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	The Bears didn't have any answers for the Cardinals in Sunday's 41-21 loss.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- I think I heard a collective groan here Sunday when Bears coach Lovie Smith stepped to the podium and said: “I don’t have a lot of reasons to give you on why we played that way.” In this case, however, I’m with Smith: The Bears’ performance Sunday was inexplicable.

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How does a team with playoff aspirations fall as flat as the Bears did Sunday? Why were no adjustments effective as the opponent scored on its first six possessions? How did a starting defensive lineman get so worked up after four plays that he punched an opponent, leading to his ejection? And why did your quarterback take a 15-yard penalty for arguing with officials and then question his team’s internal makeup afterward?

That’s right. Quarterback Jay Cutler was asked if the Bears have a chemistry and leadership problem after their 41-21 loss to Arizona. Cutler response: “I don’t know. We’ll see.”

To a man, the Bears had no answers after their second blowout loss in three games. The only variance was how alarmed they were. Smith noted “our entire play was bad,” but he optimistically suggested the quick turnaround to Thursday night’s game at San Francisco would serve the Bears well. Tight end Greg Olsen said it was “unfair” to suggest the team is going in the wrong direction after blowout losses Sunday and two weeks ago at Cincinnati.

Only Alex Brown, the Bears’ classy and well-spoken defensive end, was visibly disturbed by what happened. Brown has been with the team since 2002, and if anyone deserves to hit the panic button, it’s him.

“For this to work,” Brown said, “we have to believe it’s going to work and we have to have a sense of urgency and we don’t have that right now. I don’t know what the hell is wrong, but we have to change it. It’s the eighth game of the season, and I know a lot of people like to think we’re better than 4-4. But hell, our record is 4-4. ... If we want to have any aspirations of going further or making it to the playoffs and stuff like that, then we’ve got to play a hell of a lot better.”

Brown went on to say that “anybody that doesn’t feel bad after that shouldn’t be here,” making me wonder which Bears players he was referring to.

“We keep saying, 'Go home and soul search and look at yourself,' but I don’t know. Something’s a little ... there might be a little more than that.”

Brown said he had “no idea” exactly what “a little more” was. But I’m less inclined to believe the team has quit or that there are some bad apples damaging the group. More than anything, when I watch the Bears, I see a team that has lost its edge and deleted its own identity. Simply put, there is no longer an internal or external expectation in Chicago that the Bears can play good defense.

Two weeks ago, Cincinnati led 31-3 at halftime and finished with 30 first downs. On Sunday, the Cardinals rolled up 296 offensive yards and 20 first downs in the first half alone. After defensive tackle Tommie Harris got himself ejected in the first quarter, the Bears allowed an average of 6.1 yards per middle rush for the rest of the game, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Finally, the Cardinals converted eight of their first nine third-down opportunities.

I suppose every team is allowed one lemon per season, one game where nothing seems to work and the end result is a college homecoming-style blowout. But deeper problems are evident when you can’t slow down your opponent twice in a three-game span.

The Bears' defense seems beyond repair to me. I know. Just last week I suggested the Bears could milk six more wins out of their schedule. But in Sunday’s affair, at least, I underestimated the impact of a steamrolled defense on the entire team. It seemed to send the Bears’ offense into a panic; coordinator Ron Turner called passes on 10 of his first 12 plays. Tailback Matt Forte got only five carries.

Brown suggested that players should play “like our backs are against the wall” from the first whistle, but that seems like wishful thinking to me. The Bears briefly got back into Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter when the Cardinals started emptying their bench. Danieal Manning’s interception of backup quarterback Matt Leinart might have been a turning point, but the Cardinals restored order as soon as starter Kurt Warner returned to the game.

“If we don’t figure it out, there’s going to be a lot of those games,” Brown said. “We’re going to have a lot more of those games these last eight games if we can’t figure it out.”

After watching Sunday’s game, however, I don’t have much faith in the Bears’ ability to do that. We should all agree that cornerback Charles Tillman shouldn’t be matched up in single coverage with an opponent’s top receiver, as he was Sunday against Larry Fitzgerald and two weeks ago against the Bengals’ Chad Ochocinco. But would Cover 2 approach be any better considering the Bears’ questionable pass rush of late?

