Don't blame Rex; it's Chicago's D that gets failing grade

Unfortunately for Chicago, the Bears defense was. In fact, it stood out in the rain for 38 minutes of a 60-minute contest, and that's not good.

"Were your players fatigued?" Rivera was asked.

"Probably," he said, "but (the Colts) were on the field as well, so it goes both ways. Their offense was out there as long as our defense.

"Fatigue is not a good word; frustrate is the better word. We had a couple of opportunities to get off the field on third downs, and we didn't do that. We missed a couple of tackles, and they made a couple of plays."

Grossman didn't. But he's not the guy who carries this team, remember? He just has to play well enough not to screw things up, and that didn't happen. But don't blame Grossman. Chicago had a conservative game plan that it didn't abandon until it was too late.

"We never got into a rhythm offensively," coach Lovie Smith said. "We never established the run, and when that happens it's hard."

Grossman agreed, though he tried to shoulder some of the blame for two second-half interceptions. Forget it. It wasn't Grossman who failed the Bears. It was their defense.