Quarterly report

It starts with a bang and gets wilder and wilder. Devin Hester returns the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, Chris Harris intercepts Peyton Manning and Thomas Jones has a 52-yard run. Even better yet -- it's raining.

Key player: Devin Hester, Bears kick returner. The heralded rookie was in a slump coming into the Super Bowl -- 15.3 yards per kick return in the playoffs with a long of 20. But his 92-yard return was the first touchdown on the opening kickoff in Super Bowl history.

Looking good: This is too good to be true -- Peyton Manning's first pass is tipped by Brian Urlacher for an incompletion, and his third pass is intercepted by Chris Harris at the Bears' 29.

Oops: Manning throws as he's grabbed by Tank Johnson and finds Reggie Wayne wide open for a 53-yard touchdown pass.

Slip: Hunter Smith alters ''squares'' pools all over America by mishandling the snap on the extra point, leaving the Bears ahead 7-6 after Wayne's touchdown.

Big plays: After Mark Anderson recovers a botched Manning handoff, Thomas Jones breaks away from Bob Sanders and gains 52 yards before he is caught from behind by rookie safety Antoine Bethea at the Colts' 5.

Good Rex: On third-and-goal, Rex Grossman hits Muhsin Muhammad just past the goal line for a four-yard touchdown pass and 14-6 lead.

Props: Hester was 8-1 to score the first TD of the game and 5-1 to score on a kickoff return.

Mark Potash

Key statistic: 52 - Thomas Jones' 52-yard run was the Bears' longest this season. The previous best was 33, by Jones against the Saints.

Yards gained: Colts 118, Bears 80.

Time of possession: Colts 9:16, Bears 5:44.

The running game falters and Rex Gssman can't make anything happen as the Bears lose their early momentum and the worst-case scenario starts to develop -- Peyton Manning is finding his rhythm and a game Bears defense is being overworked.

Key player: Rex Grossman. The Bears quarterback was 3-for-3 for nine yards as the offense stalled in the quarter -- two three-and-outs followed by a fumble when Grossman mishandled the snap from Olin Kreutz.

Stopper: Lance Briggs halts Joseph Addai short of the first down after a pass from Manning, forcing the Colts to kick a field goal to close to 14-9.

Rex watch: Under pressure on third-and-four, Grossman rushes a pass to Rashied Davis, who is stopped short of the first down.

How it's done: Rolling out under pressure on the ensuing possession, Manning throws on the run and hits tight end Dallas Clark for a 17-yard gain. Five plays later, Dominic Rhodes scores on a one-yard run to give the Colts a 16-14 lead.

Strip club: Charles Tillman comes up with a big play, knocking the ball loose from Bryan Fletcher, then recovering to give the Bears possession at their 35.

Giveback: On the next play, Grossman fumbles the snap, and Raheem Brock recovers for the Colts at the Bears' 35.

Turning point: Just when it seemed silly to try to freeze Adam Vinatieri before a 36-yard field-goal attempt with two seconds left, Vinatieri hooks the kick left to end the half.

Mark Potash

Key statistic: 6 - Rushing yards for the Bears on four carries in the quarter as they miss their chance to maintain control of the game.

Yards gained: Colts 139, Bears 15.

Time of possession: Colts 10:40, Bears 4:20.

With Rex Grossman struggling, the offense stagnating and an overworked defense giving up big yards, the Bears are hanging by a thread. The good news: Despite their problems, they still are within a big play of victory.

Key player: Rex Grossman. He stumbled, literally and figuratively, in a dreadful quarter. After completing passes of 14 and nine yards, he slips under pressure from Booger McFarland for an 11-yard sack on second-and-one, then fumbles another snap for no gain on third down.

Bad sign: Peyton Manning uses up 7:30 of the third quarter against a wilting Bears defense on a 13-play, 56-yard drive to open the half. At this point, the Colts have run 40 of the last 47 plays from scrimmage.

Good sign: With help from a false-start penalty on the Colts, the Bears hold for a 24-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri and trail 19-14.

Long wait: In real time, Grossman goes 56 minutes between possessions since his fumbled snap in the second quarter.

Bending: Dominic Rhodes gains 36 yards to the Bears' 28, but the defense holds for another Vinatieri field goal and a 22-14 Colts lead with 3:16 left.

A little help: A short kickoff to John Gilmore and an unnecessary-roughness penalty on the Colts' Robert Mathis gives the Bears the ball at the Colts' 40. But Grossman goes 0-for-2, and the Bears settle for Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal to close the gap to 22-17.

Mark Potash

Key statistic: 28 - Number of plays for the Bears through three quarters. The Colts have 66, leading to a huge edge in possession -- 30:51-14:09.

Yards gained: Colts 129, Bears 26.

Time of possession: Colts 10:55, Bears 4:05.

Rex Grossman's tumultuous season comes to a disappointing end, as interceptions on back-to-back possessions -- one returned by Chicagoan Kelvin Hayden for a touchdown -- all but end the Bears' hopes for a Super Bowl victory.

Key player: Rex Grossman. With all due respect to the progress he made, the great games he had and the way he stood up to a barrage of criticism, one thing is clear: The Bears lost the Super Bowl because he wasn't good enough. But he'll be back.

Chicago's own: Hayden, a Hubbard graduate, dealt a lethal blow with a 56-yard return of a Grossman interception for a touchdown that made it 29-17 with 11:44 to play.

Griese time? Grossman goes deep and is picked off by Bob Sanders at the Colts' 23 with 9:55 left.

Outrun: Dominic Rhodes (21-113) and Joseph Addai (19-77) combined for 190 yards on 40 carries -- production the Bears needed from Thomas Jones (15-112) and Cedric Benson (2-minus-1) to win.

Looking back: Benson's fumble with a 14-6 lead in the first half and his game-ending injury proved costly.

Wait'll next year: The Bears could end up ruing a missed opportunity -- with an early lead and a steady rain, the game was theirs for the taking. An improved Grossman and Benson and the return of Mike Brown and Tommie Harris gives them a solid foundation. But will they pay the price to build on it?

Mark Potash

Key statistic: 1 - Number of times the Bears sacked Peyton Manning -- by Mark Anderson and Tank Johnson with 8:32 left. Too little, too late.

Yards gained: Bears 144, Colts 44.

Time of possession: Bears 7:47, Colts 7:13