Can we now accept that the Bears don’t have the personnel to blitz effectively? On Sunday, they faced a quarterback in Warner who had been highly vulnerable to the blitz this season. In the first eight games of the season, in fact, Warner had a 61.3 passer rating when opponents sent added pressure.

On Sunday, Warner’s rating was 104.8 against the blitz, and it didn’t matter how the Bears schemed it. He went 3-for-3 when the Bears blitzed two linebackers. He was 4-for-4 when the Bears blitzed a safety. And when they emphasized coverage, rushing only four defensive linemen, Warner completed 10 of 13 passes.

(Those figures are all courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information.)

So let’s try to put it all together. The Bears are supposed to be a team built around defense and an offense that, to use Smith’s phrase, “gets off the bus running.” But they no longer have a competent defense, let alone one that can play at an elite level. They haven’t been able to run for most of the season, and Sunday they never even tried.

Chicago is three games behind Minnesota in the NFC North and has three days to prepare for a Thursday night game at San Francisco. Smith referred to that quick turnaround as an “opportunity” and said the Bears are no different than a team that “played bad ball right at the end of the half” and has a “chance to regroup quickly.”

Smith, of course, couldn’t say why his team had played “bad ball” or how it would “regroup quickly.” I hope this conclusion isn’t too dramatic, but it sure seems like his team has strayed irrevocably from the core values he installed in 2004. They don’t play decent defense and they don’t even try to run the ball. What is the Bears identity? Who are they? It’s inexplicable.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- No one should spend time celebrating Chicago for its mini-comeback Sunday at Soldier Field, one that allowed a blowout loss to appear somewhat less painful on the final scoreboard. The Bears got the living daylights beat out of them at home Sunday in a game that should call into question the viability of their organization from top to bottom.

Arizona led 34-7 early in the fourth quarter before the Bears closed the gap with two quick touchdowns. But Kurt Warner’s fifth touchdown pass of the game sealed the Cardinals’ victory with 4:30 remaining.

The Bears had no answer for the Cardinals’ passing game and gave up more than three times as many rushing yards (182) as Arizona has averaged on a per-game basis this season. The Bears offense was one-dimensional from the start, all but ignoring the running game, and even their normally-reliable special teams made a critical error.

Most alarming to me was the relative willingness with which the Bears seemed to accept their fate. A few players were mildly enthusiastic during the mini-comeback, but otherwise the team was totally flat in a key November game. It’s fair to ask, for the second time in three weeks, why coach Lovie Smith’s team seemed so ill-prepared.

Two weeks ago, you’ll remember, the Bears absorbed a 45-10 loss at Cincinnati. This stretch has dropped the Bears to 4-4 and a full three games behind Minnesota in the NFC North. They need to find answers quickly. They’re running out of time.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- This doesn’t qualify as dramatic, but the Bears have taken advantage of an Matt Leinart interception -- that’s right, the Cardinals have already replaced many of their starters -- to pull within 13 points with 9:04 remaining.

Greg Olsen just caught his third touchdown pass of the game, making the score 34-21. The Cardinals have put starting quarterback Kurt Warner back in the game. One more score should clinch it. Stay tuned. We all know what happened the last time these two teams played.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- The Bears just allowed the final 10 or so seconds of the third quarter to tick off without attempting to run another play, despite a slight 27-point deficit here at Soldier Field. So if they’ve conceded this game, then I’ll do the same.

Unless something dramatic happens, the Bears are on their way to their second blowout loss in three weeks. I’ll be back with you shortly after the game with some perspective on their standing.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- The news only gets worse for Chicago. The Bears will play the remainder of this game, one in which they gave up 296 yards and 20 first downs in the first half, without 50 percent of their starting secondary.

Cornerback Charles Tillman (shoulder) and safety Al Afalava (shoulder) have both been declared out for this game. They are being replaced by Corey Graham and Kevin Payne, respectively.

