A Winning Trip to Hotlanta

2-4 isn't a death sentence. Not quite anyway.

But 3-3 is eminently more workable than 2-4, particularly with two of the next three games on the road against contenders in New England and Green Bay.

From this much happier perspective and as a fan of a team well in the thick of the NFC race as opposed to one staring up at an insurmountable climb, here are some thoughts following a really fun, victorious trip to the Georgia Dome with brother Mike.

1. The atmosphere was excellent. Despite the 4:25pm kickoff, the building was probably only about 75% full at kickoff. By the midpoint of the first quarter, it was closer to 90% and the building was nearing capacity by the end of the first frame. I'd estimate that the crowd was something like 70/30 in favor of the hosts, but the Bears contingent was very loud, even forcing a Matt Ryan timeout on a third down play in the fourth quarter. That was fun.

The staff put on a great show, keeping things orderly and engaging well with fans. That stuff just makes such a difference: when you smile and people and offer a quick word to encourage them to enjoy the game, it really helps set the mood.

The Georgia Dome itself is in very good condition during its 23rd year in operation. The facility seats 74,000. The New Atlanta Stadium that will be built next door is to seat just 65,000 which will make it among the smallest stadiums in the league, continuing the trend toward more compact spaces. Having spent time in a number of old ballparks and the pre-2002 renovation Soldier Field, I'm a bit perplexed as to why the new stadium will be built in Atlanta. Private funding is expected to cover roughly 3/4 of the approximately $1.2 billion price tag, making this a much more palatable project, but I'm still surprised that Arthur Blank wants to drop so much cash into the new building. I suppose a Super Bowl justifies a lot of decisions.

One additional point in this regard: Atlanta was exponentially cooler to visit than I anticipated. The people were very friendly, excited for a game and ready for a good time. The Dome is located in a good spot for walking, relatively close to the Olympic Park. Just a good setup. Good on you, Atlanta.

2. Winning in Atlanta was tough and immensely important. During the Mike Smith era, the Falcons are a remarkable 38-13 at the Georgia Dome. Part of that is that the team has been very good for years, thus winning lots of games. But a look at the 2013 season reveals a clearer picture. Yes, the Falcons secured three of their four wins at home, thus going just 3-5 at the Dome. Their losses? 30-23 to the Patriots, 30-28 to the Jets, 33-10 to the Seahawks, 17-13 to the Saints, and 21-20 to the Panthers. Four one-score losses and the Seahawks.

In 2012, they were 7-1 at home with the only loss coming in a meaningless Week 17 loss to Tampa Bay, 22-17. In 2011, they were 6-2 at home with the losses coming against the Saints (26-23 in OT) and the dreaded Packers, 25-14. In 2010, they were 7-1 with the only blemish a 17-14 loss to the Saints.

Thus, from 2010 through Week 6 of the 2014 season - a span of 35 home games - the Falcons are 25-10 at home with just three losses by more than one score: 2011 versus defending champion Green Bay, 2013 versus eventual champion Seattle, and yesterday versus the Bears. That was a big, tough win.

3. It's difficult to imagine that we'll be able to see much more of Chris Conte in the NFL. I've long been a huge fan of Conte: he's fast, he's a big-hitter, and save for the second half of the 2013 season, Conte has been extremely productive and reliable at the back of the Chicago defense. Sadly, injuries have ravaged his body. Mike noted in the first half that Conte appeared wobbly on multiple plays. After one big hit, Conte got up and walked in the general direction of the sideline for a few steps before returning to the huddle. While he may have genuinely injured his shoulder again in the third quarter, his head was clearly not right. At some point, the body just can't keep going. I think Conte is very near that point, a very sad reality for him in his platform season. Hopefully I am wrong.

4. While we're talking about the defensive backfield, the unit enjoyed a veritable tour de force yesterday. Conte played well while in the game, Tim Jennings was rock solid, and Danny McCray made some big hits in limited action.

Rookie Brock Vereen continues to make my draft analysis look accurate, something that is very disturbing to me. In the immediate aftermath of the draft, I suggested that Vereen was "a fringe NFL-caliber athlete who doesn't look like he'll ever be good enough to start." On Atlanta's lone touchdown, Vereen proved me right as he was nowhere close to Falcons back Antone Smith despite Vereen having the proper angle. I'll be surprised if Vereen spends more than two years on this roster, a very unfortunate outcome given (1) Conte's injury history, and (2) the fact that Phil Emery downgraded next year's fifth round choice to a 2014 seventh rounder in order to move up to select Vereen. Hopefully Brock makes a leap or three. The Bears cited Vereen's versatility in college as a huge plus in justifying the draft day trade and selecting him; Mel Tucker's unwillingness to play Vereen over Demontre Hurst at the nickel or Danny McCray at safety speaks volumes.

