Two bad plays ruin day for Chicago Bears' defense

Lost in the rubble of Sunday's late-game collapse was an exceptional performance by the Chicago Bears' defense.

Through 57 minutes San Francisco had just 150 yards of total offense. That's more than 200 below the NFL average of 354.6. For 57 minutes, the 49ers averaged just 3.0 yards per snap.

With those kinds of statistics, there's always a "but."

"But everybody remembers the big plays," said Bears veteran cornerback Tracy Porter, referencing quarterback Blaine Gabbert's 44-yard touchdown run that forced overtime and the 71-yard TD missile to wide-open Torrey Smith that won the game 26-20.

"They don't remember the consistent battles that we had, that we limited these guys," said Porter, who leads the Bears with 17 pass breakups but was part of a mix-up in the secondary that allowed Smith to run free.

Avoiding big plays had been something the Bears' defense did pretty well all season and a big reason it's No. 12 in total yards allowed and No. 2 in passing yards allowed.

Washington presents the latest challenge to the Bears' defense this week at Soldier Field. Despite having the same 5-7 record as the Bears, Jay Gruden's team is tied for first place in the NFC East but is 0-5 away from FedEx Field.

Gabbert's run last Sunday was the longest the Bears have permitted all season.

Only two other runners have busted anything longer than 21 yards against Vic Fangio's crew - the Detroit Lions' Isa Abdul-Quddus (30) and the Green Bay Packers' Eddie Lacy (29). Smith's reception also was the longest against the Bears.

"Throughout the game we did a good job of limiting those guys, (but) we have to be more consistent with that," Porter said. "We can't let those two big plays (happen). If we don't let those two big plays get out the door, then we're walking away with a victory. not them."

The demoralizing loss spoiled the Bears' latest chance to reach .500 and dropped them out of the playoff picture.

But Fangio disagrees with the notion that there will be any lingering fallout from the second overtime loss of the season. (The Bears' last 4 losses have been by a total of 14 points.)

"I don't think it sets you back," Fangio said. "We've been in eight of those games where it comes down to the wire. We've won four of them, we've lost four of them. For us to become the team that we want to become, we've got to get that up to winning six of those (or) maybe more at some point.

"I don't look at it as a setback. There's a lot of frustration and disappointment in the loss. It's disappointing because we had played very well up until that point."

Four players who have two years' experience or less start on Fangio's defense, and five others have played. Despite the group's youthfulness, Fangio believes they will shake off the latest loss because they played so well before the end.

"There weren't a lot of lapses," Fangio said. "Obviously, the two at the end of the game are what sticks out in everybody's mind. But there was a lot of good play before that. They're doing fine."

And a little adversity helps coaches learn valuable information about players.

"You learn a lot about his toughness," Fangio said. "His mental toughness No. 1, and his football character, and you see how he bounces back."

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