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An examination of four hot issues from the Chicago Bears’ 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions:

Run defense: The Bears allowed Reggie Bush to gain 112 yards in the first half, then held him to 27 yards in the second half. With Henry Melton out, the Bears played Stephen Paea at the 3-technique spot and moved Nate Collins to nose tackle. The Bears might want to consider trying Collins at the 3-technique and Paea at nose.

After the game, Paea wore a walking boot due to minor turf toe on his left foot, and maybe that injury diminished Paea’s effectiveness.

“I’ve played some 3 [technique] before, but it’s just a matter of time, repetitions and practice,” Paea said.

Jay Cutler: This could come off as odd, but despite Cutler’s horrid performance (65.6 passer rating with three interceptions, plus a fumble returned for a touchdown), this game might have shown growth on the quarterback’s part.

Detroit scored 17 points off turnovers, and Cutler appeared to be the culprit on every giveaway but one (his first interception). How the quarterback handled himself in the heat of battle and afterward gives reason for optimism. Despite the mistakes, Cutler held up well and nearly brought the Bears back. After the game, Cutler showed accountability for his contribution to the loss and told it how it was, which signals he’ll take the appropriate steps to correct the issues.

“I have to give us a better chance to win. I mean, three picks. It’s hard to come back from that,” Cutler said. “[I] have to play better.”

Third-down conversions: The Bears converted just one of 13 third downs, and no matter how well the defense plays, it’s difficult to overcome that deficiency. It’s not all on Cutler. In the second quarter, Jordan Mills was whistled for a false start on third-and-10. Two series later, Cutler was in a third-and-21 situation after a 9-yard sack on second down. In the third quarter, a 27-yard gain on third down was negated by a Kyle Long penalty. Then, on the next series, Cutler was sacked and fumbled for Nick Fairley’s 4-yard touchdown.

“The big thing was third down,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said. “We did horribly today [on third down], and that starts with me.”

Too much pressure: Cutler was sacked three times and spent most of the day under duress. This team has invested too much into protecting Cutler for this to continue.

"Either we didn't execute on the play or we didn't give Jay enough time to throw the ball," running back Matt Forte said. "Give credit to them for giving a great rush, but we didn't do our part."

PITTSBURGH -- A few thoughts on the Chicago Bears' 40-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers:

What it means: The Bears sit alone atop the NFC North and start 3-0 for the just the second time since 2006.

Stock watch: Jay Cutler put on a gritty performance down the stretch. Cutler threw for just 159 yards and faced more pressure in this outing than he had in the two previous combined. Still, he completed 67 percent of his passes, took care of the ball and made clutch plays late.

Three for 3-0: The Bears captured division titles in each of the past three seasons in which they started 3-0, dating back to 1990, while also winning at least 11 regular-season contests in those seasons.

Scoring D: The Bears scored 24 points off turnovers, including a 42-yard Julius Peppers fumble return for TD and a 38-yard interception return by Major Wright. Wright’s interception return marked the second consecutive game in which the Bears recorded a pick-six.

Tim Jennings scored on an interception in Chicago’s win last week over the Minnesota Vikings.

Just last season, the Bears racked up eight interception return TDs to tie the 1998 Seahawks for second most in NFL history. This season, Chicago is already a quarter of the way there.

Williams contributes: Rookie Jonathan Bostic developed into the favorite to start at middle linebacker because of his play during training camp, but veteran D.J. Williams showed why the staff prefers him in the middle of the defense.

Williams logged two sacks of Ben Roethlisberger, including one on which he stripped the quarterback with James Anderson recovering at the Pittsburgh 17. That turnover led to a Matt Forte TD.

Explosive plays still an issue: Entering the game, the Bears had surrendered eight completions of 20 yards or more, including two of 40-plus yards. In the second quarter alone, the Bears gave up two more long balls (gains of 45 and 33 yards) to Antonio Brown, who snagged a difficult 33-yard TD with 6:27 left in the first half. Roethlisberger also hit a 32-yard completion, a 22-yarder and a 26-yarder before finding Brown for a 21-yard TD with 1:57 left in the third quarter. Roethlisberger also made a 21-yard connection and 27-yarder in the fourth quarter.

This is a problem.

What’s next: The Bears take Monday off before beginning preparations Wednesday for yet another road matchup, this time at Detroit on Sunday.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- For a meticulous planner such as Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman, the slow manner in which the offense continues to evolve appears to be a function of design rather than circumstance.

