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Game Recap: Bears’ Defense Propels Team To 41-3 Victory Over Jacksonville

8th October 2012 by under Game Recap     

Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman (33) celebrates an interception-turned-touchdown in the third quarter at EverBank Field Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012, in Jacksonville, FL. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The last time the Bears played in a game where the weather was 89 degrees or higher was in 2000, when they got trampled by the Bucs, 41-0.

This time around the Bears were the team doing the trampling.

Cornerback Charles Tillman scored his seventh interception return touchdown of his career. He took an interception 36-yards into the end-zone in the third quarter to give the Bears the 13-3 lead.

With the score 27-3, the Bears intercepted Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert for the second time. LB Lance Briggs reeled in a pick and took it to the house to make the game 34-3 in favor of Chicago.

Tillman and Briggs become the first set of teammates to return interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games. Both interception returns on Sunday were 36-yard returns.

Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery each reeled in touchdown receptions in the second half as the Bears started to put it on the Jaguars.

The Bears defense was stout all day long as they allowed only 189 total yards to the Jaguars. They allowed the Jaguars to run only four plays in the entire third quarter.

Cutler bounced back after tossing an ugly interception on the opening drive on a pass intended for Brandon Marshall.

The Bears racked up 214 yards on the ground. Matt Forte was impressive all day as he went over 100 yards for the first time since November 7, 2011. Michael Bush made some great plays in both the passing and running game as he combined for 50 yards. Third-string back Armando Allen scored his first career rushing touchdown with 1:49 left in the game on a 46-yard scamper.

The Bears only got three points in the first half as they went into the half tied at three. They really got it going in the second half as they scored 38 points, 14 of those points coming from the defense. Those 38 points were the most in a second half since 1950.

The Bears get a week off before they clash with the Lions on Monday Night Football on Oct. 22.

At 4-1, the 2012 Bears look like the real deal in all three phases.

The defense has proven through five weeks that it can carry this team and the offense has proven that it can control the game and put up points when it needs to.

We’re still waiting for Devin Hester to break one off for a score. I’m pretty sure that’s bound to happen very soon maybe in Week Seven against Detroit since their special teams is very weak.

 

Important Stats:

QB Jay Cutler: 23 of 39, 292 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. A QB Rating of 88.8.

RB Matt Forte: 22 rushes, 107 yards, 4.9 ypc.

DE Corey Wootton: Two sacks, one forced fumble.

Three stars of the game:

Lance Briggs: He racked up 1.0 sack and added his fifth career interception return in the fourth quarter. He looks to be taking over the middle of the field with ease. With Brian Urlacher playing more of a conservative role on defense this season Briggs has really stepped up . That’s great to see.

Brandon Marshall: Brandon Marshall put together his best game as a Bear as he reeled in 12 balls for 144 yards and a 24-yard touchdown pass. Marshall ran a bad route early in the first quarter that cost the Bears as Jay Cutler threw an interception to Jaguars corner Derek Cox because of it. Marshall bounced back and really shined constantly beating the Jaguars corners. Marshall reeled in over 100 yards, while RB Matt Forte ran for over 100 yards becoming the first Bears teammates to do so since WR Muhsin Muhammad and RB Thomas Jones did it in 2006.

Devin Hester:  He sparked the Bears with a big 39-yard reception in the fourth quarter. He had some opportunities in the return game, but just couldn’t break one off. He has shown all season long that he is a play-maker on offense. He looks like he has improved his pass catching abilities showing he can hang on to tough passes.

Injury Report:

The Bears came out of this game rather healthy with only rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery a little banged up. He reportedly has a bruised right hand that he suffered on a touchdown reception in the second half. He believes its not that serious and hopes to be ready for the Week Seven Monday Night Football meeting with the Lions.

Around the NFC North:

Minnesota improved to 4-1 as they crushed the Titans 30-7  as WR Percy Harvin went over 100 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns. They travel to Washington next Sunday.

Green Bay was up 21-3 at the half, but scored only six points in the second half as the Colts scored 27 to drop the Packers to 2-3 on the season. They travel to Houston next Sunday night.

The 1-3 Detroit Lions had a bye week. They travel to Philly next Sunday.

Standings:

Chicago Bears: 4-1

Minnesota Vikings: 4-1

Green Bay Packers: 2-3

Detroit Lions: 1-3

 

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’ Offense and Defense Click in 34-18 Victory over Dallas

2nd October 2012 by under Game Recap     

Monday night was supposed to be a battle between two quarterbacks out to prove they were better than what they have shown.  Jay Cutler took a step in the right direction and Tony Romo again crumbled under the pressure.

