Bears learned their lesson
The Colts pounded them when they last met, in 2004, and Chicago vows to do better this time.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The reminders are right there on a highlight video the Chicago Bears have been watching this week, just in case anyone forgot what happened the last time they faced the Indianapolis Colts.
Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye hadn't. Nor had linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer.
Ogunleye couldn't forget seeing Edgerrin James run for 204 yards while Peyton Manning threw for four touchdowns, and that final score was especially unsightly: Colts 41, Bears 10.
Of course, the stakes are much higher this time.
The teams will meet again a week from today at the Super Bowl in Miami. Manning's still around, but James is gone. And this Bears team barely resembles the one that got blown out by the Colts at Soldier Field in November 2004.
"I think we needed to have losses like that to build to where we are now," Ogunleye said. "Those kind of games build character. After that loss [coach Lovie Smith] broke it down."
Actually, the Bears broke down.
They were 4-5 entering that game and won just one more the rest of the way, finishing 5-11.
They were shorthanded on both sides of the ball because of injuries. Rex Grossman hurt his right knee in Week 3, forcing the Bears to go with Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel and Jonathan Quinn at quarterback. Krenzel lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions against the Colts, and when Hillenmeyer looked at the video, he saw a parade of errors.
"It seemed like we were always running in the wrong direction," Hillenmeyer said. "We're running up to play the run, and they throw it to the tight end over our heads. Or we're back in coverage, and he hands the ball off. They do a great job of getting you out of your routine. You can never really get comfortable out there."
The Colts still cause fits with their up-tempo offense, but these Bears are better equipped to handle them.
Chicago made a surprising run to the playoffs last season, going 11-5 and winning the NFC North behind a strong defense before losing to Carolina in the playoffs. This season the Bears went 13-3 and earned the top seed in the NFC.
A defense that dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 late in the regular season delivered enough big plays to beat New Orleans, 39-14, in the NFC title game. The Bears had three sacks, an interception, three fumble recoveries and recorded a safety against the league's top-ranked offense.
They'll need a similar performance against another high-powered offense.