Running back Matt Forte indicated as much on Wednesday, revealing the offense hasn’t “really shown a whole, whole lot.”

“I don’t expect us to two games into the season,” Forte said. “This is a hefty playbook. We’ve got a lot of games left. So we have a lot of stuff saved for teams that play certain coverages or certain fronts. We have a lot of stuff I would say left over that we ran in camp and gone over. We know the stuff. We just put it back on the shelf so that when it is the opportune time to call it, it’ll be called.”

Facing a winless Pittsburgh Steelers team, which operates out of a 3-4 front, Sunday on the road might present Chicago that opportunity to expand the playbook. In its first two outings, the club played similar zone-reliant 4-3 teams in the Cincinnati Bengals and the Minnesota Vikings.

The opponent this week presents a radically different challenge offensively for the Bears, who will be tasked with unfamiliar blocking schemes in their attempt to neutralize Pittsburgh’s pressure.

“They’re different than what we’re used to facing. They’re coming from everywhere. They do it a lot of different ways. They come from different places,” Trestman said. “They’ve got size at their linebacker. The unusual aspect of having size at their linebacker positions where they’re pass-rushers, they represent matchup issues for our backs, particularly our backs. So we’ve got a formula for picking up blitzes, and things change a little bit with 3-4. But we’ve had a lot of work against it. I spent time on it in our OTAs, a little bit of time at training camp. We played against a 3-4 team in the preseason, which helped. Certainly there’s nothing like going against the Steeler 3-4. It’s very good conceptually. It’s structured.”

Forte generated 161 yards from scrimmage in Week 2 on 30 touches against Minnesota’s zone-heavy scheme, which focuses on taking away explosive plays while allowing for completions on underneath routes.

Pittsburgh plays a more aggressive scheme than Chicago’s first two opponents, and despite the Steelers’ two losses, it’s worth noting their defense ranks No. 10 in total yards allowed. Pittsburgh is one of just three teams (with Kansas City and Seattle) to allow only one touchdown through the air. The Steelers have also limited opposing passers to a completion percentage of 55.4, which ranks as sixth-lowest in the NFL, and they’ve given up just 18 first downs through the air.

So it’s highly likely the Bears unveil concepts this week that they haven’t shown thus far.

"That’s part of what Trestman does,” Forte said. “He’s a genius in this offense. We have a lot of different plays that isolate a lot of different people in this offense. But it depends on what the defense is running (on) when to call them. He’s doing a great job of calling them in the right situations so that we can make a play.”

CHICAGO -- A few thoughts on the Chicago Bears' 31-30 win over the Minnesota Vikings:

What it means: The typically opportunistic Bears nearly learned what it was like to basically give away a game via turnovers. The Vikings scored 13 points off turnovers, including six in the second half. But Jay Cutler brought back Chicago by throwing a scoring strike to Martellus Bennett with 10 ticks remaining. If anything, the Bears proved resilient in building a 2-0 record on consecutive come-from-behind victories.

Stock watch: Despite the comeback, Jay Cutler’s stock takes a fall here. After a strong performance in Week 1, Cutler committed two costly turnovers -- including a fumble returned for a TD -- that led to 10 Vikings points.

Return-a-thon: Rookie Cordarrelle Patterson broke the opening kickoff 105 yards for a score, marking the first time since Sept. 30, 2007 (at Detroit) Chicago allowed a kickoff return TD; it was the second-longest against the Bears (Green Bay’s Al Carmichael scored on a 106-yard kickoff return on Oct. 7, 1956).

The Bears answered immediately with a 76-yard return by Devin Hester on the ensuing kickoff. Hester broke his previous franchise record of 245 yards on kickoff returns (249).

50^th anniversary: The Bears honored members of the 1963 world championship team prior to Sunday’s game. That team, coached by George S. Halas, finished with a record of 11-1-2, and outscored opponents 301-154.

Offensive line still developing: Chicago’s Week 1 performance provided encouraging signs about the offensive line’s future, but the Vikings gave the Bears somewhat of a reality check. Coming off the edge, Jared Allen blasted left tackle Jermon Bushrod into Matt Forte, and sacked Cutler for an 8-yard loss, causing the quarterback to fumble. Brian Robison scooped up the loose ball and scored from 61 yards out to tie the score at 14.

Although sacked only once, Cutler was under duress, especially in the second quarter. There’s room to grow.

Start of new record? The Bears scored on eight INT returns last season to tie the 1998 Seattle Seahawks for second most in NFL history. Maybe Tim Jennings' pick-six of Christian Ponder in the second quarter marks the start of the quest for a new record. The 1961 San Diego Chargers hold the NFL record for INT returns for TDs in a single season (nine).

