"With due respect to the need to dissect the Bears' defense like a frog in high school biology class, maybe we all are missing the point regarding a root cause of this two-game losing streak.

That is, the Bears are missing the points.

Regardless of how bad the defense has been against Tennessee and Green Bay, the Bears would have struggled beating anybody scoring 17 points on 24 drives over two games.

That's a far cry from the halcyon days of the Bears' offense earlier this season when it scored points on 10 of 22 possessions in a two-game span against Atlanta and Minnesota.

That's the standard for the offense, rather than the manage-the-game and please-don't-turn-the-ball-over approach that took hold after Kyle Orton went down with an ankle injury against Detroit.

When Orton returned Sunday to limp his way around Lambeau Field, the offense wasn't the same.

"Through the course of a 16-game season against good opponents, you're not going to light it up every week," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said Wednesday.

A defense in the dark has overshadowed that lack of offensive illumination, so Turner's offense has gotten a pass lately in Chicago.

But unless the consistency and balance evident earlier this season return starting Sunday, the offense will be subjected to more tongue-lashings like the kind center Olin Kreutz delivered after the Packers game.

"Olin's our leader," left tackle John St. Clair said. "He was just letting us know we had to do better."

While they're at it, offensive players might want to pay attention just as closely to Mike Brown's postgame rant about how the Bears' defense isn't what it used to be. Finally, someone on the inside called out an aspect of the team that needed it.

Funny thing is—but thanks to Brown no defensive players are laughing—the Bears' defense only has to resemble the unit that gave up 20 points a game in the first four games of the season. Not the one that has surrendered an average of 30 points per game in the last four.

Nothing forgives the sins of a defense quicker than an offense that can put up 24 or more points as the Bears have six times this year.

"Moving forward, our focus is regaining that confidence, that swagger," Turner said.

The beginning of the Bears' offensive funk coincided with Orton's sprained ankle with a minute left in the second quarter of the Lions game, but really that's no excuse.

Against the Titans and Packers, the Bears averaged only 80 yards rushing. Wide receivers have allowed defensive backs to cling to them like their jerseys were made of Velcro. Imagination went on vacation, and anybody waiting for Turner to coach the Bears out of any problems Orton's injury created still are waiting.

"We got out of sync, I got out of sync," Turner said of the slump.

Without a healthy, confident Orton picking out receivers in the pocket, the Bears looked like a team that didn't believe in itself. Players have limited faith in Rex Grossman after he filled in against Tennessee, so little in fact that the Bears must monitor Orton's snaps closely against the Rams.

The 2-8 Rams, playing without running back Stephen Jackson and left tackle Orlando Pace, offer an opportunity to rebuild morale and momentum with an impressive victory. But five more opponents remain, so if the Bears can go up by three scores it will be time to hand Orton a clipboard whenever that happens."