It will be interesting to see how tough Lovie Smith's Bears are now, as they attempt to rise from the rubble of the Cincinnati debacle.

Just like almost every other NFL team that suffers a blowout loss, the Bears (3-3) aren't as bad as they looked last Sunday. The big question is: Are they good enough to make the playoffs?

In four games against playoff-caliber teams – Packers, Steelers, Falcons and Bengals – the Bears are 1-3. But all three losses were on the road. Six of Chicago's final 10 games are at home, starting with back-to-back contests against the Browns and Cardinals. If the Bears don't win both of those two, they really are done.

And even at 5-3, it would be an uphill fight to make the postseason party. Eight NFC teams are better than .500, and only six go to the playoffs.

For the Bears, there remain home-and-away dates with the Vikings, who at 6-1 already look like a lock to win the division. Realistically, the wild-card route is the only path the Bears can take to the playoffs. The loss to the 4-2 Falcons could come back to haunt them in that regard, but victories at home against the 4-2 Cardinals (Nov. 8), on the road against the 3-3 49ers (Nov. 12), and at home against the 4-2 Eagles (Nov. 22) and 4-2 Packers (Dec. 13) could be huge in tiebreaker situations.

But all this "what if" stuff is meaningless unless the Bears get a lot better in a hurry. The improvement has to begin up front on defense. The Bears had 14 sacks in the first four games but none in their past two, and they didn't even come close enough to the Falcons' Matt Ryan or the Bengals' Carson Palmer to chat.

Maybe if defensive tackle Tommie Harris decides he can play with some soreness, the Bears might be able to generate a pass rush. Harris, according to the team, was healthy enough to play against the Bengals but was more or less rested so he could come back strong.

It's entirely possible that the defensive line, with the help of a motivated Harris, can still be an above-average unit.

But there is no such hope for the offensive line. That's what happens when a team goes seven drafts in a row and uses just one pick in the first three rounds on an offensive lineman. The Bears have had 22 such picks since 2003, and the only offensive lineman they drafted was Chris Williams.

Filling those gaps through free agency with veterans way past their prime and unproven backups from other teams has left the Bears with a running game that is No. 29 in yards per game (80.7) and tied for 23rd in average gain per attempt (3.7 yards).

It may be time to get off the bus throwing the ball.