The Bears defense was flat-out dominating in Monday night’s 34-18 victory, intercepting Romo five times, with two being returned for touchdowns.

Romo’s first interception occurred in the second quarter when receiver Dez Bryant appeared to run the wrong route and cornerback Charles Tillman picked it off and returned it 25-yards for the score.

Romo answered back with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin with just seconds remaining in the second quarter to go into halftime down 10-7.

The Bears opened up the third quarter with Cutler picking up first downs with an 11-yarder and 16-yarder to Alshon Jeffery, a 10-yarder to Brandon Marshall and capping it off with a beautifully thrown 34-yard touchdown pass to Devin Hester.

Following the Hester touchdown the Cowboys moved the ball down field before Romo was picked off by Major Wright on the Chicago 6-yard line.  The Bears’ possession was short lived with Cutler getting sacked by DeMarcus Ware who also forced a fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys at the Chicago 27-yard line.

The momentum gained by the Cowboys on the fumble recovery was short lived when Romo, who was forced up the field by Henry Melton, made an ill-advised shovel pass towards tight end Jason Witten and was picked off by Lance Briggs who ran it all the way in for a 74-yard touchdown, giving the Bears a 24-7 lead.

The Bears put another field goal on the board at the beginning of the fourth quarter to go up 27-10 following a 78-yard drive that ended after a pass interference call was taken away after a review because of a tipped ball.

The Cowboys’ first possession of the fourth quarter again resulted in a Romo interception as D.J. Moore picked off a ball intended for Miles Austin.  Cutler connected with tight end Kellen Davis on a key third down for a 25-yard gain that ultimately led to a touchdown pass from Cutler to Brandon Marshall for 31-yards to go up 34-10.

The Bears’ defense was not finished as it picked off Romo for a fifth time with Major Wright again coming up with the interception at the Dallas 20-yard line. Former Bear Kyle Orton came in to relieve Romo, leading the Cowboys down the field on a 10 play, 89 yard drive resulting in a touchdown to Witten and then connecting with Bryant on the two-point conversion to make the final score 34-18.

Game Notes:
Matt Forte returned to the lineup after missing last week’s game, finishing with 13 carries for 52 yards…Cutler had his best statistical game of the year going 18-24 for 275 yards with one touchdown and a quarterback rating of 140.1…Henry Melton had the Bears lone sack for the night…Charles Tillman’s second quarter interception was the 31st of his career…Bears improve to 45-9 in the Lovie Smith era when winning the turnover battle.

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 onBleacherreport.com and follow him on Twitter @MattEurich

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Game Recap: Bears’ Defense Leads The Way In 23-6 Win Over St. Louis

24th September 2012 by under Game Recap     

15-2. That’s the record the Chicago Bears have posted since 2005 when they score a defensive touchdown in a game.

Major Wright’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown pretty much sealed the win for the Bears with nine minutes remaining.

Here’s a recap of the Bears 23-6 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

 

1st quarter:

Robbie Gould added a career long 54-yard field goal at the 10:41 mark to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. The defense allowed eight total yards on 11 plays looking very solid in the quarter. The Bears offense added 72 yards on 22 plays on offense in the quarter. Jay Cutler tossed his sixth interception of the season on a pass intended for Brandon Marshall. Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar deflected the pass and Cortland Finnegan reeled in the interception. The Bears held a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter despite dominating.

2nd quarter:

Both teams punted on their first drives of the second quarter. The following 12, play 81-yard drive was capped off on a three-yard touchdown scamper by starting running back Michael Bush. Backup running back Kahlil Bell added an 18-yard run and a 11-yard reception on the drive. Brandon Marshall reeled in two receptions for 25 yards on the drive as well. The Rams followed the Bears only offensive touchdown of the day with a field goal drive. St. Louis put together a 11 play, 43-yard drive that was capped off by a Soldier Field career long 56-yard field goal by rookie Greg Zuerlein. Devin Hester returned the following kickoff 37 yards, but with only 16 seconds left the Bears opted to end the half with a 10-3 advantage.

