Bears Hang Tough, Beat Giants 27-21
By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 11, 2013 3:50PM
The Bears are still a work in progress as evidenced by their 27-21 victory over the winless New York Bad At Football Giants at Soldier Field Thursday night. Here is a look at what worked and what didn’t for the Bears and some “WTF?” moments.
The Good
Cutler finds Marshall: Brandon Marshall was satisfied for at least one game as Jay Cutler connected with Marshall for touchdown scores of 10 and three yards in the second quarter. Marshall finished the night with nine receptions for 87 yards and was targeted 11 times.
Cutler: I’m not going to go out on a limb and heap excessive praise on Cutler like WSCR-AM midday host Dan McNeil is currently doing, but I will allow that Cutler is slowly improving under Marc Trestman and rebounded well from a fumble-prone New Orleans game. Cutler was 24-of-36 for 262 yards passing with his two TD passes to Marshall and no picks. Cutler targeted eight different receivers, his highest number of the season. He’ll have to continue to do that to keep defenses from cheating on Marshall, Martellus Bennett and Alshon Jeffery.
Turnovers: The Bears protected the ball well and didn’t turn the ball over in the game while intercepting Giants QB Eli Manning three times. The second pick was returned by Tim Jennings for an early 7-0 lead.
Robbie Gould: Gould continued to solidify himself as the best placekicker in Bears history (sorry, Kevin Butler fans) with two field goals, including a 52-yarder that gave him 12 straight conversions from 50 yards or longer. The 52-yarder gave the Bears a 27-14 lead and some breathing room as the Giants mounted a fourth quarter comeback.
The Bad
Defense: The Bears allowed 355 total yards and kept the Giants in the game by being unable to stop Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs rushed 22 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns and gained many of his yards after first contact. New York was also 7-11 on third down and gained 4.7 yards per rush.
The Ugly
Decision making: The Bears failed to convert a fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter instead of going for another Gould field goal. The move allowed the Giants to cut the lead to 27-21 with an one-yard touchdown run by Jacobs with six seconds remaining.
Work in Progress: The Bears now sport a 4-2 record but the defense continues to raise major questions. They allowed the Giants, who rank last in the NFL in rushing, to run for 123 yards on them. Compound that with a nagging lack of pressure on the quarterback by the defensive line and you have a case of the Bears struggling against teams they should beat like the Giants. Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker added wrinkles to his play calling by moving Shea McClellin around the field but they need to do something to get Julius Peppers and the D-line free.
The Bears get some much-needed rest before their next game against the Washington Redskins.