Nov. 23--According to the popular narrative before Sunday's 17-15 loss to the Broncos, John Fox's coaching contributed more than anything else to the Bears' respectable 4-5 record.
And Fox's coaching did.
But realize the Bears fell to 4-6 for the same reason.
The Bears surprisingly played well enough to beat a superior team on a wintry 29-degree day along the lakefront, but their coach tried too hard to out-Fox his former employer. On fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with 10 minutes, 10 seconds left in a game the Broncos led 17-9, Fox decided to go for it against the NFL's No. 1 defense rather than take a field goal that would have come in handy in the end.
Jay Cutler's fourth-down pass intended for Jeremy Langford fell incomplete, the Bears came up empty-handed and Fox had his Marc Trestman moment Chicago will regret for months, if not longer. Is it too late for NFL historians to amend the archives to add this to the games Fox helped the Broncos win?
"We hadn't made many trips down there," Fox said. "We hadn't scored touchdowns. It had been kind of a field-goal game. At that point in the game, we felt that was going to be maybe our last opportunity. So we were aggressive and came up short."
About 10 minutes remained and the coach of a team with three fourth-quarter comebacks this season prematurely concluded the offense didn't have another long drive in it. Fox obviously is not among those in town referring to Cutler as "Mr. Fourth Quarter." Although Cutler defended Fox by saying he loved the call, the decision lacked foresight and confidence in his quarterback's ability to rally. The only thing worse was Fox's rationale.
"They went for it on fourth down and didn't convert either," Fox said. "Maybe that had a factor too."
Fox was referring to the Bears stopping Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman on fourth-and-1 from the Bears' 2 with 4:27 left in the third quarter. Statistics credited linebacker Christian Jones with the tackle, but 6-foot-8 quarterback Brock Osweiler's oversized shoe warranted at least an assist for tripping Hillman. The Broncos led 10-6, so Broncos coach Gary Kubiak's decision to go for it also raised eyebrows because, like Fox, he can be as conservative as a gray turtleneck sweater.