3rd quarter:

The Rams came out passing to start the second half and had some success. Quarterback Sam Bradford found wide receiver Danny Amendola for a 30-yard gain. The Bears batted down a Bradford pass on fourth-and-one on the Chicago 43 yard-line. The Bears failed to get anything going on the following drive, so they punted it away. The Rams cut the deficit to four on a 10 play, 39-yard drive that ended with a 46-yard field goal by Zuerlein. Steven Jackson carried the ball well on the drive to set the scoring drive up. Both teams punted on their next drives. The Bears held a 10-6 lead after three quarters.

4th quarter:

The Bears started a drive from their own 25-yard line with 39 seconds left in the third quarter. They put together a 13 play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. Rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery added two catches, tight ends Kellen Davis and Kyle Adams each added one as Cutler drove the team down the field. The running game stalled on the drive, but Cutler scrambled for a 21-yard gain setting the Bears up at the St. Louis six-yard line. Bush ran for two yards, then Cutler tossed two straight incomplete passes. Major Wright put the game away with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown that he reeled in off a Tim Jennings pass deflection. At 20-6 the Bears were nine minutes away from getting their second victory of the 2012 season. They allowed just six yards on defense forcing the Rams to punt two drives in a row. The Bears offense added three more points with a 37-yard Gould field goal to make the game 23-6. The final drive for the Rams lasted two plays as Tim Jennings reeled in his first interception of the game to put the dagger on the game. The Bears won 23-6 as the defense dominated and the offense did just enough.

Important Stats:

QB Jay Cutler: 17 of 31 for 183 yards and one interception. QB rating of 58.9.

RB Michael Bush: 18 rushes for 55 yards and one touchdown. 3.1 ypc.

DT’s Amobi Okoye, Stephen Paea, Henry Melton: A combined six tackles and two sacks.

Three stars of the game:

Israel Idonije: He racked up 2.5 sacks on a day where six sacks were made by the defense. He was constantly making plays in the backfield something the Bears love to see out of Izzy. If this defensive line can continue to bring pressure like they have through the first three weeks it could be bad news for opposing opponents.

Tim Jennings: He is outperforming almost everybody on the defense. He looks like the best cornerback for this team by far. With four interceptions already on the season he could be well on his way to the Pro Bowl.  He set up the Major Wright pick six with a pass deflection and reeled in a interception of his own in the closing minutes.

Brandon Marshall: Despite a couple of key drops, Marshall reeled in five catches for 71 yards and looked like the real deal. He went up against Cortland Finnegan for most of the day and did a solid job of getting separation.

Injury Report:

The Bears came out of this game rather healthy with only rookie FB/TE Evan Rodriguez (knee) departing in the first half.. Matt Forte should be healthy enough to play Dallas next Monday night.

Around the NFC North:

Minnesota shocked everybody by taking down San Francisco 24-13. At 2-1, the Vikings are tied at the top of the division with the Bears.

The Lions fell to 1-2 on the season with a 44-41 loss to Tennessee. Matthew Stafford was knocked out of action. Detroit once again looks weak on defense, an area that really plagued them a season ago.

Green Bay travels to Seattle for a Monday Night Football battle.

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: Different Year, Same Results. Bears lose 23-10 to Packers

14th September 2012 by under Game Recap     

This time around, things were going to be different.

Different year, same results.

For the first time in years, the Bears supposedly had an offense that could compete with the Packers‘, but this just wasn’t their night to shine.

The Packers beat the Bears 23-10 in a game that never seemed close.

The offense started the game similar to last week, surrendering a sack during its first possession and punting after a three-and-out.  That sack would be the first of seven on the night for the Packers, led  by All-Pro outside linebacker Clay Matthews’ three-and-half quarterback takedowns.

The offensive line never seemed to get into sync with left tackle J’Marcus Webb playing arguably the worst game of his career.  Matthews had his way with Webb most of the night, and following a particular sack in which Matthews beat Webb, Cutler was seen yelling at his lineman as he walked off the field.

In response to being asked about the run-in with Webb, Cutler said during his press conference, “I’m not going to walk to the sideline and act like everything is OK. It’s just not going to happen, because it’s not.”

The poor play of the offensive line also forced Cutler to rush several throws into the opposition. He finished the night going just 11-of-27 for 126 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Two of his picks came in the fourth quarter, one leading to a Packers touchdown which put the game out of reach.

Cutler’s lone touchdown came on a  21-yard pass to Kellen Davis on a 4th-and-7 in the fourth quarter with 8:04 left on the clock.