Back on the happy train, Demontre Hurst played like someone who belonged. Every now and then, players get opportunities and seize them. Hurst ran with the Atlanta slot receivers all day and held his own. Ryan Mundy laid a couple of huge hits, including one that was incorrectly flagged before the officials reversed field and picked up the penalty.

Most importantly against a receiving corps featuring stalwarts Julio Jones and Roddy White, Kyle Fuller continued to prove that he is among the best players from the 2014 draft class. Fuller ran well, provided tight coverage, and forced another fumble. His presence was palpable and invaluable.

5. The NFL should change its rule regarding the fiasco that occurred late in the first quarter. Facing 3rd and 6 from the Atlanta 28 with five seconds left in the first quarter, Santonio Holmes jumped just before the snap, resulting in a false start penalty. Although I was about 100 yards from the action at that point, I didn't hear a single whistle and it appeared as though half of the players continued on with the play for a few seconds. Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow raced into the backfield in the midst of a deafening roar and clobbered Cutler. By rule, the false start penalty was declined and Worrilow's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was enforced, continuing a drive that ended with a short Robbie Gould field goal.

It's a dumb rule. There's no reason that both penalties cannot be enforced in that situation. Walk off the ten net yards against Atlanta and re-spot the ball. It likely didn't have a marked impact in this situation, but for a team facing 3rd and 15 or 3rd and 30, the boon is unnecessarily large. Unfortunate for Worrilow; it was loud in there.

6. No-name linebackers held their own. They certainly weren't great. But Khaseem Greene looked like a fringe starter a year after looking unplayable, Darryl Sharpton looked like a valued reserve, and Christian Jones played the kind of high-impact - both good and bad - game you'd expect from an athlete of his stature. The linebackers were far from perfect, but they were adequate in run support and forced Ryan into tight windows with their depth in pass defense.

7. The defensive line played a nearly perfect game. Going up against possibly the worst offensive line in the NFL and filled with high-priced talent (both in terms of cash and draft pick allotment), the Bears line simply overpowered the Atlanta defensive front. Willie Young made a few really big plays and Jared Allen finally showed up, regularly commanding a double team. Jay Ratliff was unimpressive and Will Sutton played probably his worst game as a pro from my angle. Lamarr Houston was disruptive at times, and Ego Ferguson continued to make plays, particularly with his big hands. He's earning playing time, time that may come at Ratliff's expense, especially considering that Ratliff's $2M 2015 deal is entirely non-guaranteed for a team in a tight cap situation.

Nevertheless, the defensive line's best player yesterday was Stephen Paea. Paea routinely created chaos in the middle of the formation, freeing up pursuit lanes for Bears linebackers on running plays and collapsing Ryan's pocket on numerous occasions. In his walk year, Paea played the kind of game that his agent can sell. Hopefully his agent sells it to Phil Emery as the steady player has shown more playmaking ability as of late, none bigger than a sack of Ryan that forced Atlanta out of field goal range on a third-and-medium play in a tied game in the second quarter.

8. Continuing the theme on the offensive side of the ball, the offensive line was dominant. Although the box score shows that Jay Cutler was sacked three times, he really only went down once. The second sack lost about 18 inches and the third sack was Cutler wisely keeping the clock rolling in the closing minutes, choosing to dive down on a naked bootleg on third and one instead of throwing the ball away.

More importantly, Cutler had time to connect on multiple deep throws. When Jay has time to throw, he's lethal. The line made sure that Cutler had his time while also opening up plenty of running lanes for Matt Forte and Ka'Deem Carey.

There's no better example than the 9-yard touchdown on third and goal during the game-clinching drive early in the fourth quarter. Kyle Long had an excellent trap block, freeing Forte to follow a barrage of blockers into the endzone. For a line that has struggled with its run blocking, the Bears unit saw a subpar Falcons defense and manhandled them exactly the way that good teams do.

9. The pass catchers appeared as advertised. Brandon Marshall made some nice catches, including bailing out Jordan Mills after a false start on the game's opening play. Marshall went over the middle a few teams. However, his most impressive catch came on Cutler's most impressive throw of a the day, a perfectly floated ball just over the head of a cornerback in reasonably tight coverage downfield on Marshall. Marshall secured the ball and Josh Morgan's touchdown followed two plays later. The catch was not easy, yet Marshall used his size to secure the ball and nearly score. He just knows how to use his body better than nearly any other player in the league.

I say nearly because Alshon Jeffery is right there with Marshall. Full disclosure: Alshon is about to be my favorite Bear, wresting a title away from Peanut Tillman that the cornerback has held for nearly a decade. My favorite thing to yell at Bears games: "Give it to Alshon!" It works every time.

