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Game Recap: Bears Do Their Part In 26-24 Win Over Lions In Detroit

30th December 2012 by under Game Recap     

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte (22) is congratulated by Chicago Bears guard James Brown (78) after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, December 30, 2012. (Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune)

The Bears find ways to keep things interesting.

In a must win situation against the Lions, the Bears forced four turnovers on defense and special teams and scored only 16 points.

Winning 26-24 over the Lions isn’t something that will turn heads, but the Bears got the job done and won their biggest game of the season.

They put themselves in the spot to possibly make the playoffs. They now need the Vikings to either lose or tie to the Packers to have a chance at making the playoffs.

If that happens, the Bears would travel to San Francisco next week to play the 49ers.

The Bears controlled this game right up until the last two minutes in the first half.

Up 20-3, the Bears had scored prior on a one-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte and a 40-yard field goal by Olindo Mare.

But then the Bears went to the prevent defense and let the Lions marched right down the field on 12 plays. Matthew Stafford found Kris Durham for a 25-yard touchdown strike.

The Bears were up 20-10 at the half, but the Lions had plenty of momentum heading into the break.

They went down the field on their first drive of the second half, putting together a nine play, 80-yard drive. Tight end Will Heller reeled in a 10-yard touchdown pass, which was his first touchdown catch since 2010.

The Bears added two more field goals and held a 26-17 lead with 10:47 remaining in the game.

But once again the Lions put together another impressive drive. The Lions took nine plays to drive 95 yards down the field for a touchdown. WR Brian Robiskie reeled in a nine-yard touchdown catch to make the game 26-24 with roughly seven minutes left.

The Bears punted their following drive. Then the Lions did the same as CB Tim Jennings deflected a pass intended for Kris Durham on third down.

The Bears used eight plays to gain 37 yards and forced the Lions to use all of their remaining timeouts. Cutler kneeled it two times with two minutes remaining and the rest was history.

It certainly wasn’t the way the Bears wanted to win, but they did some good things on bothsides of the ball.

Cutler completed 18 of 31 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown.

Forte rushed 24 times for 103 yards and one touchdown despite playing through a right ankle injury.

Wide receivers Earl Bennett and Alshon Jeffery combined for nine receptions and 185 yards and one touchdown. Bennett scored the first touchdown of the game halfway through the first quarter on a screen pass that he took 60 yards for the score.

Brandon Marshall was held to just five receptions for 42 yards on 14 targets. Cutler and Marshall seemed to be out of sync for most of the afternoon.

LB Nick Roach led the Bears’ defense with seven tackles, while S Anthony Walters was second on the team with six.

CB Tim Jennings added his ninth interception of the season. DE Israel Idonije sacked Stafford and forced a fumble that Julius Peppers recovered.

WR Joe Anderson continued his impressive special teams as he stripped Lion’s RB Joique Bell. Eric Weems recovered the fumble.

The Bears did their part today despite such a close ending on the scoreboard.

They now have to hope for a Vikings loss or tie against Green Bay.

As weird as it sounds, Chicago Bears nation will be pulling for the Packers or as I like to call it rooting against the Vikings.

The Bears lost the control of their own destiny a few weeks ago, but they did what they had to today.

Here’s to hoping everything goes right for the Bears later this afternoon.

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Chicago Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears Take Down Cardinals, Improve To 9-6

23rd December 2012 by under Game Recap     

Chicago Bears’ Charles Tillman celebrates his interception return for a touchdown against Arizona Cardinals in 3rd quarter at University of Phoenix Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. (Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune)

It wasn’t the prettiest victory, but the Chicago Bears got the job done in Arizona on Sunday afternoon. The Bears won 28-13 and improved to 9-6 on the season.

Unfortunately the Minnesota Vikings went to Houston and took down the Texans to improve to 9-6 as well. The Vikings currently hold the sixth seed in the NFC, while the Seahawks hold the fifth seed.

The Bears have to win against Detroit next week and have the Vikings lose versus Green Bay next week or have the Seahawks lose tonight and next week versus the Rams if they want into the postseason.

Defensive end Julius Peppers tied his career high with three sacks, while Israel Idonije had one sack.

Cornerback Charles Tillman reeled in his third interception of the season, which he took back 10 yards for a touchdown. His score put the Bears up 28-6 and really put the game out of reach in the third quarter.

Kelvin Hayden reeled in his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter on a bad pass by Cardinals backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Zack Bowman scored the first defensive touchdown of the day for the Bears on a one yard fumble return for a touchdown.