Last week’s top receiver, Brandon Marshall, was virtually shut down for the night, catching just two balls on five targets for 24 yards.  Marshall dropped what should of been a touchdown in the third quarter when he let a pass slip through his fingers in the end zone after beating two-man coverage.

The big touchdown for the Packers came on a fake field goal in the second quarter when punter/holder Tim Masthay flipped the ball to backup tight end Tom Crabtree, who ran it 27 yards for the score.

Defensively, the Bears held their own against the explosive Packers passing offense. Rodgers threw for 219 yards and one touchdown,  but was picked off by Tim Jennings in the fourth quarter and was sacked five times, twice by Julius Peppers.

Former Bears running back Cedric Benson had a solid night against the team that drafted him No. 4 overall in the 2005 draft, rushing for 81 yards on 20 carries.

Game Notes:

Matt Forte left the game in the third quarter with an apparent ankle injury and never returned…Michael Bush ran the ball 14 times for 54 yards in Forte’s absence…Lance Briggs had a game-high 10 tackles, including seven solo…Charles Tillman collected his 28th forced fumble of his career in the fourth quarter, the most by any defensive back in the last decade…The Bears have the next 10 days off before a 1:00 pm ET game against the St. Louis Rams on September 23rd.

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 onBleacherreport.com and follow him on Twitter @MattEurich.

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Game Recap: Bears Start The Season Off Right With a 41-21 Win Over Indy

10th September 2012 by under Game Recap     

The Chicago Bears started the 2012 campaign with a win over the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field.

Here is a recap of the 41-21 victory on Sunday.

1st quarter:

It was a rough start for the Bears, who looked shaky on their first two drives. They allowed one sack and Jay Cutler tossed an ugly pick six on a check down to Matt Forte from his own four-yard line. The Colts were up 7-0 early on, but Cutler quickly bounced back and showed poise in the pocket. The offensive line stepped up as well as newcomers Brandon Marshall and Michael Bush.  The Bears tied the game up with 7:19 remaining with a Michael Bush one-yard touchdown run. The touchdown drive was an 11 play, 80 yard-drive that was helped by two big runs by Matt Forte (32 yards and 15 yards). The score was 7-7 heading into the second quarter.

2nd quarter:

The Bears started a drive from their own five yard line with 1:25 left in the first quarter. They proceeded to turn it into a 11 play, 95 yard drive, which ended in a Brandon Marshall three-yard touchdown reception. Cutler found his favorite target Marshall three times on the drive and it was obvious he was looking his way at the end of the drive. Matt Forte added an impressive one-handed catch which he took 31 yards down the field and Devin Hester had a big 29-yard catch. The Bears added three more points at the 5:32 mark after Tim Jennings intercepted Colts rookie QB Andrew Luck. The Colts drove right down the field on the following drive adding a rushing touchdown from Donald Brown. The Bears looked great at the end of the first half putting together an eight play, 72-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run from goal-line back Michael Bush. Colts kicker Adam Vinateri missed a 37-yard field goal following the Bears touchdown. It was 24-14 Bears at the half.

3rd quarter:

The Bears defense forced a quick three and out to start the second half. The offense then added a four play, 55-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte. The following kickoff second-year linebacker J.T. Thomas forced a fumble of rookie WR/KR LaVon Brazill and Kelvin Hayden recovered the ball at the Indy 12-yard line. The Bears added a 26-yard field goal to go up 34-14. Chris Conte looked healthy and intercepted Luck on a pass deflection by Tim Jennings with 4:46 remaining in the quarter. Brian Urlacher was pulled out of the game for most of the second half, so he could rest up his knee. Lovie Smith had that in his pregame plans and it was the right move in the end.

4th quarter:

Andrew Luck put together a 12 play, 80-yard drive that started at the end of the third quarter. Luck tossed his first career touchdown pass to wide receiver Donnie Avery to make the game 34-21. The Bears put together what proved to be their final touchdown drive with seven plays and 80 yards. Matt Forte and Michael Bush carried the ball throughout the drive wasting some time off the clock, then Jay Cutler found rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery for his first career touchdown pass on a 42-yard bomb. The touchdown made the game 41-21. Cornerback Tim Jennings added his second interception, matching his total (2) from 2011 with 1:42 left in the game.  The Bears kneeled it three times and came away with a 41-21 win in their home opener. The three rushing touchdowns (Bush 2, Forte 1) and 41 points were the most since 2009. The Bears wound up plus four on the afternoon, forcing five turnovers of Indy (three interceptions, two fumbles).

