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Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

NFL games don’t always lend themselves to simple explanations, but I don’t see how we can avoid blaming Chicago’s loss Sunday night at Atlanta to a complete red zone meltdown.

The Bears committed two turnovers inside the Falcons’ 12-yard line: An interception by quarterback Jay Cutler and a fumble by tailback Matt Forte. They were also unable to convert after advancing to the Falcons’ 5 with 34 seconds remaining in the game. Had they avoided the first two turnovers and gotten chip-shot field goals from Robbie Gould, the Bears would have been in position to win with a field goal on their final possession.

Instead, they had to go for it on 4th-and-1. Left tackle Orlando Pace’s false start made it five yards more difficult, and ultimately Cutler’s pass fell incomplete on 4th-and-6.

I know. It’s always dangerous to project a game if only one or two -- or, in this case, three -- plays had gone differently. You never know what other changes might have followed. But from this vantage point, it didn’t look like the Bears gave themselves a good chance go win.

Instead, they absorbed their second loss of the season and now, like Green Bay, are 2.5 games behind Minnesota in the NFC North. It’s too early to start projecting the division race, but it’s now clear the Bears will have some catching up to do if they want to win the Black and Blue championship.

As the night continues, make sure you check out updates on Jeff Dickerson’s Bears blog. ESPN Chicago will have more coverage here.