With the Bears lined up at their own 14 early in the third quarter during a TV timeout, I yelled it as loud as I could toward Jay. That possession ended after three plays, but I'd like to think Cutler heard me as his 74 yard heave to Jeffery came on the second play of the ensuing possession, a play that shifted the tide back to the Bears, never to be relinquished. Alshon is a beast. The dude just makes plays.

Martellus Bennett also played a solid game, and he made one of the pivotal plays in the game. Facing 3rd and 11 from their own 36 on the final play of the third quarter, Bennett ran down the seam and Cutler hit him with a beautiful throw for a 25 yard gain. The Unicorn braced for a big hit that never came before fighting for a few extra yards. When he is defended with linebackers and safeties, the Bears have an exploitable mismatch that they utilized a few more times on Sunday.

As encouraging as the Big Three receiving targets were on Sunday, no discussion of the receiving corps is complete without acknowledging that no viable third wide receiver has emerged. Yes, Josh Morgan scored a touchdown, but that was as the fourth read on an impeccably blocked goal line play. Santonio Holmes has no role in this offense. Marquess Wilson can't come back soon enough.

10. Jay was excellent. Cutler played the kind of game that team's love. When there was space downfield, he went for it. When six and seven yard gains were there in the flat, he took them. When he needed to step up or roll out, he did so. His throw to Jeffery - admittedly a hair underthrown even though it travelled something like 70 yards in the air - was incredible to watch. Even his incompletions were in the right spots, balls that were catchable for his receivers and his receivers only. I don't recall a Falcons player touching a thrown ball yesterday. Jay didn't just avoid turnovers; he played a nearly flawless game.

11. Joe DeCamillis still has a hot seat. Props where props are due: the Bears completely eliminated Devin Hester from the game. That was a necessity, yet the only time Hester had any space to run, Teddy Williams - the goat from last week's inexplicable kick catch interference-turned-punt-return-touchdown at Carolina - ran him down and made a clean tackle.

But a blocked extra point? The play didn't cost the Bears yesterday, but it's the kind of play that has to be automatic up front. Those kinds of breakdowns can lose games. Further, while DeCamillis may not want to admit this, the Bears best kickoff returns have been the times when the return man takes a knee. Another holding penalty on a punt return as well.

While the offense and defense both played inspired, clean games, the special teams units remained too sloppy for comfort.

12. Speaking of specialists, it was bizarre watching Hester wear red. Hester received a unanimous ovation during player introductions, and I felt something very special as he ran toward us for his first kickoff return opportunity. I'm 99%+ confident that Hester saw me point at him and cheer wildly. It was a special moment with a very special player.

As I told Mike yesterday before the game (and again afterward), with only $3M of cash and cap space to spend, I'd still take Willie Young over Devin...but it makes me sad. It really felt like he should have been a Bear for life. I would have cheered him wildly had he scored yesterday.

13. Finally, to close out a great, desperately-needed win, a few moments that you capture in the stadium that you might not sense at home:

- Kyle Long celebrates every big offensive play with the playmaker. Touchdowns? Of course. Long passes? Absolutely. Six yard runs by Ka'Deem Carey? Long is there, arms swinging, to give Carey a pound on the head as they bound back to the huddle. I have to imagine that he's a pretty fun teammate.

- It's always strange when players run off the field without their jerseys. Tim Jennings did so as he ran off with a red jersey tucked under his shoulder pads. As I suspected at the time, Jennings had Devin Hester's jersey in tow.

- After his second sack of Ryan, Willie Young put his arm around the quarterback and they walked together for a few steps. We have no idea what that exchange entailed, but Young was a happy man while Ryan appeared completely defeated. Part of me wonders if Young shared some of what he saw with Matthew Stafford while Stafford spent years getting pummeled behind porous lines in Detroit.

- NFL players move really fast and hit really hard. It's difficult to imagine how painful the game must be. At this point in my football-watching life, I can absorb a lot of information on every play, taking in the actions of most of the players. After watching 100 or so plays in the game, Matt Forte's second touchdown run on the fourth quarter trap appeared in slow motion. I had enough time to check the receivers downfield before looking back to the center of the line when I realized that Cutler had in fact handed the ball to Forte, not having made a play fake. Forte's plunge occurred in slow motion in person; on film, the entire play probably took three seconds.

The Bears are hanging around. With Miami coming in this weekend, the team faces another game that, if it isn't a must-win, it's as close to a must-win as possible. Stumbling to Foxborough at 3-4 needed a win before primetime at Lambeau is no way to operate a season. Being 4-3 in mid-October continues to build hope. Well, here's hoping.