Three stars of the game:

Tim Jennings- He had two interceptions in this game. He forced the second interception on a pass deflection that second-year safety Chris Conte caught and took 35 yards down the field. He was being talked up during training camp for being a playmaker and he looked like one on Sunday. With Peanut Tillman out, Jennings took over the reigns.

Henry Melton- He matched his season opening total in sacks from 2011 with two on Sunday. He looked dominant, but the Colts offensive line is pretty mediocre lets be honest. Here’s to hoping he gets to Rodgers on Thursday night.

Brandon Marshall- The new Bears receiver made it known he is here to play. He added nine receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown. Jay Cutler looked his way often and the Colts defense couldn’t handle him. Marshall and Jeffery both are big targets for Cutler, they combined for nearly 200 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Jeffery will get more receptions when Marshall draws double teams.

Injury Report:

Cornerback Charles Tillman came out of this one late in the first quarter after suffering a lower leg injury. He was replaced by Kelvin Hayden, who was tied for the team lead with seven tackles. However, Tillman is expected to start Thursday night against the Packers. The Bears made it a point to add depth to the cornerback position and Hayden showed he’s a perfect fit for this defense.

Around the NFC North:

The Lions came back to defeat the St. Louis Rams 27-23 despite QB Matthew Stafford’s three interceptions.

The Vikings beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime on the leg of rookie kicker Blair Walsh. He sent the game into overtime on a 55-yard field goal with time expiring. Then he booted a 38-yard field goal to win it for Minnesota.

The Packers lost to a great defensive San Francisco team 30-22. Former Bears first-round pick Cedric Benson carried the ball only nine times for 18 yards.

 

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 Edge Giants 20-17 In Meadowlands

25th August 2012 by under Game Recap     

The Bears beat the New York Giants 20-17 in the Meadowlands Friday night.

Jay Cutler threw for 96 yards, which included a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.

Marshall reeled in five receptions and one touchdown in total in this one.

The running game didn’t really get going. Matt Forte and Michael Bush combined for just 41 yards on 11 carries.

Forte had 35 yards on two carries and four yards on eight other carries on the night.

Robbie Gould added two field goals, while backup QB Jason Campbell tossed a touchdown pass to Joe Anderson in the fourth quarter to put the Bears ahead for good.

The passing game was looking good, but the running game wasn’t up to par.

The offensive line didn’t really give the running backs room to run. The line needs to get back to the run blocking of 2011.

The defense allowed 5.7 yards per pass play and 3.3 yards per rush play. Giants rookie running back David Wilson averaged 9.8 yards per carry and looked like a force to be reckon with all night long.

Eli Manning outshined Jay Cutler and constantly picked on Charles Tillman.

Rookie punter Ryan Quigley had a punt blocked. Special teams coach Dave Toub has to work on getting things going in that department.

Rookie cornerback Isaiah Frey had an interception in the fourth quarter as he tries to secure a roster spot.

On Monday the Bears need to cut down from 90 to 75 players. Some tough cuts will have to be made.

The last preseason game against Cleveland next Thursday will help the Bears get a feel for the bottom of their roster.

 

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: Offense Shines in Bears’ Win Against the Redskins

19th August 2012 by under Game Recap     

Last Thursday night’s loss to the Denver Broncos had Bears fans panicking over its stagnant offense while Saturday night’s 33-31 victory over the Washington Redskins gave fans its first glimpse of its new potent offense.

A week after sitting out the opener, Jay Cutler wasted no time getting reacquainted with his old pal Brandon Marshall, hitting Marshall on the first play from scrimmage with a 41-yard bomb.

Cutler finished the night going seven of 13 for 122 yards while leading the Bears on scoring drives three out of his four possessions.

Michael Bush was the star of the offense, rushing for 21 yards on five carries, scoring two red-zone touchdowns.

One of the biggest story lines heading into the second preseason game was the left tackle position. J’Marcus Webb started the first two possessions and was replaced by Chris Williams for the next two before alternating possessions into the fourth quarter. Neither stood out on film, but Williams appeared to play a bit better than Webb.

After Chris Spencer’s struggles last week against the Broncos, the Bears alternated Spencer and Chilo Rachal every two possessions. It will be interesting to see if the left guard position becomes a battle after Spencer was arguably one of the best linemen a year ago.

Jason Campbell played better than last week, going nine of 15 for 141 yards, but was sacked three times.