The Bears’ offense were effective on the ground rushing for 152 yards. Matt Forte had 12 carries for 88 yards and one touchdown including a 36 run.

His afternoon was cut short however after he re-injured his right ankle. He was itching to get back in the game, but the Bears opted to keep him out of the action.

He should be considered questionable for next week’s big matchup against the Lions.

Another key injury for the Bears was safety Chris Conte. He hurt his hamstring early in the second half and was replaced by Anthony Walters, who finished the game with three tackles.

Jay Cutler completed just 12 of 26 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown. Brandon Marshall led all Bears receiver with six catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.

He was targeted 14 times and dropped some catchable balls as he was covered pretty well by Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson.

The Bears’ offense combined for 297 yards as they averaged 5.0 ypc and converted just three of 13 third down attempts.

Special teams didn’t play up to par as the Cardinals blocked a 20-yard field goal attempt by Olindo Mare and took it back for a touchdown.

Also, two fumbles were forced on special teams by the Cardinals one of which was recovered by them. Devin Hester has to put himself in better spots because he seemed lost out there.

Brian Urlacher was said to be seen running around the sideline prior to the game. He likely won’t play next with his hamstring injury, but if the Bears do make the playoffs he will certainly be roaming the middle of the field I can bet you that.

We didn’t learn much from this game as the offense again looked like underachievers.

It was nice seeing Earl Bennett back in the mix, but he was targeted just once. LB Nick Roach and CB Charles Tillman led the Bears with eight tackles a piece.

It won’t be easy to get to the postseason, but if the Bears can take care of business next week in Detroit they could find themselves playing in the 2012 NFL playoffs.

Obviously a win over Arizona isn’t impressive at this point, but its what the Bears needed after dropping three straight games.

Look for the Bears to get Matt Forte more involved next week if he is indeed back from an injured right ankle.

The Bears are who we thought they were on Sunday afternoon in Arizona.

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears Fall To 8-5 On Season After 21-14 Loss At The Metrodome

9th December 2012 by under Game Recap     

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) is sacked by Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen (97) in the second quarter Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012 at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) celebrates and Chicago Bears guard Edwin Williams (70) and tackle J’Marcus Webb (73) watch. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Bears were once again plagued by the same problems on Sunday: missed opportunities and key drops.

Losing 21-14 on the road against the Vikings might not seem so bad, but the Bears had plenty of opportunities to take control of this game.

They have lost four of their last five games and have totally lost control of their own destiny in the NFC playoff push.

The Bears outgained the Vikings 438 to 248 in total yards, but the Vikings simply made more plays.

Jay Cutler’s interception in the third quarter that Vikings safety Harrison Smith took  back 56 yards for a touchdown really cost the Bears.

Down 21-7, the Bears had their chances, but couldn’t capitalize. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall made big catches throughout the day racking up 160 yards and one score on 10 catches.

But his performance wasn’t enough as the other receivers around him failed to make the most of their opportunities.

Jay Cutler found Alshon Jeffery for a 23-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. The Bears were down 14-7 at that point.

But Jeffery made two big mistakes on the afternoon. He slipped on a pass intended for him in the first quarter that was intercepted by Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson. Running back Adrian Peterson found his way into the endzone for the second time following Cutler’s interception and put the Vikings up 14-0 early in the first quarter.

Later in the game, Jeffery dropped what appeared to be a touchdown pass that would have tied the game up at 14.

Even when things looked gloomy for the Bears, Cutler found a way to drive his team down the field.

With around four minutes left, Cutler tossed a nice pass to Devin Hester, who failed to reel in what should have been a touchdown catch. On the next play, Cutler forced a bullet to Marshall that he failed to reel in.

The Bears’ defense forced the Vikings to punt on their next offensive possession as the Bears used all three of their timeouts to preserve the clock.

Cutler was announced done for the day with a neck injury around the four minute mark. He suffered the neck injury in the second quarter on a nasty hit by Vikings defensive end Everson Griffin.

Jason Campbell relieved Cutler and completed six of nine passes for 64 yards and one touchdown to none other than Brandon Marshall.

The Bears went for the onside kick, but Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph fielded the ball and ended the Bears hopes for a comeback.

Besides Cutler’s injury, they were without defensive tackle Stephen Paea (foot) for the entire game as he was announced as inactive prior to kickoff. Defensive tackle Henry Melton was in and out of action with a shoulder injury and defensive end Shea McClellin left the game in the first half with a knee injury.