For what it’s worth, it looks like the Cardinals already trying to run the clock out. They’ve opened the second half with four consecutive running plays.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- Stop reading now if you want to see something -- anything -- nice about the Bears. They played a terrible half in all three phases of the game and have been jeered loudly in their home stadium. Arizona leads 31-7 -- yes, that’s right -- and here are my halftime thoughts:

• The Bears have been a step behind the Cardinals’ offense, both physically and from a scheme perspective, all game. Their front four has gotten almost no push, and their blitzes have been wholly ineffective. The Cardinals are running out of passing formations and passing out of run formations, clearly confusing the Bears and again calling into question their ability to make in-game adjustments.
• I don’t consider the loss of defensive tackle Tommie Harris to be significant given his production this season. But if nothing else, his ejection has left some of the Bears’ other defensive tackles winded while rushing Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.
• The Cardinals have compiled a full game’s worth of statistics in one half: 296 total offensive yards and 20 first downs. Warner has four touchdown passes and has completed 17 of 22 passes.
• The Bears opened the game throwing and I don’t think we’ll see much of Matt Forte in the second half with this deficit. Quarterback Jay Cutler threw on 11 of the Bears’ first 13 plays. His 42-yard pass to Devin Hester set up a 33-yard scoring strike to tight end Greg Olsen, but since then, Cutler has had trouble moving the Bears down the field.
• Even the Bears’ usually-strong special teams have failed them. Robbie Gould’s 48-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter was partially blocked, and Antrel Rolle’s 59-yard return set up the Cardinals’ final score before halftime.
• The Bears finished the half without two of their four starting defensive backs: Cornerback Charles Tillman and safety Al Afalava, both of whom had shoulder injuries.
• The boo birds have been out early and often in this game. I’ll be very curious to see how fans react if the Bears roll over in the second half.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- Here’s the question I have with 11 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the second quarter at Soldier Field: What would have happened if Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin was in uniform?

Even without Boldin, the Cardinals are blowing out Chicago. It’s 21-7 here early in the second quarter, and the Bears haven’t come close to slowing down the Cardinals' offense.

The Cardinals have scored touchdowns on all three possessions and already have 210 total yards along with 15 first downs. Quarterback Kurt Warner has completed his last 11 passes, and Arizona’s usually-quiet running game already has 82 yards.

Most importantly, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman is having a rough time chasing receiver Larry Fitzgerald in one-on-one coverage. Fitzgerald has five receptions for 63 yards and two touchdowns.

If I’m the Bears, I do whatever I can to keep the Arizona offense off the field. But to this point, the Bears have thrown on 11 of their first 13 plays and aren’t maintaining possession.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- Just when you thought Tommie Harris couldn’t become a more bizarre character in Chicago, he comes up with another stunt.

Harris

Harris just got ejected on the fourth play of the Bears’ game against Arizona for a blatant, ridiculous punch of Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui. The two had begun scuffling on the previous play. After the fourth play was whistled dead, Harris was lying on top of Lutui and delivered a closed-fist punch through Lutui’s facemask a few yards away from the Cardinals bench.

Referee Ed Hochuli immediately ejected Harris, who was replaced by Israel Idonije. Harris has hardly made an impact this season, as we’ve documented repeatedly, but now he’s given the Cardinals a huge early emotional advantage as well.

Before he left the sideline, Harris seemed to be telling Bears coach Lovie Smith that Lutui had kneed him. But there’s no excuse for punching a player who is on the ground.

It was a tough opening drive for the Bears, who also lost middle linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer to another injury. His status is uncertain, but for now the Bears are using Nick Roach in the middle and Jamar Williams on the strong side.

The Cardinals lead 7-0 after Larry Fitzgerald beat Charles Tillman for an 11-yard touchdown reception.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

CHICAGO -- Here’s some important news from Soldier Field: The Bears won’t face Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin after all.

We all watched Boldin during early warm-ups and nothing seemed amiss. But ultimately, the Cardinals decided that his sprained ankle wasn’t healthy enough for him to play.

I wouldn’t relax too much. The Cardinals still have two talented receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston. But Boldin’s absence was the best pregame news the Bears could have hoped for.

Meanwhile, one pregame note from Tampa Bay: Green Bay has announced that Mark Tauscher will start at right tackle, as expected. When the Packers signed Tauscher last month, you knew it was only a matter of time before he replaced Allen Barbre as the starter.