After gaining only eight first downs and not converting any third downs last week, the offense finished the game with 21 first downs having converted six of 15 third downs.

There was much talk heading into the game about second overall pick Robert Griffin III. The rookie struggled with the Bears defense all night, getting sacked three times and never quite getting himself into a rhythm.

Israel Idonije finished the game with 2.5 sacks as well as forcing an RGIII fumble that was recovered by Julius Peppers—leading to Michael Bush’s second red-zone touchdown of the night.

Idonije was overall pleased by the first team defense’s production:

“We had some opportunities to really put them in tough spots and we let them get away. We played tough. The intensity was definitely better”

Injuries have taken a toll on the Bears so far throughout training camp and the list of injured players grew on Saturday night. Chris Conte left in the second quarter after an apparent shoulder injury, rookie safety Brandon Hardin was carted off the field in the third quarter following a neck injury from tackling tight end Logan Paulsen and punter Adam Podlesh left with an apparent hip pointer forcing Ryan Quigley to finish the night in his place.

Conte’s injury does not appear to be severe, but a lack of depth at the safety position may be a cause for concern moving forward if Hardin’s injury ends up being worse than expected.

Special teams had its ups and downs Saturday night having given up a punt return touchdown to Brandon Banks in the second quarter but then rebounded nicely with a 105-yard kickoff return from Lorenzo Booker to start the third quarter and with Robbie Gould hitting a 57-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to give the Bears the lead.

With two preseason games already in the books, next Friday’s third preseason game will be the truest indication of what this year’s team will look like. Most NFL teams will use the third preseason game as a tune-up for the season opener, with most starters playing the majority of the first half.

Despite a solid showing offensively Saturday night, the Bears still have room for improvement. The New York Giants defense will prove a challenge for the offensive line and may help either Chris Williams or J’Marcus Webb finally nail down the starting position.

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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Game Recap: Bears Show Very Little In Preseason Loss to Denver

10th August 2012 by under Game Recap     

The Denver Broncos beat the Chicago Bears 31-3 in preseason game number one.

The Bears decided to rest starters Jay Cutler, Matt Forte and Julius Peppers due to the field conditions. Brian Urlacher wasn’t at the game due to personal reasons.

Jason Campbell got the start, while Michael Bush got the call at running back.

Campbell completed four of five pass attempts for 13 yards. Bush carried the ball three times for two yards.

Bush lost a fumble on a half back pitch by Campbell. The Broncos booted a field goal to score the game’s first points.

Broncos QB Caleb Hanie received a large amount of boos from Bears fans upon his arrival in the first quarter.

Those boos can be viewed as necessary after how Hanie played under center for Chicago last season.

Overall the Bears ran 49 plays for 132 yards and eight first downs. They didn’t convert a single third down (0-11).

The highlights of the night came from safety Major Wright, defensive end Shea McClellin and WR’sAlshon Jeffery and Chris Summers.

Safety Major Wright intercepted Broncos QB Peyton Manning, who was appearing in his first game since Jan. 2010. Nickelback D.J. Moore deflected the pass in the red zone and Wright reeled in the interception during the first quarter.

Wright left the game with a reported hamstring injury after that drive, but Wright said the injury was “nothing major” after the game.

Major said its not “major” so lets not worry.

Rookie defensive end Shea McClellin showed his speed in this one, racking up three tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits.

He was quick off the edge against the Broncos second team. He made a big mistake in the second quarter that led to a rushing touchdown by Broncos running back Lance Ball.

Ball ran for two yards to put the Broncos up 10-0 with 3:24 remaining in the second quarter. McClellinwas pancaked by two Broncos lineman and was completely dominated on the play.

McCellin played well overall in his first NFL game. He was certainly a bright spot in this pretty uneventful first preseason game.

Rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery reeled in four catches for 35 yards and showed his athleticism throughout the night. He has a similar frame to teammate Brandon Marshall (one catch, four yards).

He isn’t a completely polished product, but the Bears could be deeper than ever at receiver with Jeffery coming off the bench.

Fellow rookie wideout Chris Summers made the play of the night in the second half. He reeled in a pass for 28 yards as rookie QB Matt Blanchard delivered it perfectly to the 6’5″ receiver.

J.T. Thomas was a bright spot on defense with seven tackles. DT Nate Collins looked like he could be a solid player in the rotation, racking up three tackles, one sack and one quarterback hit.

