Column: Bears still try to get by with half a team

CHICAGO (AP) - Bears defenders have been running off the field for a half-century now and yelling the same thing at their offensive teammates.

“Try and hold `em.”

One more time, that turned out to be too much to ask.

The Houston Texans arrived in Chicago with the same glittering 7-1 record and ranked in the top 10 in every important offensive category.

They got four turnovers Sunday night, but only did so much with them. They completed 14 passes and managed to muster all of 215 yards against the NFL’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense.

But it was more than enough for a 13-6 win against the Bears, who played the second half without quarterback Jay Cutler, concussed after a helmet-to-chin blow delivered by linebacker Tim Dobbins just before intermission.

Still, when backup Jason Campbell entered the game, it seemed he could hardly do worse. Cutler took 40 yards passing, two interceptions and a 16.7 quarterback rating with him to the bench.

Campbell, brought in from Oakland because of his ability to throw deep, wound up more than doubling that production, but never seriously threatened the goal line, either.

The closest Chicago came to scoring behind Campbell was a 48-yard field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter by Robbie Gould, whose kick through a driving rainstorm clanked off the left upright.

Houston scored its final points on a 42-yard kick by Shayne Graham just inside the five-minute mark, then dropped its defensive backs into deep coverage and dared Campbell to throw.

He did, taking exactly one shot down the field in Chicago’s final two possessions, settling instead for a succession of short passes that produced drives of minus-1 and 3 yards respectively with the game on the line.

Coach Lovie Smith has worked overtime during his tenure to keep the bickering between the two sides of the ball at a minimum.

It hasn’t been easy, given some of the offensive talent the defense has been asked to prop up; consider this string of quarterbacks since Smith’s arrival in 2004: Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel, Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, Todd Collins and Caleb Hanie.

Afterward, safety Chris Conte was asked what it felt like to watch helplessly as another superb defensive effort circled the drain. He rolled his eyes.

“That’s not what I get paid to worry about,” Conte said. “That’s what the offensive guys get paid to do.”

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