Sunday’s 19-16 loss to the Bears is a signpost along the road of a long season.  It shows the way to the playoff exits for optimistic fans, me included.  I have been maintaining a positive point of view despite the early avalanche of misadventures on offense.  My outlook had been that as McNabb improves, so does the offense and things will look much brighter as we move on.  The sign we just passed directs me to the understanding that McNabb is not progressing fast enough, and this season will be bitter for missed opportunities.

As he did last week, see the video notes I made here, McNabb missed on an opportunity in the end zone that would have made quarter four of this game much easier to sit through.  With 30 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, on 3rd down and 4 from the Chicago19, McNabb set up in the shotgun, took the snap and missed tight end Matt Schoebel on a crossing route near the goal line that was wide open.  The pass sailed high and behind Schoebel, who was then punished by the Bears’ safety.  This is a play that McNabb has to connect on.  He did later in the game on the team’s only TD, again throwing to Schoebel on a very similar pattern.  Missed opportunities have been killing the team, and a fair share of them have been McNabb’s inability to get the ball to the spot when points are available.  Last week, he threw a fade to Jason Avant in the end zone that was closely defended by a Jets db. Where the ball was placed, Avant had to battle with the db, and could not gather the ball.  If McNabb puts the ball a little farther in front of Avant, it is 6.  Also, last week he was a little late on a crossing pass deep into the end zone from the Jets 23.  The ball got to Kevin Curtis just as the closing Jets db did, and it was knocked away. It is not solely a problem with McNabb, but he has not capitalized when the opportunities have come.  Couple that with his receivers being unable to collect what appear to be catchable balls at or near the goal line in each of the last 2 games (Curtis vs Jets/Brown vs Bears), and you get an offense that is failing its team in the most crucial aspect of the game.