Cutler said after the game that he is day-to-day. Expect him to be under center when the Bears host the first place Packers on Sunday.

A Look Ahead:

The opportunities were there once again for the Bears to get their ninth victory of the season, but too many miscues led to this loss.

You can say the Vikings played better, but they didn’t, If you look at the box score it makes you wonder how the Bears didn’t win.

14 points isn’t going to cut it if this team wants to make a deep run into the playoffs.

Devin Hester, Alshon Jeffery and Kellen Davis all had key drops that really plagued the offense’s momentum. Hester and Jeffery each dropped what appeared to be touchdowns.

Cutler’s pick six proved to be the difference maker, but you certainly can’t blame him for this loss. He fights his butt off for this team each and every week.

Just imagine how much better this offense would be with a solid offensive line and talented tight end to stretch the middle of the field.

The Bears have been fighting through these problems all season long. They can be covered here and there, but in the end its what is going to backfire on this team.

You can blame coaching and the front office, but they put plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to compete for a championship.

Plays are just being left out on the field and its inexcusable. Brandon Marshall can’t be the only offensive weapon relied on, Hester, Jeffery and Davis have to step up and make plays when their number is called.

One positive from this game was running back Matt Forte’s performance, he added 85 yards rushing on 13 carries and 34 yards on seven catches. His longest run was 36 yards as he averaged six yards per carry on the afternoon.

The season isn’t over yet, but if the Bears can’t get their act together it soon could turn into another wasted effort similar to 2011.

With three games left, one home game against the Packers and two road games against the Cardinals and Lions, the Bears will get to prove if their worth.

The time is now for the Bears to make the push for the playoffs. If not they could be on their couches early this season.

Don’t write off the 2012 Bears. Not yet at least.

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears Fall In Overtime 23-17 To Seahawks

2nd December 2012 by under Game Recap     

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice (18) scores the game-winning touchdown in overtime underneath Chicago Bears strong safety Major Wright (21) on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012 at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Up 14-10 with just about three minutes remaining, the Chicago Bears allowed Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson to put together a 12 play, 97-yard touchdown drive.

With 24 seconds left, the Bears seemed completely out of it trailing 17-14.

But then Jay Cutler found his favorite target, wide receiver Brandon Marshall for the 10th time on the afternoon. This time it was for a big 56-yard catch which put the Bears in field goal range.

Robbie Gould booted a 46-yard field goal to tie the game at 17 and just like that the Bears were back in it.

The Seahawks won the toss in overtime and picked up right where they left off on offense. Russell Wilson generated a 12 play, 80-yard drive that was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown catch by Sidney Rice.

It was a tough 23-17 loss for the Bears at home, but they got out played and out coached by the Seahawks.

The Bears had their chances. Up 7-0 halfway through the first quarter the Bears opted to go for it on a fourth-and-one in scoring range.

They decided to run it right up the middle with Michael Bush and he was stuffed. They probably should have settled for the field goal.

Then wide receiver Earl Bennett, who already had a touchdown reception in the game couldn’t capitalize on a big chance. Cutler found Bennett on the right side on a deep pass, but he juggled it about three times and couldn’t come down with it.

Bennett later left the game with a concussion.

LB Brian Urlacher (hamstring) and CB Tim Jennings (shoulder) also left the game late in the fourth quarter due to injuries.

QB Jay Cutler and RB Matt Forte were effective. Cutler completed 17 of 26 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns and a QB rating of 119.6.

Forte racked up 66 yards on the ground and 30 yards through the air including a touchdown reception.

The Bears’ defense was just beaten too much on this day.  It hurt that safety Chris Conte left early in the first quarter flu symptoms.

Seahawks running backMarshawn Lynch ran for 87 yards and a touchdown and Russell Wilson ran for 71 yards on just nine carries.

They allowed the Seahawks to convert eight of 15 third downs. The Seahawks averaged 6.5 yards per rush and 7.3 yards per pass.

Wilson tossed 23 of 37 passes for 293 yards and two touchdown passes.

Plays were left on the field by the Bears. The offense had its moments. Cutler and Marshall were very impressive.

The Bears’ defense just wasn’t good enough. They allowed too many big plays in crunch time.

With the loss, the Bears (8-4) fall to second place in the NFC North with the Packers beating the Vikings on Sunday.

The Bears have to put complete performances down the stretch. They travel to Minnesota to battle the Vikings next Sunday, then return home to host the Packers the following Sunday.

It won’t be easy, but with better preparation this team can go far. The next four games will prove if the Bears are contender or pretender.