DE Cheta Ozougwu is likely a long shot to make the team, but the second-year end from Rice looked pretty good making one tackle, one sack and two quarterback hits.

The offensive line allowed six sacks. J’Marcus Webb and Lance Louis each committed a false start in the first half. Webb played through the first half and into the fourth quarter. Offensive coordinator MikeTice is obviously trying to send Webb a message.

The Bears return to practice at Bourbonnais at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. They host the Washington Redskins next Saturday, August 18 in preseason game number two.

We should be able to get a better feel for this team next week. The Bears tried to not put too much on tape by running plays that are considered vanilla throughout the night.

The third preseason game is the one that actually means something. So, don’t get too upset about this game.

 

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: Hanie’s Turnovers Prove Costly As Bears Fall In Oakland

28th November 2011 by under Game Recap     

Caleb Hanie completed 18 of 36 pass attempts for 254 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in a 25-20 loss to Oakland on Sunday.

His completion percentage was 50 percent, while his QB rating was 56.9.

All three of his interceptions came in the first half; luckily, the Bears defense held the Raiders to only six points off those mistakes by Hanie.

His last interception came on a 2nd-and-1 play with under 30 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Bears were having success offensively after WR Johnny Knox returned a kickoff 56 yards, but then, offensive coordinator Mike Martz called up a throwback screen to TE Kellen Davis.

Hanie didn’t execute it very well after Raiders linebacker Aaron Curry came in to break it up.

Kameron Wimbley caught the ball off the tip and was able to return it 73 yards before Bears right tackle Lance Louis ripped him down.

“I got it over the first guy (Wimbley), which is how it usually works out in practice … there’s one guy in front between you and him, you get it over him and it’s a touchdown normally,” Hanie said after the game.

Coach Martz needs to run better plays for the young quarterback Hanie. Hanie made crucial mistakes in the first half because of his lack of experience.

Martz needs to draw up plays that help him out. This isn’t Jay Cutler out there throwing passes; this is fourth-year quarterback Caleb Hanie, who, before Sunday, never started an NFL regular season game.

Hanie settled into the game in the second half, but the three interceptions turned out to be costly. The Bears don’t tend to win when they don’t win the turnover battle either.

I’m not blaming coach Martz entirely, but he needs to know that with an inexperienced quarterback, you can only do so much.

The running game had perhaps their best game of the season with 172 net yards on the ground, so maybe more running plays could be in the playbook moving forward.

Marion Barber had 63 yards, Forte had 59 yards and Hanie had 50 yards as well.

Consider that 126 yards passing for Hanie came with 3:47 left in the game. Eighty-one yards came on the bomb to Johnny Knox during their second half touchdown drive.

The Bears didn’t let him unleash long passes after he faltered on a pass in double coverage to Matt Forte in the first half that was intercepted.

Teams will know that Hanie likes to scramble to his right, so expect defenses to force him to his left.

Considering it was his first start on the road against a very good Oakland team, it wasn’t the worst performance.

The turnovers have to go, and Lovie Smith is expecting to see a much-improved Hanie next Sunday at home against the Chiefs.

Hanie definitely showed some flashes of good play in this game, but with a healthy Jay Cutler you’d think they would have won that game.

You can’t alter what the Raiders did on special teams with their kicker, Sebastian Janikowski, booting six field goals and their punter Shane Lechler (Seabass) averaging 54.6 yards on punts, including a 80-yard blast.

What you can alter is the turnovers by the raw quarterback Hanie. With a healthy Cutler, most of those mistakes wouldn’t have been there.

The Bears can’t say what if; they need to move on and build off of Hanie’s second half performance, which was pretty solid.

Did he really just do that?

Hanie needs to know when to spike it, because the final play turned into intentional grounding after he took too long to spike it.

He also stepped out of bounds instead of throwing the ball away, which turned into a sack by the Raiders.

Most of those little mistakes should be fixed with time and experience.

Monsters of the Midway

The score was 12-7 at the half despite Hanie’s three interceptions.

The defense played pretty efficient not allowing a touchdown until under four minutes left in the game.

Julius Peppers posted two sacks, while Henry Melton and Amobi Okoye each brought Carson Palmer down. Nickelback Corey Graham reeled in his third interception of the season.

Safety Major Wright led all defenders with six tackles, while defensive end Chauncey Davis posted four tackles in his Bears debut.

Cornerback Tim Jennings did a solid job all day in coverage, putting himself in position to reel in a couple interceptions.

Only a couple breakdowns in coverage happened on this day.

