(My Sportsbook) - The reality is that the Bears' recent 17-13 loss to the New England Patriots isn't that big of deal. After all, the defeat only dropped Chicago to 9-2, leaving them with a two-game lead in the NFC and four games up on the Vikings in the North division. Furthermore, although few in the organization would ever say this publicly, the loss has to be somewhat ameliorated by the fact that the Bears were competitive in the final game of a tough three-week road trip in which they finished 2-1.

Nevertheless, losing is not acceptable in pro football and even more intolerable is when the quarterback for the losing team turns the ball over four times. Rex Grossman threw three interceptions on Sunday and also had a costly fumble in the red-zone on a botched quarterback-to-center exchange. All three of his picks wound up in the hands of Asante Samuel, including the final one, which came with 1:46 left and Chicago preparing to start a last-effort drive.

After the game, Bears coach Lovie Smith made it clear where Grossman stands with this team.

"We didn't complete the job, but - I'll say it right now. Rex is our quarterback. We'll make the necessary corrections. We're 9-2 with Rex leading our football team. He had a couple bad passes, I made a couple bad calls. We're not going to put it all on one guy."

With a quarterback rating of 23.7, a "couple of bad passes" may seem like an understatement. But anyone who watched the game could see that Grossman's interceptions were almost as much about his poor play as they were about the outstanding performance turned in by Samuel, particularly on the first pick, which came in the opening quarter when Samuel jumped a slant route and beat receiver Bernard Berrian to a spot.

"[Grossman] obviously is going to be under a microscope, but if you want to look at turnovers, look at all his stats and let's talk about his TD passes and how many yards he's thrown for and the throws he can make," said Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz.

Grossman's stats on the year: 55.5 percent completion percentage, 2,390 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Six of those interceptions have come in Chicago's two losses, and another four came in that unforgettable game at Arizona. Not coincidentally, those were the only three games that Grossman's completion percentage was below 50. Conclusion: Grossman's played well enough to allow his team to be 9-2, but when he's bad, he's really bad. At this point, Chicago is confident that he won't be bad come January.

BEARS DEFENSE COMES TO PLAY

Perhaps it was all for naught because it came in a losing effort, but the Chicago Bears got exceptional performances from linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on Sunday, as well as cornerback Charles Tillman.

Urlacher will be remembered in that game for getting juked on a 12-yard run by the historically immobile Tom Brady, but the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year had a terrific afternoon outside of that play, recording 11 tackles, all of which seemed to be bone-shattering big hits. At this point, the seventh-year pro seems destined to fend off Champ Bailey and Julius Peppers to retain his Defense Player of the Year award.

Briggs packed the box score against New England. He led the Bears with 13 tackles, forced two fumbles, recovered one, and came up with a crucial pass defensed in the first half. Keep an eye on the 26-year-old. He is in the final year of his contract and the speculation back in the preseason was that the Bears are not going to be able to break the bank to re-sign him. Considering that his agent is Drew Rosenhaus, a broken bank is likely what it will take to obtain his services in 2007.

As for Tillman, he was considered the weak link in the secondary at the beginning of the season. There had even been talk of moving him to safety. However, he has turned into the viable corner that many who saw him early in his career expected. On Sunday, Tillman had two interceptions, which leaves him tied with Ricky Manning Jr. for the team lead with four.

WHO'S HOT

Running back Thomas Jones had a quiet 23 carries for 99 yards against the Patriots. Jones fell just a yard short of reaching the century mark for the fifth time in seven games. Equally as encouraging for the Bears was the fact that Jones's backup, Cedric Benson, turned in a second straight solid performance with 46 yards on 10 carries.

WHO'S NOT

Cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. missed the New England game because he was serving a one-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. The violation stemmed from an incident back in spring, when Manning and several friends allegedly beat up a man in a Denny's parking lot near the UCLA campus. A few Bear players (namely Brian Urlacher) were not happy that head coach Lovie Smith had Manning serve the suspension the week of the Patriot game, but Smith wanted to get the matter over with as soon as possible.

NEXT UP

The Bears finally return home to Soldier Field to face the 5-6 Minnesota Vikings. A win would give them a second straight NFC North division title.

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Andy Benoit is the author of Touchdown 2006: Everything You Need to Know About the NFL This Year. For more information or to contact Benoit, visit www.touchdown2006.com