What’s next: The Bears return to Halas Hall on Monday for treatment and review of Sunday’s game before taking Tuesday off. The club begins preparations Wednesday for its first road game of the season at Pittsburgh.

Here are some Bears Essentials, as the team prepares to host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field:

-- Jay Cutler put up an 85.7 QBR score against the Bengals, which ranked as his fourth highest since joining the club in 2009, and he did that against one of the league's better defensive units.

To kick off Bears Essentials, let’s take a look at what ESPN.com’s Mike Sando wrote about Cutler’s potential contract situation . Remember, Cutler is in the final year of his contract, and if he keeps producing performances like Sunday’s, he’s in for a big pay day.

Sando wrote: "When the Bears' new leadership took a wait-and-see approach toward a new contract for Cutler, a salary-cap manager for another team surprisingly predicted Cutler would eventually command $20 million a year -- whether the quarterback deserved it or not. The thinking was that the Bears or some other team would feel lukewarm on the quarterbacks available in the draft and would see Cutler as the missing piece to winning a championship. It would take only one team to feel that way, the thinking went."

"The problem, of course, was that Cutler hadn't been very good recently. His QBR score since 2009, Cutler's first season with Chicago, stood at a sub-average 48.7 entering Sunday. That ranked 21st out of 30 qualifying quarterbacks over that span. What does such a figure mean? A score around 50 will result in roughly a 50 percent chance of winning. Sixty-five is getting into Pro Bowl-caliber play. Cutler was at 50.2 last season. Here is the fallout: 10 of the 11 starting quarterbacks with non-rookie contracts featuring at least $20 million in guaranteed money signed their deals after posting a single-season QBR score of 58.9 or higher. They were good right before they got paid."

So with a score of 85.7 in his 2013 debut, Cutler was playing at a Pro Bowl level. But can he sustain that for the entire season?

-- ESPNChicago.com’s Jeff Dickerson and Jon Greenberg debate the Week 1 debuts of Julius Peppers and Henry Melton in answering a Hot Button question which asks whose play was more concerning between the two. I agree with Dickerson that it’s the easy argument to point a finger at Peppers because of his age, and the fact he didn’t dominate backup left tackle Anthony Collins (who is actually one of the more athletic tackles you’ll see this year). But Peppers has dominated for years and is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he posted 11 and 11.5 sacks. For me, Melton is the player to be concerned about. Why? He’s never been in this position, having been paid big money due to the franchise tag.

Dickerson writes: “This can go one of two ways. Either Melton plays his heart out this year in order to increase his chances of securing a big deal in free agency, or he coasts through the regular season in order to reach free agency healthy, figuring he's already done enough to get a contract from someone next offseason.”

Check out the debate, and answer the poll question. I’m anxious to see how the voting goes in this one.

-- CSNChicago’s John “Moon” Mullin explains why Chicago’s rushing attack needs to show marked improvement for this team to keep winning. Matt Forte gained 9 yards on his longest run against the Bengals. That’s not good enough.

-- Chicago’s defense gave up too many explosive plays against the Bengals, and Marc Trestman wants the team to tighten up in that area. Cincinnati finished the game with five plays that gained 17 yards or more, including three A.J. Green receptions that gained 19 yards or more. That’s too much. In allowing some of those explosive plays, the Bears missed too many open-field tackles. Conditioning seemed to be an issue, as several players seemed to be gassed throughout the game. I anticipate the conditioning will improve as well as the tackling with more live repetitions.

 

An examination of four hot issues from the Bears’ 24-21 win over the Bengals:

No pressure from the defensive line: Let’s not get too worried about it now because Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton let the ball fly quickly at the end of his drops. Cincinnati’s game plan was to get rid of the ball quickly and take what the defense was giving it. That meant lots of dink-and-dunk football.

“There were times we were getting frustrated,” Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton said. “You couldn’t really even get into your pass-rushing moves because the ball was already coming out. They were playing small ball.”

Defensive end Shea McClellin posted the lone sack, but that play came in a timely fashion considering it was Cincinnati’s final drive. Again, this isn’t something to be concerned with. Also, after one game, I’m not buying the theory that defensive end Julius Peppers has all of the sudden lost it. Trust me, he hasn’t.

Slow start on offense: Left tackle Jermon Bushrod said if there was anything he thought the Bears could’ve done better Sunday, it would have been getting out to a faster start.

