Nov. 24--Jay Cutler knew the chances had been there, that opportunities were missed. That's what gave Sunday's 17-15 home loss to the Broncos its bite. To many Bears, including Cutler, it felt like one that got away. Or more exactly, after earlier close-call stumbles this season against the Lions and Vikings, it felt like the third that got away.
"Any time you don't get it done there is going to be second guessing in hindsight," Cutler said. "We've been in some tight games like this and we haven't gotten it done in the fourth quarter like we wanted to. You look back at those games and think what you could have done differently."
Still, the Bears understood immediately after Sunday's loss that they were facing an accelerated regrouping timetable. A Thanksgiving night meeting with the Packers on tap. So any frustration that Sunday's failures created had to be processed, accepted and expunged overnight.
That whole 24-hour rule for celebrating wins and mourning losses in the NFL?
"It's cut down now to like a 12-hour rule," cornerback Tracy Porter said.
It has become clear that the reflex to engage in self-pity doesn't exist within this Bears team. The tough losses sting but rarely linger. And while the tidal wave of injuries never seems to recede, the Bears keep finding ways to stay afloat.
In total, the Bears have used 42 players as starters on offense and defense this year. And of the 22 who started Sunday, only 11 had been opening-day starters versus the Packers 10 weeks prior.
The lineup reshuffling has been constant and vexing. But it also hasn't flustered the Bears.
"Guys on this team are smart," offensive lineman Matt Slauson said Monday. "They love to work hard.
"I really like that about this team. Now we have to make the leap. And these other guys who are having to play and step in can't look at themselves as being in a fill-in role anymore. They've got to be playmakers now."
As the Bears continue looking for growth beyond their win-loss record, the team's sturdier psyche deserves mention. It's what helped the team stay competitive with the Broncos until the final gun Sunday, even on a day in which they were without top receiver Alshon Jeffery, running back Matt Forte and starting safety Antrel Rolle.
It's what has put the Bears in a legitimate position to win every game they've played since September. Six of the last seven have been decided by three points or fewer, with the Bears winning half of those.
That mettle will be tested again Thursday on a prime-time stage at Lambeau Field in a rivalry that has been all too one-sided in recent years. Slauson knows the Bears' track record against the Packers will be recited -- 2-12 in the series (including playoffs) since 2009. And Slauson admits that kind of history can be burdensome.
After all, he said Monday, he spent his first four seasons with the Jets, beating the rival Patriots just three times in nine tries.
"A lot of times you're going into the game and you're already telling yourself, 'Wow. This is going to be really hard to get a win,' " Slauson said. "But you can't afford to think like that. And I don't believe anybody on our team is."
Instead, the Bears are clawing to get their first division win, pushing to stay relevant into December and determined to push Sunday's hard-to-swallow loss aside.
Said Porter: "The later you get into the season, when you suffer these losses, it can hurt your playoff chances. ... But we're going to fight until all 16 games are played and once our record says what it is, we'll let the NFL tell us whether we're in or out."
For now, a tough-minded team pushes on, irked but not scarred by Sunday's loss.
dwiederer@tribpub.com
