Thursday I wrote a column and said the game would come down to protection for Jay Cutler and Houston’s wide receivers vs. the Bears secondary. The game came down to those two things. The Bears lost both battles. They lost the second half. They lost the game.

Rapid fire…

• Willie Young has to play better in the six-game span McPhee is sidelined. Leonard Floyd’s ability/explosiveness is obvious but the Bears need Young to be their best pass rusher.
• If the Bears had ANY consistent pass rush they would have forced Osweiler into mistakes. He was fragile. But they made him comfortable.
• DeAndre Hopkins is an unbelievable player. How can you get mad about the plays he was making? That was all world stuff.
• The Will Fuller touchdown was inexcusable. But that call – in that situation – was made because Bill O’Brien saw something.
• John Fox has to challenge that spot. It doesn’t matter if most spot challenges are unsuccessful. That was a 4 and potentially 7 point swing. The risk is a timeout. The reward is you’re still in the game.
• Dowell Loggains. Not a sterling debut. Did the Bears not expect Romeo to start bringing pressure in the second half?

• Bears run game is going to be powerful up the middle. Langford seems like he gets 2-3 more yards than he should on every carry.
• Kyle Long sure didn’t look pleased with Bobby Massie’s work in pass protection.
• How about Jerrell Freeman? Explain to me why the Colts didn’t need this guy anymore. That was sideline-to-sideline middle linebacker play the Bears haven’t seen since 54’s prime.
• Tracy Porter may not be a great corner but he makes plays.
• Kevin White has to learn the routes. Preferably not during games. And if he doesn’t know the routes, throw him some bubble screens at least.
• How about Eddie Royal? People forget how good a player he is when healthy.
• Alshon’s first half was remarkable. He was dominating the game. His second half? Forgettable.
• I though both Bears safeties looked pretty good overall.

Houston is the better team, especially in their building. But Bears had every opportunity to stay in and win this game. Lots of elements seem headed in the right direction, with one major area of concern: pass rush.