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears Bounce Back With 28-10 Win Over Vikings

25th November 2012 by under Game Recap     

Running back Michael Bush celebrates his touchdown during the first half. — Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 25, 2012

The Chicago Bears picked up their eighth win of the season as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 28-10 at Soldier Field.

The Bears created three turnovers on defense turning them into 14 points. They had an effective running game led by Michael Bush’s two rushing touchdowns.

Linebacker Nick Roach stripped Vikings RB Adrian Peterson early in the first quarter and Charles Tillman recovered it.

Safety Chris Conte picked off Vikings QB Christian Ponder late in the third quarter and Safety Major Wright recovered a fumble on a rush by Ponder in the fourth quarter.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler looked solid in his first game back since suffering a concussion in Week 10.

He completed 23 of 31 passes for 188 yards for one touchdown and one interception and a passer rating of 86.5. He was sacked only once on the afternoon as he had solid protection for most of the game.

12 of those 23 passes were reeled in by WR Brandon Marshall, who racked up 92 yards on the day. He went over 1,000 yards receiving on the season and became the first Bears WR since Marty Booker (2002) to rack up over 1,000 receiving yards in one season.

WR Earl Bennett came up with some big catches. He caught four passes for 45 yards.

Unfortunately the Bears were nicked up on the afternoon losing five players in the process of winning.

Guards Lance Louis (knee) and Chris Spencer (knee), CB Charles Tillman (ankle), RB Matt Forte (ankle), and WR Devin Hester (concussion) all left the game and didn’t return due to injuries.

Louis was replaced by Gabe Carimi on the right side and Spencer was replaced by Edwin Williams on the left side. Tillman looked to be okay as he was often coaching up the secondary on the sideline, Kelvin Hayden replaced him. Forte walked off gingerly in the third quarter as Bush replaced him for the rest of the day. Hester left in the first quarter and was replaced by Eric Weems.

Defensive tackle Henry Melton sacked Ponder on the first play from scrimmage. Defensive ends Shea McClellin and Israel Idonije brought Ponder down in the second half. Despite only recording two sacks on the afternoon the Bears brought pressure often.

They really rattled Ponder as he completed just 22 of 43 passes for 159 yards and one touchdown and one interception.

The tight ends made some big plays for both teams in this NFC North battle. Kyle Rudolph added the only Vikings touchdown, while Matt Spaeth reeled in an impressive 13-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter.

Jay Cutler seemed at ease in his return minus a bad throw to Marshall which wound up getting intercepted by Antonie Winfield on a tipped pass.

Cutler was frustrated at TE Kellen Davis, who caught only one of his four targets on the day. Cutler mouthed “are you f***ing kidding me” after Davis dropped yet another pass.

Overall, it was a nice bounce back win for the Bears who were in control of the game from beginning to end. The offensive line held its own as Jay Cutler made big plays all afternoon long. Cutler wanted to hit Marshall over the top late in the game, but it landed just out of Marshall’s reach.

The Bears have to build off this win and keep what their doing right going because they looked solid around.

At 8-3, the Bears are currently on top of the NFC North, but it could be a battle to the end with the rival Packers.

Up Next:

The Bears welcome the Seahawks (6-5) to town next Sunday afternoon.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears Fall 32-7 In Letdown Against 49ers

20th November 2012 by under Game Recap     

Chris Conte of the Bears (47) sits in the end zone alone after not being able to keep Kendall Hunter of the 49ers from rushing for a touchdown in the second quarter at Candlestick Park Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, in San Francisco. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Bears got dominated in all areas of the game on Monday night. The 49ers outgained the Bears 355 to 151 as San Francisco cruised to a 32-7 victory.

QB Jason Campbell completed 14 of 22 passes for 107 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

On the opposite side was second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He shined in this game as he completed 16 of 23 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears’ defense just played awful. They allowed two touchdowns in the first half heading into halftime down 20-0.

The Bears’ offense wasn’t much better. The running game was ineffective and worst of all the offensive line was horrendous.

It seemed like guard Chilo Rachal and tackle Gabe Carimi took turns getting penalized. In the meantime tackle J’Marcus Webb struggled to protect at all.

Campbell was often running for his life as he had little time to think in the pocket let alone throw the ball. He was sacked five times by 49ers defensive end Aldon Smith, who really showed no class with his constant cocky celebrations.

The 49ers’ defense allowed just two catches by wide receiver Brandon Marshall. One of those catches was the lone touchdown on the night for the Bears.

