That was a weird game to watch.

Rex Grossman took the field and it was like a bizarre flashback, like Walt showing up in the season finale of 'Lost', this bizarre blast from a past that seemed long gone. Ten'll get you twenty that Griese's injury was a political move, a way to get him out of the game without making Lovie backtrack from his "Brian is our guy" stance. I've no doubt that he was hurt and all, but it's a textbook dive - Grossman gets some extra snaps, just in case, and then suddenly Griese's hurt.

So what to make of Rex?

He's damn sure one of the finest players in the NFL when it comes to jumping on a botched snap. He must have worked on that during his off-weeks; in the past, he might have lost the ball, but today he was right on top of it. Hopefully he'll hang around for a few weeks and we'll get to see this newly-honed skill of his in action. What's more exciting than seeing someone in a Bears jersey really hustle to do something on the field? Cedric Benson, take notes!

But Benson had a good game today, relatively speaking. He ran like he had at least a little bit of interest in being closer to the line of scrimmage, if not the first-down marker or the end zone. And it's baby steps we're after, right? He's literally tip-toeing toward his goal of keeping his starting job. How bizarre is it to defend a running back's performance by proclaiming that he played like he really wanted to win and he rarely gave up today? I mean, it's true - he did look better today than he had all year, but let's be real. He may have pushed to get extra yards on most of his rushes today, but that's a running back's job. It'd only be noteworthy that he hustled to get extra yards on every play if he were, like, the long snapper.

But who wants to focus on the negative? We won! Get on the happy bus; we're going to the beach!

How 'bout that defense? Remember Adewale Ogunleye? McCown is going to. Remember why we want Lance Briggs to hang around for the next half-dozen seasons? Remember what it felt like to be confident that when the Other Team had the ball, the defense would actually be able to stop them? That's a good feeling. I missed that feeling. I had it today, though, and expect that it might even continue for a couple more games. This isn't the "holy shit, I can't believe we pulled it off" victory we had against the Eagles or the Packers. Our defense looked like a real professional American football squad instead of a bunch of drunken South African rugby players lined up against a Pro Bowl offense on a CFL field. If this keeps up, you might be able to go to a sports bar and hear them play "Bear Down, Chicago Bears" and not get mad at the bartender for playing it ironically. It's possible that we're all actually Bears fans because it can be fun to see them on the field. I had almost forgotten.

As for offense? Er, Moose looks good, huh? Hot damn, way to go, Moose. And that sure was a long pass Bernard Berrian caught, too. I'm betting you all saw it. Looooong. Little Garrett Wolfe even got all dressed up in a football player's outfit and they let him run with the ball once. And we were afforded the opportunity to watch the offense rise and fall without the over-use of our tight ends.

Yeah, the happy bus hasn't got a ton of room for the offense, but what's so bad about that? This is the Chicago Bears, remember. Did you expect a dominant offense? They delivered when they needed to and they didn't blow it when it would have lost the game. It doesn't matter if the quarterback is Rex Grossman or Brian Griese or Keanu Reeves' character from 'The Replacements'. It doesn't matter if the running back is Cedric Benson or Adrian Peterson or a silverback gorilla in a hand-sewn jersey and an oversized helmet. A couple decent passes, no interceptions or fumbles, three yards or so a carry, and a clutch pass when a clutch pass is called for and maybe there's some life left in the old dog after all.

I'm laying odds on Grossman starting next week. Wait for the word from the office - something about Griese having done a great job, but after Rex's clutch pass and careful managing of the offense in this crucial second half, it only makes sense to give him another shot. And that might be fine. If our defense is stiff, our receiving corps keeps catching passes (or breaking it up when Grossman decides to pass to an opposing cornerback - thanks, Greg!), we may be able to squeak by. Especially if the Giants, Redskins, Lions, Vikings, and Panthers all keep losing.

A squeaker against the Raiders? A couple weeks ago, there were a good number of us who doubted we'd even be able to manage that. Progress, not perfection, kids.