The Monsters of the Midway have had quite a rough start in their 2014 season, mostly due to failure to complete drives, a multitude of defensive troubles and poor coaching. After four weeks their record is an unimpressive 2-2, leaving us wondering if Chicago has any chance for the playoffs.

The Bears season began with a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills. There were several things involved with this loss starting with the poor performance by Bears quarterback Jay Cutler having two touchdowns and two interceptions. The whole game cannot be blamed on Cutler though. There were key injuries that the Bears had to endure, including backup quarterback David Foles, safety Chris Conte, center Brian De La Puente – who replaced Roberto Garza – and Tony Fiammetta, a key free agent picked up by the Bears.

Week two for Chicago was much more promising than their season opener, as they had come back to win over the San Francisco 49ers. The first half looked like week one all over again, marked by poor defense and offensive failures.  Cutler’s performance sky rocketed in the late game leading the Bears to victory. Chicago had a masterful three successful drives in the final quarter which led to scores created by Cutler. Cutler had a stellar four touchdown performance, tying his career high in touchdowns in a single game.

With a little bit of a streak beginning, the Bears managed to get an away win against the Jets.  The Bears defense started off fast with an interception returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, and the offense finished strong with a 27-19 victory.

Bears fans across the nation were disappointed in the loss against the Packers in week four. The game started off well in the first half but slowly went downhill. The second half of the game was a disaster- coaching, play-calling, player performance and time management, which led ultimately to the opponent scoring, were key factors in created this catastrophe. This was never more evident than in the final minutes of the second quarter, when the coaches tried and failed to sneak in an onside kick, which lead to a Packers score right before halftime. Cutler once again threw two interceptions and nearly a third which led to the Packers scoring and increasing their growing lead.

The start of the 2014 season for the Chicago Bears has been a slow one.  There have been some great performances, specifically their comeback win over the 49ers, and some terrible performances from the entire team. Offense is a key aspect that needs to be improved. Chicago needs to learn to utilize their receivers, who are some of the tallest receivers in the NFL, and put points on the board. Not only do the receivers need to be used more, but the Bears also need to watch their turnovers which lead to unnecessary scoring opportunities for the opposition. Fans should not lose hope because the potential of the Bears is there, but both the offense and defense need improvement.