With Jay Cutler under center on Monday night things wouldn’t have been much better.

You can say the offense was the unit to blame on the night and I would agree because they were just plain bad. But at the same time the defense didn’t really do anything to stop the 49ers. They allowed the 49ers to score points on their first four possessions of the night.

With the loss the Bears move to second in the NFC North behind the Packers (7-3). They welcome the Vikings (6-4) to town next Sunday and the Seahawks (6-4) to town the following Sunday.

Things won’t get easier for this team considering the tough schedule ahead, but the Bears better prepare themselves a little better after this whooping.

Offensive coordinator Mike Tice consistently disappoints me with his game plans the last couple of weeks.

The season isn’t over yet, but it sure looks a whole lot different after a loss like that.

Some serious adjustments have to be made on defense. Safety Major Wright was constantly getting beat, while nickelback Kelvin Hayden just looked lost out there.

Head coach Lovie Smith knows what has to be done to keep this season alive because I’m sure him and every Bears fan out there doesn’t want to see a collapse like the one they had last season.

It could be worse Bears fans trust me. At 7-3 the season isn’t over till they say its over.

Upon Further Review:

One thing is for sure though 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh showed no class with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. He challenged a play where Jason Campbell was sacked and stripped of the ball in the endzone. Guard Chilo Rachal scooped it up and tried to toss the ball out of the endzone, but he was down before he threw it. The officials called it a pass, but Harbaugh proceeded to challenge the play and the play was called a safety to make the game 32-7. Hard to believe he would fight for those erroneous points that late in the game when it was basically over.

Injury Update:

Bears’ wide receiver Alshon Jeffery left the game in the second half with a right knee injury. Tough break for the rookie who returned to action for the first time since Week Five. Hopefully he can suit up against Minnesota next Sunday because the Bears could use everybody at this point.

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears Fall 13-6 To Texans and Lose Cutler In The Process

12th November 2012 by under Game Recap     

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) walks off after throwing an interception to the Houston Texans in the second quarter Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The Houston Texans simply made more plays than the Chicago Bears on Sunday night. It’s that simple.

The Texans came away with a 13-6 victory over the Bears to snap Chicago’s six game winning streak and drop the Bears to 7-2 on the season.

Arian Foster’s touchdown catch late in the second quarter put the Texans up 10-3, but it proved to be the difference maker in this one.

Jay Cutler didn’t come out of the locker room to start the second half. He was diagnosed with a concussion and was forced to sit out the rest of the action.

He completed seven passes for 40 yards and two interceptions in the first half.

The Bears had four turnovers in the first half, while the Texans had two.

Michael Bush and Kellen Davis each had fumbles. Cutler’s first interception was on a pass intended for Davis in Texans territory.

His second pick came on a underthrown ball to Brandon Marshall.

Campbell came into the game in the second half and completed 11 of 19 passes for 94 yards. The Bears didn’t really take any chances with him under center as he often looked for the check down throw to either Matt Forte or Matt Spaeth.

Outside of Brandon Marshall no receiver really stepped it up for the Bears. Devin Hester had a big second quarter catch called back after Cutler was flagged for throwing passed the line of scrimmage.

On that same play he was hit hard by Texans’ LB Tim Dobbins and he clearly wasn’t the same after that. Hopefully he will be okay to play next Monday night when the Bears travel to San Francisco.

Kellen Davis played his way out of a starting job on Sunday night. He fumbled on his only catch of the day and ran a lazy route on Cutler’s first interception. He was targeted five times and came up with only one catch, which he fumbled away.

Despite Marshall’s impressive numbers (13 receptions for 107 yards), he dropped some catchable balls. One of those passes was a nice throw from Cutler that should have been a touchdown, but just slipped out of Marshall’s hands.

The Texans’ defense played a stellar game allowing the Bears to convert only two times on third down. They held Matt Forte to 39 yards on 16 carries.

As well as the Bears’ defense played this unit can’t win this team games every week. They held Texans QB Matt Schaub to 95 yards passing and the Texans to just 215 yards of total offense. Really what more can you ask for out of these guys?

CB Tim Jennings added two interceptions to increase his season total to eight, which is one more than his career total.

The Bears’ offense was just bad all night. Outside of Marshall no one really did anything.

Left guard Chilo Rachal had two costly penalties. But the offensive line wasn’t the problem as they allowed zero sacks on the night.

The play calling was predictable. The running game wasn’t working at all.

