If you were hoping the second half would bring new life into this Falcons team, well... you're not going to be very satisfied. Or, if you're like me, then you are pretty furious.
The Falcons started off the half with the ball in their hands, and began their typical slow, methodical march down the field that we all know and love. We saw a little bit of Michael Turner, a ton of Roddy White, and even a little bit of Jacquizz Rodgers. Things looked promising as the Falcons made it all the way down to the Bears seven-yard line, but again they failed to make it across the goal line, instead settling for a field goal that made it 16-6 Bears.
Chicago took over on offense, and though the Falcons forced a third-and-one right off the bat, yet again the defense crumbled on third down. Matt Forte continued make the Falcons look like amateurs, busting out a 27-yard run in the middle of the drive. Cutler then connected with Hester on a 53-yard pass, and one play later the Bears scored on a 1-yard TD toss.
Things pretty much got worse from there. Some awful pass protection led to continued pressure in Ryan's face, and ultimately resulted in a fumble forced by Julius Peppers and recovered by Brian Urlacher for a TD that gave the Bears a 24-point lead. What was once a close game quickly became a big deficit in a matter of minutes.
The Falcons got the ball back, and yet again had a promising start to the drive. But two consecutive penalties, one false start and one unnecessary roughness, effectively killed the drive. Seeing a pattern here? Thankfully, the defense stepped up on the ensuing possession and forced a three-and-out. Lawrence Sidbury got some great pressure on third down that almost resulted in a safety. At least something went right.
Next possession, however, it was more of the same. Ryan was sacked by Peppers, and the Falcons appear poised to punt the ball away very soon. Bears hold a very comfortable 30-6 lead as we enter into the fourth quarter. It's been a rough game, and all we can hope for is some improvement going forward.
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