The D needs to somewhat be given the benefit of the doubt for the 2nd quarter meltdown for not having game planned for a new QB, although I do wonder if the bloody divet in his throwing hand limited his effectiveness in the 2nd half. And the "melt down" was essentially two big plays - a bubble screen with Turpin's "Hollywood-like" speed after escaping the well-blocked bubble, and Motley was right on his WR until the WR created some separation at the very end (someone in my Chi-town alumni bar commented "Motley is Sanchez, without the interceptions"...ouch; but then Motley comes down with a easy pick).
Offensively you can only really nitpick, with Riley content to "play smart." My druthers is that Riley doesn't have a D that allows him to play smart on the O side of the ball all the time (not against better competition, so let's get in that groove). So when we are 3rd and long on our 20 or so, I would like a pass instead of conceding the series with a run up the gut (it wasn't even a draw); likewise, when we are 3rd and long again but near the redzone I'd prefer a shot in the endzone or at least a pass play...not another run up the gut to set up for a FG. We need a foot-on-the-throat offense for 4 quarters if we are going to make a run at the playoffs. The D, again, does not allow smart on the O side - it has to play aggressively, the higher risk percentages be damned.