The Bears didn’t really try anything downfield once Cutler left the game, which haunted them down the stretch.

Offensive coordinator Mike Tice has to tweak some things on offense heading into the coming weeks.

First off Kellen Davis is not the answer at tight end. He blocked poorly and he dropped some catchable balls. The Bears should give youngsters Kyle Adams and Evan Rodriguez some more looks.

They need to work the ball to the middle of the field to Forte. I understood the running game wasn’t working, but Forte was consistently open in the middle field and the Bears’ offense failed to take advantage of that.

Whoever is under center next week, whether it is Cutler or Campbell they need to gain yards on first downs. The Bears struggled on many drives on Sunday night because they couldn’t get anything going on first or second down, which really hurt them in the end.

The defense needs to keep doing what they’re doing because they’re the biggest reason this team is 7-2 right now.

Things will get better for this offense. They just need to fix some things to make those improvements, if not I don’t see this team winning many more games.

Losing to an AFC opponent like the Texans isn’t the worst thing in the world considering its not a conference or division game.

We know one thing for sure after Sunday night, the Bears shouldn’t have let safety Danieal Manning go two seasons ago. That can flat out play.

Keep your head up Bears. First place and a first-round bye is still in your sights. At least it should be. Right?

NFC North standings:

Bears, 7-2

Packers, 6-3

Vikings, 6-4

Lions, 4-5

Up next:

The Bears head to San Francisco to battle the 49ers (6-2-1).

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears Throttle Titans 51-20 To Improve To 7-1 On The Season

4th November 2012 by under Game Recap     

Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (54) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 at LP Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Bears have already dominated enough through their first seven games, but Sunday they did something no NFL team had ever done.

They became the first team in NFL history with a touchdown pass, touchdown run, interception return for a touchdown & blocked kick returned for a touchdown in same quarter.

Just try to grasp that. The Bears tied a franchise record with 28 points in the opening quarter.

Charles Tillman came into the game having forced 31 fumbles in his nine-year career. He forced four fumbles on Sunday, three of which the Bears recovered.

Tillman stripped Titans WR Kenny Britt on the first play from scrimmage. The Bears offense couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, but the special teams up started the rout.

CB Sherrick McManis blocked a Brett Kern punt and DE Corey Wootton returned it five yards to make it 7-0 Bears.

Shortly after that the Titans forced a safety as they had the Bears backed up on their own end zone. An illegal hands to the face penalty by LT J’Marcus Webb in the Bears’ end zone forced the safety making the game 7-2.

The Bears forced the Titans to punt after the safety and WR/KR Devin Hester nearly took a punt to the house as he returned 44 yards to set up the offense. RB Matt Forte punched it in from eight yards out to make it 14-2 Bears.

Not even a full minute after the defense made yet another play. MLB Brian Urlacher stepped in front of a Matt Hasselbeck pass and returned it 47 yards for the score. That interception return was the Bears seventh on the season. 21-2 Bears with roughly three minutes left in the first quarter.

The next play on offense for the Titans was a bad one once again. Tillman stripped running back Chris Johnson and S Chris Conte recovered it to set the Bears’ offense up in scoring position.

After a couple of running plays, QB Jay Cutler eventually found WR Brandon Marshall for a 13-yard touchdown to make the game 28-2.

The Bears’ defense didn’t allow a single first down until roughly halfway through the second quarter.

Brian Urlacher forced a fumble out of Chris Johnson’s hands and CB Kelvin Hayden recovered it in the middle of the second quarter. Urlacher later recovered a third Tillman strip.

The Bears went into the locker room leading 31-5 at the half.

The defense allowed a four-play 59-yard drive which ended in a 30-yard touchdown reception by Titans WR Nate Washington to open up the second half.

K Robbie Gould added two more field goals to make the game 37-12 in favor of the Bears at the end of three quarters.

Cutler found Marshall on back-to-back drives for touchdowns.

Cutler admitted after the game that it felt a lot similar to a home game for the Bears.

”It was weird,” Cutler said of all the Bears fans via Yahoosports.com. ”I had to hush the crowd down in the red zone, and they got quiet really quick. We have the best fans in the world.”

Up 51-12 with 10:20 left in the final quarter, the Bears rested many of their starters on defense.

Titans RB Chris Johnson broke off an 80-yard touchdown against the backups to make the game 51-20 after Tennessee converted the two-point conversion.

The Titans attempted the onside kick but failed. QB Jason Campbell came in and handed it off to RB Armando Allen ten times in the span of two drives to end the game.