FB Marcel Reece and WR Louis Murphy both reeled in 47-yard passes. Murphy’s catch help set up the Raiders touchdown drive, which ultimately put the game away.

Charles Tillman made a great play off the two-minute warning on the Bears onside kick try, but the Bears just couldn’t come up with it.

The Bears defense isn’t at fault in this loss; the turnovers were simply too much to overcome.

The Raiders needed this game more than the Bears considering Tim Tebow and the Broncos have been on fire as of late in the AFC West.

What now?

The Bears still have the No. 5 spot in the wildcard because of the loss by the Lions on Thanksgiving day. Atlanta sits at (7-4), Detroit sits at (7-4) and the New York Giants (6-4) in the wildcard race.

The next three games for the Bears are against the Chiefs, Broncos and Seahawks. The Chiefs and Seahawks matchups are at Soldier Field, while the Broncos game is in Denver.

Those could all be wins for the Bears, which would put them at 10 on the season. Ten wins could get you in as a wildcard team in the NFC.

Quick Tuneup

Hanie and the offense will come out more prepared on Sunday against the Chiefs. Coach Martz needs to call up simpler plays for the inexperienced quarterback.

Look for the Bears to bounce back next week after a disappointing loss in Oakland.

Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. He is also the Chicago Bears writer for NFLTouchdown.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 Win Fifth Straight Over Chargers 31-20

20th November 2011 by under Game Recap     


The Bears defeated the Chargers today at Soldier Field 31-20

They have now won five straight games and continue to put up over 30 points per game during that stretch.

The defense created three turnovers helping the Bears put away the Chargers for good.

Major Wright reeled in an interception after the Chargers got one of their own and Corey Graham sealed the victory with a pick in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

Charles Tillman had a tough time with Vincent Jackson, but he punched the ball away from Chargers RB Ryan Mathews forcing a fumble in the third quarter.

He has been one of the most consistent players at forcing turnovers. He continues to make it tough for voters to keep him out of the Pro Bowl this year.

Brian Urlacher only had two tackles, but played steady in the cover-2 shell. Lance Briggs added four tackles, but was all over the field.

The Bears were held sackless in this game, but they came up with the big turnovers when needed.

They didn’t get a consistent pass rush on Rivers until the fourth quarter, where Rivers has made the mistakes thus far this year.

Corey Graham did a nice job filling in for D.J. Moore, the Bears really didn’t miss a beat with him out there.

Moore is a better player on blitzing downs, but Graham played consistently.

Zackary Bowman and Brandon Meriweather were used in the TANK package often showing how deep the Bears secondary really is.

Second-year safety Major Wright snagged his third interception in three games.

The Bears offense played pretty well. Last week against Detroit they had to manage the game and run the ball more, but this week Jay Cutler provided the offense with a spark.

Cutler completed 18 of 31 passes for 286 yards, two touchdowns passing and one rushing. He posted a passer rating of 97.0.

However, Cutler threw an interception in the fourth quarter and he made the tackle on the Chargers corner Antoine Cason.

He paid the price because he was hit hard by Chargers linebacker Donald Butler on the runback.

Cutler wasn’t the only Bears player to attempt a pass. Punter Adam Podlesh threw a pass on a fake punt with about two minutes left in the game.

Wearing the No. 8 jersey it sure looked like Rex Grossman overthrowing the intended receiver Craig Steltz.

With the Bears up 11, it was worth the risk, they just need to make sure they can execute it next time they decide to run a fake.

Cutler completed passes to seven different players on this day. Roy Williams led all receivers in receptions with (5) and Johnny Knox led all receivers in yards with (97).

Knox reeled in a touchdown pass on an impressive throw by Cutler with about five minutes left in the third quarter.

Tight end Kellen Davis was targeted near the end of the first half and was able to reel in a touchdown to put the Bears up 17-10 at the half.

Matt Forte was held in check by the Chargers, who used eight players in the box at times. Forte managed only 57 yards on 20 carries.

The good news is backup Marion Barber found the endzone for the fourth time in the last five games.

The Bears offense at one point converted seven straight third down conversions.

If the Bears can keep playing like this, they could be almost unbeatable. They have all the confidence in the world winning five straight games.

Overall it was a good game for the Bears whole team, Devin Hester had some decent returns and seems to be better with his focus on returns.

They have a tough matchup next Sunday against Oakland, who snuck by the Vikings without Adrian Peterson.

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

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