In football, a 24-point win should feel great. But the vibe in the Chicago Bears locker room and post-game press conference was just short of “relieved.” Despite Chicago’s own struggles in last week’s 35-point loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the laughable 1-6 Cleveland Browns were no challenge. But there can’t be much satisfaction in a win against the 32nd ranked defense and 31st ranked offense in the NFL—especially when the underwhelming Bears started out with a trio of field goals.

Jay Cutler didn’t make excuses to the media. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We have to improve in every respect offensively possible,” he said. Cutler’s candor in today’s press conference actually warmed me up to the guy who’d gotten such a bad rap for being arrogant.

Cutler was sacked four times Sunday. Kamerion Wimbley hit Cutler so hard with a helmet-to-helmet block that Cutler spent much of the game wrapping gauze around his bloody tongue. The Bear’s QB ran five times for 32 yards and his own first downs, because his receivers couldn’t get open. That situation is setting him up to take even more blows. So naturally the media kept asking “How does it feel to get hit so much?” After a pause, Cutler responded, “I don’t know about that, I guess I’ll have to see the tapes.”

I’d imagine Cutler is thinking, Yes, it sucks that I can’t get my line to protect me. But in a team sport, that’s not a productive response. The last thing a good teammate does is start slinging blame in the press. When Lovie Smith was asked the same question about Cutler getting hit so much, Smith responded, “Jay’s not gonna complain.”

And it was at that moment that I really began to appreciate what Bears players, Cutler included, are going through right now and their efforts to maintaining unity for the greater good. You have a QB who was ranked third in passing yards last year in Cutler. You have a running back that broke franchise records in his rookie year in Matt Forte. You have a kick returner who ranks 4th in NFL history for scores on return in Devin Hester. There’s no shortage of potential, but there’s an intangible that’s missing.

You can tell this missing something is a source of frustration to the Bears. In the locker room, Alex Brown was visibly irritated when reporters repeatedly prodded him to compare this week’s and last week’s defensive performance. “Why are we still talking about last week?” he replied  curtly. Brown, though discouraged, is playing well. He broke the defense’s sack dry spell with a hit on Derek Anderson. Overall, the defense had a bad week, but Briggs, Brown, Manning and Tillman are fairly consistent. Tillman picked up a fumble forced by Mark Anderson and ran it in for a touchdown.

It must wear on solid players to have a Ferrari in the garage that drives like a Yugo once it hits the street. What is it going to take to get that engine revved up? Harder practices? A change in coaching? A new game plan all-together? Personnel is unlikely to change until the end of the season—and maintaining a positive attitude is easier said than done.

Sunday’s game marked the ten year anniversary of the death of Bears great, and arguably, one of the finest football players ever to play the game: Walter Payton. Payton was not only a phenomenally talented running back, but by all accounts from his teammates and coaches, an incredible spirit: determined, funny, uplifting, a super-star second and a devoted teammate first. Perhaps then, the timing of Payton’s tribute comes opportunely for the Bears who will need to channel all the selflessness they can in the next weeks for the greater good. No one man can carry the team on the field, but sometimes it takes a great man to inspire greatness. So let Payton’s words ring loud today and spur the Bears in their struggle, “Never die easy.”