Bears' D Comes Up Big in Big D
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 2, 2012 3:20PM
Heading into the season, most of the hype about the Beara revolved around their retooled offense. In front of 90,000-plus fans in Dallas and a national audience on Monday Night Football, the defense reminded all that they're still pretty damn good. The Bears "D" picked off the Cowboys' Tony Romo five times on the way to a Bears 34-18 victory.
Following a scoreless first quarter, the Bears got on the board first after eating up seven minutes of clock on a 13 play drive that resulted in a Robbie Gould field goal. On the Cowboys' ensuing possession, Charles Tillman picked off Tony Romo for a pick-six, returning the ball 25 yards for the TD and a 10-0 Bears lead. However, Dallas managed to march down the field in the waning minutes of the half to pull within 10-7 at halftime.
Opening the second half, the Bears offense showed its improvement, as Jay Cutler hit Devin Hester on a 34-yard bomb to cap a quick, five play touchdown drive. What followed was perhaps the most bizarre couple minutes of football one might ever see. With the Cowboys deep in Bears territory, Major Wright intercepted Tony Romo to kill the drive and give the Bears the ball back. Jay Cutler fumbled on the ensuing possession, once again providing Dallas excellent field position. But on the first play of the Cowboys' ensuing possession, Romo's shovel pass was snatched from the air by Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, who chugged 74 yards for yet another defensive score.
After the teams traded field goals, a DJ Moore interception set up a Bears drive capped by a 31-yard TD catch by Brandon Marshall to finish off the Bears scoring. With Tony Romo on the bench in garbage time, Dallas' backup QB Kyle Orton led the Cowboys down the field for a late touchdown and two-point conversion. Final score: 34-18.
While the Bears defense stole the headlines with their five interceptions, the offense also had a pretty good night. Cutler bounced back from a couple sub-par performances to complete 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards and two TD, for a 140.1 passer rating. Cutler was sacked just twice, and the offensive line provided much improved protection against what had been the NFL's top defense heading into Monday night. In his return to the field, Matt Forte carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards. Brandon Marshall had a huge game with 7 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Kellen Davis caught three for 62 yards.
The Bears improved to 3-1 on the season and sit atop the NFC North tied with the surprising Minnesota Vikings. They next head to Jacksonville to take on the 1-3 Jaguars.