MINNEAPOLIS — Bears cornerback Charles Tillman hesitated a moment, searching for the right words to describe what happened to Chicago in 2011.
"It was a unique season," he said. "A lot of ups, a lot of downs."
The Bears ended their season on a high note Sunday by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 17-13 at Mall of America Field. The win snapped a five-game losing streak as the Bears finished the season 8-8.
After starting the year 7-3, however, this wasn't exactly the end result Chicago was hoping for.
"It's been tough," said Bears wide receiver Devin Hester. "The last time I looked at our record it was 7-3. From that moment on, everything just came tumbling down like a small snowball to a huge snowman, from the injuries to the off-the-field issues, et cetera, et cetera. At the end of the day, we won the ball game, but we still feel like we left a lot out there."
Since starting 7-3, Chicago experienced injuries to two of its key offensive weapons, quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte. Cutler broke his right thumb on Nov. 20 against San Diego, the Bears' last victory prior to Sunday. The Bears were forced to use Caleb Hanie in four starts, while Josh McCown started the last two. Hanie threw for 133 yards or fewer in three of his four starts and was replaced by McCown during Chicago's game Dec. 18 against Seattle.
McCown was an assistant football coach at a North Carolina high school earlier this year before signing with Chicago. In his second start for the Bears, McCown threw for 160 yards and a touchdown to beat the Vikings.
Did he do enough in two starts to earn a spot on the Bears' roster next season?
"I definitely think he can hold his head up," said Bears coach Lovie Smith. "He came here and helped our football team. He gave us a spark, energy, and he did not hurt his chances at all by what he has done during his brief time with us."
Forte was named to his first Pro Bowl despite spraining his medial collateral ligament against Kansas City on Dec. 4. Before his injury, Forte rushed for 997 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games and had a team-high 52 receptions for 490 yards.
Without Forte, Chicago's running game struggled. The Bears had just two 100-yard rushing performances in their final five games, one by Marion Barber and one by Kahlil Bell.
"It was kind of tough on us this year with the injuries," Hester said. "You've got a star quarterback like Jay Cutler and then you've got a phenomenal running back like Matt Forte, (who) missed five, six games and still made the Pro Bowl. That speaks for itself."
Injuries continued to mount for Chicago, even in the season finale. Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher landed awkwardly while trying to make a play on a throw in the end zone. Smith said Urlacher sprained his MCL in his left knee.
"I am concerned. Whenever you don't finish the game, there is concern," Smith said. "But hopefully he will be OK. We of course will do everything we can to evaluate him and hopefully we will have good news."
Urlacher was not available for comment after the game, but his teammates are confident the 12-year veteran and one of Chicago's leaders will be ready to go for the 2012 season.
"I am an optimist, so I thought he was OK. You never want to see anything like that," Tillman said. "No matter how big his name is, his fame and fortune, he's your every-day average Joe. He's always out there taking every snap, wanting to be out there with the rest of these guys. He's a team guy. He's a team player. A very unselfish guy."
So where do the Bears go from here? When healthy in 2011, it was clear they have most of the key pieces in place.
But for the fourth time in five years, Chicago will be watching the playoffs from home. Still, Smith is hoping for continuity heading into next season.
"We are a good football team, and we are going to try and keep as many of our coaches and players as possible together," Smith said. "We don't want to tear this team down and start over. This is a good football team and we are going to win a lot of games with this core remaining."
While Tillman and four other Bears players will be playing in the Pro Bowl in late January, he said that trip to Hawaii won't make missing the playoffs any easier. But ending the season with a win counts for something, said wide receiver Roy Williams.
"We've had some ups and downs, but to finish the year off and start the year off with a win to push us into this year, it's something special," said Williams, who scored one of Chicago's two touchdowns Sunday. "I think this football team will come back next year and we'll win more than eight games. I promise you that."