The Bears converted on just 2 of 8 third downs in the first half, while generating 97 yards of offense, compared to Cincinnati’s 245. The 10 points Chicago scored in the first half came as a result of prime field position from a Charles Tillman interception and a 15-yard personal-foul penalty by Dre Kirkpatrick, which gave the Bears possession at the Bengals' 44.

“We could always start faster,” Bushrod said.

Missed tackles: Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker thought the defense performed well, but admitted the unit missed too many tackles while squandering opportunities to get off the field on third down -- issues that seem to go hand in hand.

In the first half, the Bengals converted on 71 percent of their third downs.

“It wasn’t like it was third-and-short. It was third-and-10, third-and-11,” linebacker Lance Briggs said. “Those are defensive-heavy, winning-percentage downs. That’s stuff we have to correct. I missed a lot of tackles today.”

No running game: Matt Forte averaged 2.6 yards on 19 attempts, which is a little low. But it’s to be expected considering the caliber of competition the Bears faced Sunday against Cincinnati’s dynamic front seven.

What’s important is Forte was able to gain 8 yards on a crucial fourth-and-1 with the game on the line.

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte on Monday made the latest installment of ESPN's NFL Rank project, which lists the top 100 offensive and defensive players in the league heading into this season.

Forte enters his sixth season in 2013, and ranked No. 48 among offensive players headed into this year, one spot behind Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (No. 47) and Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (46).

ESPN Stats & Information said this about Forte:

“Since entering the league in2008, Forte has 15 100-yard rushing games. The Bears are 14-1 in those games. Of the 19 running backs with at least 10 100-yard games over that span, Forte’s 14-1 record is the best.”

That’s not a surprise, considering the brand of football the Bears play, which is highlighted by a stifling, turnover-producing defense that allows the team to play keep-away.

Football Outsiders said: “Matt Forte’s struggles at the goal line, and shaky O-line has held him back a bit.”

I agree with the second part of that sentence, but disagree with the first part. Statistically, the numbers definitely indicate Forte has struggled from the goal line in the past. But I don’t think he’s a guy that can’t get it done on the goal line.

Forte provided proof of that against the San Diego Chargers on Aug. 15. From the 11-yard line, the Bears handed to Forte on three consecutive snaps, and the running back gained a total of 8 yards on back-to-back plays, before capping the drive with a 3-yard burst.

Obviously, the offensive line is a little better now with all the moves the Bears made through free agency and the draft. But credit also goes to Bears coach Marc Trestman and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer, who have implemented zone-blocking schemes, which allow Forte to pick his own holes.

With the new blocking schemes in place, my guess is Forte will eventually shed his reputation as a poor producer on the goal line.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler expressed disappointment about not involving more of his weapons in the passing game Thursday night during the club's 33-28 preseason victory over the San Diego Chargers.

Cutler directed each of the five passes he threw in the first quarter to Brandon Marshall, including one that he forced into bracket coverage for an interception. Good field position, believe it or not, played a role, along with reluctance on the team's part to reveal the its red zone offensive package in a meaningless preseason game.

"We'd like to [involve more players], but with that short field and [running back] Matt [Forte] was running the ball well," Cutler said. "We wanted to ease those two young kids [rookie offensive linemen Kyle Long and Jordan Mills] in a little bit. We didn't stress them too much. I thought, apart from the pick, the first unit did really well."

The starting offense played a total of 15 snaps in the first quarter, with the team's average drive starting at its own 46. After going three-and-out on its opening drive, Chicago started its next possession on its own 16. But a 58-yard run by Forte on the sixth play of that drive put the Bears at the San Diego 5.

From there, Cutler hit Marshall for a 5-yard touchdown on a back-shoulder throw.

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BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Having studied interactions between Tony Romo and Jason Witten earlier in his career in Dallas and after working with Eli Manning in New York, new Bears tight end Martellus Bennett came to realize the value of strong communication with his quarterback, and how eventually, it enriches chemistry.

“When we watch film I sit right behind (Jay Cutler) so I can whisper in his ear. It sounds kind of creepy,” Bennett said Friday. “I sit right behind him so I can whisper in his ear and ask him, ‘Hey, is that what you wanted?’ And he’ll just give me a thumb up. I know I probably get on his nerves because I’m always talking to him.”

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The Chicago Bears brought in another weapon on offense for quarterback Jay Cutler in tight end Martellus Bennett, and there’s got to be at least some desire on the team’s part to see a repeat performance of Brandon Marshall's 2012 record-breaking season.

