10 years ago today, the Bears lost the NFC championship game at Soldier Field against the Packers. It was a franchise turning point for us and the defining Bears game of the past decade.

Here are my top 10 thoughts on the game and its legacy.

A depression thread.

I tweeted last week that while the Bears still tout our rivalry with the Packers and our shared place in history, we're much closer to being the Lions than the Packers.

The 2010 NFC championship game was a huge turning point for that devolution. https://twitter.com/readjack/status/1349547203153580034

The 2010 NFC championship game doesn't hurt quite like Super Bowl XLI. That penetrated my soul. 2010 was a blunt trauma. But it's a trauma all the same. When I think of that game, here is what comes to mind.

#1 — We didn't even have to be here at all.

Week 17. Bears have a chance to eliminate the Packers from the playoffs. Can't make it happen. This game was the harbinger of the decade to come, not to mention a literal failure to land a knockout blow on your rival.

We didn't rest our starters as some suspected, but we also just did not produce. D played well, offense floundered.

Our 10-3 Week 17 loss to the Packers really killed me. It just felt so obvious that letting your rival into the playoffs would come back to haunt you. Bears 4th quarter drives, all while down 10-3:

* 3 and out, punt
* 4th and 23, punt
* 15 plays, game-icing interception

#2 - Bears D dug a huge hole for themselves

As well as our D played, we were down 14-0 after the 1st drive of the 2nd quarter. GB killed us on the first drive:

* Back-to-back 20-yard passes
* Two 6-yard runs
* 22 yard pass on 1st down to the Bears 2
* Rodgers TD run on 2nd down

#3 - Jay was legitimately hurt

The severity of Jay's infamous knee injury was questioned by fans and even fellow NFL players, but what seemed potentially mild turned out to an MCL sprain.

Here's how @olin_kreutz explained it to me in late 2017:

Here is Cutler's explanation of his knee injury, courtesy of @PardonMyTake via @BrendanSugrue:

https://bearswire.usatoday.com/2020/01/30/chicago-bears-quarterback-jay-cutler-discusses-nfc-championship-criticism-toughness/

#4 - While Jay was hurt, his sideline optics possibly had a lasting impact on his teammates

Jay sitting silently by himself on the bench fed his "Don't care" reputation, especially while 3rd string QB Caleb Hanie tried valiantly to fill in. From @DJMoore30:

More on Cutler from @DJMoore30, @CoreyWootton & Rashied Davis, from @TyDunne's excellent Cutty profile. Hard to read this and not wonder if Cutler's isolationist actions on the bench while Hanie played made teammates question him in the succeeding years.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2734086-jay-cutler-teammates-interviews-miami-dolphins

Here is @MattForte22 just today on IG calling out Cutler for "(quitting) on us."

h/t @BrendanSugrue @DawindycityP

#5 - Despite it all, we were still so close

Yes, we converted a 4th and 1 with our backup QB while down 7 in the NFC title game.

Seriously, look how close this was.

#6 - Why was it so close? We handcuffed Rodgers

Trivia question: Which defense held Aaron Rodgers to his worst ever playoff game?

Answer: Your Chicago Bears. His lowest rating (55.4) and his only playoff game without a TD pass. https://twitter.com/readjack/status/1353107205772472320

Rodgers through the 14-0 lead:

8-11, 138 yards, 72.7%, 115.0 RAT

Rodgers the rest of the game:

9-19, 106 yards, 2 INT, 47.4%, 20.9 RAT

His biggest play after the 14-0 lead was his tackle on Urlacher's interception, and again, that's a play where he threw an interception.

Bears really beat Rodgers up and contained him, with two INTs (Urlacher/Briggs) and a sack (Urlacher). We also had this penalized Peppers hit — @livinatthehill raises an interesting what-if below.

https://twitter.com/livinatthehill/status/1353116648409018376

#7 - Caleb Hanie played really well, but not "Win the Super Bowl" well

Everyone remembers Hanie performing gamely. 4th quarter stats:

Rodgers: 2-5, 15 yards, 47.9 RAT
Hanie: 13-19, 153 yards, TD, 2 INT, 66.3 RAT

Before Hanie's final pick, he had a 93.1 4th quarter rating.

Obviously the play that killed us was the Raji pick-six. An experienced QB sits in the pocket just one more beat, even with the blitz coming, and finds Hester across the middle.

And yet...

...Hanie rebounded the very next drive with this all-pass, 4-play sequence:

* 1st and 10: 13 to Olsen
* 1st and 10: 7 to Bennett
* 2nd and 3: 5 to Forte
* 1st and 10: 35 to @EarlBBennett, touchdown

Still, I just can't see us beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl with Mike Tomlin and co. having two weeks to prep for Hanie.

And yet, a beat down in the Super Bowl might have been a good thing, because...

#8 - Caleb Hanie played just well enough in the NFC CG to kill our 2011

Hanie was our backup in 2011 fresh off his "success" in the NFC CG. Jay went down with us at 7-3, leading to this Hanie stretch:

* 0-4
* 41.8 RAT
* 3 TD, 9 INT

He had his moments, but not enough.

F it, Bears fans. We're doing the whole run. Just strap in here.

Hanie Game #2: 10-3 loss to the Chiefs.

Other storyline: Forte goes down. QB1 and RB1 now gone.

Hanie Game #3: 13-10 OT loss to the Broncos.

Other storyline: 10-0 4th quarter Bears lead off a Barber TD. And then: Tebow. Barber. Prater. Barber. Prater.

Hanie Game #4: The beatdown. The end. 38-14 Seahawks.

Other storyline: The horrific Knox injury. The final game of Hanie's NFL career. The end of hope in 2011.

(Oh, you thought we were done with the NFC CG?)

#9 - Rodgers and the Pack were the downfall of the Lovie-Cutler era

The first game of the Lovie-Cutler era was a Packers loss. The one playoff run ended with a Pack loss. All told, we were 1-7 against the Packers with Lovie & Jay.

10 seasons since the 2010 NFC championship game:

Packers lead series 17-3 (+8 to -6 all-time swing)
Packers: 105-53-1
Bears: 73-87
Division titles: 7-1 Packers
Playoff seasons: 8-2 Packers
Playoff wins: 7-0 Packers
NFC CG appearances: 4-0 Packers

Also:

#10 - The Marty McFly Zone: Kyle Orton

My final thought on the 2010 NFC title game (and boy, you're a champ for reading this far) is what might have been had we kept Kyle Orton and our two 1st round picks, and maintained the "D, special teams, running" identity.

Several high profile Lovie-era Bears vets have sworn by Kyle Orton. Considering Jay's arrival shifted the team's identity, expectations and locker room dynamics, I'll always wonder what might have happened with Orton.

Here is the great @thomasqjones on Kyle's impact:

The 2010 NFC championship game is the closest we've been to a Super Bowl since XLI, and it remains a devastating loss with lasting franchise consequences.

The Packers might be headed back to the Super Bowl tomorrow.

We deserve better.

#BearDown

One final note: Re-reading this, my words are too harsh against Caleb Hanie. I apologize. My point is that he gave the team everything he had in both the NFC CG and in 2011, but he just wasn't enough. And that's fine. He was an absolute gamer and I appreciated him. Thanks Caleb!