The Bears’ defense finished the game with five turnovers, QB Jay Cutler completed 19 of 26 passes for three touchdowns and Matt Forte  and Brandon Marshall each went over 100 yards combining for four touchdowns.

The Bears have now won six straight games.

Three Stars of the Game:

1) Charles Tillman- What can’t you say about this guy. He forced a career-high four fumbles, two in the first quarter and one on the first play from scrimmage. He has a great knack for creating turnovers. You have to be glad he is on the Bears side.

2) Brian Urlacher- He finally produced an all around game. He forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and a returned an interception for a touchdown. He also racked up seven tackles on the afternoon. He looks to be back to 100%.

3) Brandon Marshall- He can’t be stopped. He reeled in nine catches on 10 targets racking up 122 yards and three touchdowns. The guy really changes the whole dynamic of the Bears’ offense. Without him I don’t know where they would be right now.

Honorable mentions: CB Sherrick McManis (blocked punt, recovery on Titans onside kick attempt), RB Matt Forte (12 carries, 103 yards, one TD), OL Lance Louis (made his first career reception on a tipped Cutler pass in the second half)

NFC North Standings:

Bears 7-1

Packers 6-3

Vikings 5-4

Lions 4-4

Up Next:

The Bears head back home next Sunday night to host the Houston Texans (7-1).

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Gould Bails Out Bears In 23-22 Win Over Panthers

28th October 2012 by under Game Recap     

The Chicago Bears bench celebrates as Robbie Gould hits a last-second field goal to defeat the Carolina Panthers 23-22 on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Total yards (416 to 210), time of possession (36 to 23) and third down conversions, (nine to two). Those numbers indicate how badly the Carolina Panthers outplayed the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.

But the two final numbers that mattered were 23-22, which was the final score in favor of the Bears.

The Bears know they got away with a bad performance. They certainly won’t be able to win many games playing like that against contenders Houston and San Francisco in Week 10 and Week 11.

Kicker Robbie Gould bailed the Bears out with a 41-yard field goal in the closing seconds to give them their sixth win of the season.

QB Jay Cutler struggled mightily in the first half getting sacked six times, losing two fumbles and tossing one interception.

But when he needed to drive the Bears down the field in crunch time he did it with perfection.

His favorite target Brandon Marshall credited him with reason for the turnaround.

“Cutler. That’s when you want that type of quarterback,” said Marshall via Chicagotribune.com. “I looked up at the clock; I think it was around 2:45 left. You just made a field goal. Brought the score 22-20 and he gets up smiling. I’m sitting here shaking, a little bit of the cold weather, a little bit nervous and he just starts smiling like well, here we go and just put me at ease right away and the guys feel that vibe and they play off of it. So, Jay definitely led that hole to that drive and made us pick up our game.”

Cornerback Tim Jennings really helped his team out by reeling in two interceptions, one that was returned for a touchdown to put the Bears up 20-19 late in the final quarter.

Jennings took advantage of a predictable throw by Panthers QB Cam Newton on a pass intended for WR Steve Smith, who slipped on the play. He reeled in the interception and the rest was history.

The Bears’ defense have six defensive touchdowns this season through just seven games. Their only three away from tying the all-time record set by the San Diego Chargers in 1961.

WR Brandon Marshall led the Bears in receiving with nine receptions for 98 yards and really looked sharp on the final scoring drive.

But WR Earl Bennett was the receiver who really got the Bears out of their funk on offense. He had three receptions for 47 yards and helped upstart the struggling offense late in the third quarter.

TE Kellen Davis reeled in his second touchdown pass of the season to make the game 19-14 with 6:52 left in the final quarter.

The Bears outscored the Panthers 16-3 in the final quarter. Cutler finished the game completing 19 of 28 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a QB rating of 83.3.

Opposing quarterback Cam Newton completed 2o of 39 passes for 314 yards, two interceptions and a QB rating of 57.0.

The Bears’ offense played awful after Matt Forte scored on 13-yard run to put them up 7-0 with 4:32 left in the first quarter. Luckily, the Bears’ defense did its part limiting Carolina to just 13 first half points.

None of the three phases played well for the Bears. They were unable to take advantage of the consistently solid field position that they were getting from the Panthers.

This game was scary for Bears fans, but it could make or break the season for the Bears team. They knew this was a game that was very winnable and to know what its like to come back could be a good thing in the long run.

Hopefully the Bears come out of the gate next Sunday in Tennessee executing much smoother on offense.