That’s why it would seem difficult for the Bears to find a way to incorporate more Matt Forte into the offense in 2013, but that’s the plan under Marc Trestman. More than likely, the team will be able to pull it off.

"I would expect (to be used more in 2013). Coach Trestman, I think he said he watched a lot of film on me and has seen me run different routes," Forte said back in May. "So we'll get back to catching the ball out of the backfield like we did the prior years."

The addition of Marshall prior to the 2012 season certainly caused a dip in production for Forte. Forte gained 1,434 yards from scrimmage in 2012 (1,094 rushing and 340 receiving), and while those numbers indicate a productive season, the running back rushed for 100 yards or more in just three games.

Forte finished second in receptions (44), but caught 74 fewer passes than Marshall (119). Forte's 44 catches in 2012 represented a career low. In the four previous years, he averaged nearly 56 catches.

"I think last year was basically the only time that happened. Before that, I actually was running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield, had multiple catches," Forte said. "Last year was the only (a reduction) in catches. Brandon had a lot of catches, and everybody else really didn't have a whole lot. We were kind of one-dimensional last year I would say. (There’s) gonna be an emphasis for us this year to spread the ball around so that it works, it's balanced.”

To achieve that balance, the offense needs to run through Forte. Once opposing defenses gear up to stop him, that’s when Cutler can work the magic with Marshall, Bennett and the rest of the receiving corps.

While the groundwork for every NFL campaign is primarily laid in the offseason, championships are never won in May.

But organizations need to set lofty goals. Have you ever heard of an NFL team striving for mediocrity?

So while a part of me wants to cringe when I read Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley quoted in the Detroit News saying that his team is "going to the Super Bowl”, or watch a video of Detroit running back Reggie Bush tell reporters that he signed with the Lions "to win championships," the reality is that every NFL player should feel that way about the prospects of his respective club this time of the year.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte never gave an explanation of the team's new offense under Marc Trestman, but it's clear he expects to return to form as the multi-dimensional threat he's been in the past.

Forte called the team's new scheme "more challenging to me personally" because in addition to learning his own responsibilities, he has to know the jobs of others, not to mention the "why" behind what he's doing.

"It's easy to learn what you do, but to actually have to learn the concepts of what the receivers are doing and why I have to run this route to get that guy open ... it makes it more difficult, but also more intriguing as a player," Forte said Tuesday after the club's second workout of organized team activities. "I have to learn more than what the 'H' does. I've got to learn what the 'F' does, (and) where he lines up because I may have a situation where I line up as a receiver. I have to learn the receivers' routes as well."

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte called the NFL's proposed rule change that would penalize ball carriers who lower their heads to deliver a blow "absurb" in a series of messages he posted on his official Twitter account Sunday morning.

The new rule would penalize a runner 15-yards if he initiates contact with the crown of his helmet outside of the tackle box. Incidental contact with the crown of the helmet would not be a penalty.

"The proposed rule change for running backs might be the most absurd suggestion of a rule change I've ever heard of," Forte wrote. "In order to lower ur shoulder u obviously have to lower ur head. It's a way of protecting ur self from a tackler and a way to break tackles."

Read the entire story.

CHICAGO -- When people talk about Sunday’s Chicago Bears-Seattle Seahawks' game in the future, they’ll first recall the Seahawks pulling out a 23-17 overtime win. Then they’ll turn to Brandon Marshall's late fourth-quarter catch.

In a season where Marshall has made his fair share of extraordinary catches, the one he made in the final seconds Sunday may just rank at the top.

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LAKE FOREST -- Whether Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was serious or not when he said Thursday that he’ll double team Brandon Marshall on every play, it doesn’t really matter to the Chicago Bears. They already expect it, which means other wide receivers may have to step up.

“They know we throw it to him most of the time,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said Friday after practice. “He’s our No. 1 receiver. No matter what they do we’ll try to get the ball to him. That will open up other things. Our running game also. Whatever they decide to do it should still benefit us.”

It will only benefit the Bears if others are making plays. Earl Bennett used to be Jay Cutler’s favorite target, but since Marshall came on board he hasn’t seen the ball as much. As Phillips noted, the Bears “haven’t thrown it to the other guys very much except the running back.” That’s starting to change with the extra coverage. Bennett was targeted a season-high eight times last week against Tennessee.

“We know teams are going to try to take Brandon out so we have to do our job,” Bennett said. “We have to go out and make plays and relieve the pressure off Brandon.”

Of course, Cutler also has to look Bennett’s or Devin Hester's way.

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