoe. The views expressed on this page are those of the author, not CBS Local Chicago or our affiliated television and radio stations.