Three stars of the game:

Robbie Gould: What would the Bears do with out this guy? He missed his first field-goal attempt of 31 yards earlier in the second half, but he came up clutch once again for the Bears. He’s bailed them out of so many games and he did it once again at windy Soldier Field.

Tim Jennings: He has six interceptions on the season. That is triple his previous amount in a season (2). The guy is just a changed man out there and he is really helping this unit live up to their nickname, the “Monsters of the Midway.”

Jay Cutler: He was agitated at his teammates and himself in the first half, but he showed up during the most important part of the game. He led the Bears down the field in the final two minutes to set up the Gould game-winning field goal. That drive could help the Bears take their team to the next level this season.

Honorable mention: Henry Melton, he came up with a big quarterback pressure on the Panthers final scoring drive to stop a touchdown drive.

Around the NFC North:

Minnesota fell to Tampa Bay on Thursday night, 36-17 dropping the Vikings to 5-3 and giving the Bears a two game cushion in the division.

Green Bay won its third straight game, 24-15 against a struggling Jaguars team. The Packers looked average with a bad running game and a lack of depth at wide receiver.

Detroit scored 14 points in the final quarter to edge out Seattle, 28-24. WR Titus Young had a big day reeling in nine passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Standings:

Chicago Bears (6-1)

Minnesota Vikings (5-3)

Green Bay Packers (5-3)

Detroit Lions (3-4)

 

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.

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Game Recap: Bears’ Defense Dominates In 13-7 Victory Over Detroit

23rd October 2012 by under Game Recap     

The Chicago Bears beat the Detroit Lions 13-7 on Monday night improving to 5-1 on the 2012 NFL season.

The Bears defense picked up where it left off against the Jaguars two weeks ago, forcing the Lions to go three-and-out on their first possession and the Bears’ offense capitalized on a six-play drive that led to a seven-yard touchdown catch by Brandon Marshall.

The home crowd gasped in horror in the second quarter as Jay Cutler struggled to get back on his feet following a sack by Ndamukong Suh.  Cutler jogged off the field and was replaced by backup Jason Campbell before returning one play later.

Campbell again came in for relief of Cutler near the end of the first half while Cutler went to the locker room for X-rays. The Bears stated that Cutler had bruised ribs and he returned to the field to begin the second half.

The Bears game plan changed in the second half, relying more on the running game and short passes with Cutler clearly not 100 percent.

Cutler still managed to keep his connection with wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who finished the game with six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears again relied heavily on the running game with Matt Forte rushing for 96 yards on 22 carries and Michael Bush picking up 36 yards on six carries.

Much like the weeks prior, the Bears defense was as stifling and opportunistic as ever, forcing two fumbles in the red zone, one each from running backs Mikel LeShoure and Joique Bell as well as recovering a fumble by punt returner Stefan Logan in the third quarter that led to a Robbie Gould  field goal.

The defense was able to sack quarterback Matt Stafford three times, one each from Israel Idonije and Julius Peppers, as well as half sacks credited to both Stephen Paea and Shea McClellin.

Charles Tillman essentially stopped All-Pro wide receiver Calvin Johnson, holding him to just 34 yards on three catches, most notably knocking a ball out of Johnson’s hand in the end zone in the third quarter.

The Lions appeared to be moving the ball well near the end of the fourth quarter but Stafford was picked off by D.J. Moore with just minutes left on the clock. The Lions were able to get the ball back and finally put their first points on the board when Stafford connected with Ryan Broyles on a 12-yard touchdown throw with 30 seconds left.

The Bears have a short week this week with the 1-5 Carolina Panthers coming into Soldier Field on Sunday.

Around the NFC North:

The Vikings continued to prove the doubters wrong, improving to 5-2 on the season after a 21-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Quarterback Christian Ponder struggled, going just 8-for-17 for 58 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Adrian Peterson continued his dominance, rushing for 153 yards and one touchdown.

Green Bay built off their momentum from their victory the week before against the then-undefeated Houston Texans, beating the St. Louis Rams 30-20. Aaron Rodgers threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns while Jordy Nelson finished with eight catches for 122 yards and a score.

Standings:

Chicago Bears:  5-1

Minnesota Vikings:  5-2

Green Bay Packers:  4-3

Detroit Lions:  2-4

 

Matt Eurich is a contributor to Bearsbacker.com. Follow Bears Backer on Facebook and Twitter for up to the minute news about the Bears. Also, check out Matt’s work on BleacherReport.com and follow him on Twitter @MattEurich.

 

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