NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: CHICAGO BEARS (11-5) vs. GREEN BAY PACKERS (10-6)

CHICAGO – When the Bears fell behind 14-0 and then lost starting quarterback Jay Cutler to an injured knee in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, it appeared that the Packers would cruise to an easy win.

But Lovie Smith’s resilient team valiantly fought back, twice pulling to within a touchdown in the fourth quarter behind third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie before finally succumbing 21-14.

“That’s a disappointing way to end the season,” said middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. “It’s not the way we wanted to end it. No one expected us to be here; we know that. But it doesn’t make it any easier for us to lose this game. We expected to win this game.”

The Bears were actually in position to tie the score late, but Hanie’s pass intended for Johnny Knox on fourth-and-five from the Green Bay 29 was intercepted by Sam Shields with :37 remaining.

“When you get down 14-0, that’s tough, 14-0 and you lose your starting quarterback,” Smith said. “But our guys just continued to fight, giving ourselves a chance to win the game at the end.”

Hanie had replaced an ineffective Todd Collins late in the third quarter after Cutler exited early in the second half with a knee injury he had sustained with a few minutes left in the first half.

The Packers dominated early and led 14-0 entering the fourth quarter after outgaining the Bears 340-132 in the first three quarters. But Hanie and the Chicago defense fueled a fourth-period rally.

Hanie’s 32-yard pass to Knox to the Green Bay 1 set up Chester Taylor’s 1-yard touchdown on the next play, drawing the Bears to within 14-7 with 12:02 left in the final quarter.

It appeared that the Packers had put the game on ice when nose tackle B.J. Raji intercepted Hanie’s pass intended for Matt Forte and returned it 18 yards for a TD, widening the margin to 21-7 with 6:04 left. Raji dropped back into pass coverage on a zone blitz and Hanie never saw him.

But Hanie responded by completing 4 of 4 passes for 60 yards including a 35-yard TD strike to Earl Bennett to close the gap to 21-14 with 4:43 remaining. Hanie completed 13 of 20 passes for 153 yards with one TD, two interceptions and a 65.2 passer rating.

“I feel real good about what Caleb was able to do,” Smith said. “As the third quarterback, you don’t get a lot of reps. But he stayed in the game mentally and really felt like he belonged there.”

The Bears defense struggled early, allowing the Packers to take a 7-0 lead by marching 84 yards on seven plays on the game’s opening possession. Aaron Rodgers completed 4 of 4 passes for 76 yards before he capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run on a bootleg.

“I don’t think they did anything we didn’t expect,” said cornerback Charles Tillman. “We were playing hard and fighting. They just executed more than we did.”

The Packers made it 14-0 on James Starks’ 4-yard touchdown run with 11:13 left in the second quarter. Up to that point, Green Bay held decisive advantages in total yards (186-33) and first downs (13-1).

Rodgers completed 17 of 30 passes for 244 yards with two interceptions and a 55.4 passer rating. Starks rushed for 74 yards on 22 carries.

The Packers repeatedly beat the Bears with quick slants and skinny posts off play-action fakes. But after Starks got into the end zone, the Chicago defense didn’t allow another point the rest of the game.

“We played a lot better in the second half,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “Play-action was big key to that first drive when they scored. After that we really kind of settled down and got into the flow of things, started to get off the field and get the ball back to the offense.”

The Bears offense sputtered most of the game. The unit converted just 1-of-13 third-down opportunities and didn’t advance inside the Green Bay 30 until Hanie’s pass to Knox early in the fourth quarter.

After getting hit on the outside of his knee late in the first half, Cutler had his leg wrapped at halftime and played the first possession of the third quarter before the Bears decided to take him out of the game. He exited having completed 6 of 14 passes for 80 yards with one interception and a 31.8 passer rating.

Forte provided a bright spot on offense, showing his versatility by rushing for 70 yards on 17 carries and catching a game-high and career-best 10 passes for 90 yards.

Defensively, Urlacher played an exceptional game. He sacked Rodgers late in the first quarter, knocking the Packers out of field goal range. The middle linebacker intercepted Rodgers in the third quarter on third-and-goal from the 6, preventing the Packers from adding to their 14-0 lead.

But in the end, the Bears fell short of reaching the Super Bowl, losing to their arch rivals in what was arguably the biggest football game in Chicago since the 1963 NFL championship.

“It’s very disappointing,” defensive end Julius Peppers said quietly, sitting with his head down in front of his locker. “I don’t know what else to say much more than that. We worked very hard for a long time to get to this point. To come up short is disheartening. But we’ll regroup and we’ll be back.”

“Our goal is to win the Super Bowl,” Cutler said. “We put ourselves in a good opportunity at the end of the year to do that—one game away. We can take some positives from this and grow from it. But right now I know everyone is devastated, including me.”

Bears to take on Packers in an epic showdown for a ticket to Super Bowl XLV

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Hollywood’s best screenwriter couldn’t have created a more compelling script than the one that will culminate Sunday with the Bears hosting the Packers in the NFC title game at Soldier Field.

The intense rivalry, which began in 1921 when the Chicago Staleys defeated the Packers 20-0 at Cubs Park, has included 181 regular-season games and only one playoff contest—a 33-14 Bears win in 1941.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than this,” said quarterback Jay Cutler. “To be in an NFC championship in the situation we’re in at home and then to bring Green Bay in on top of it just adds to it.”

“It’s our closest rival,” added middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. “They’re right up the street, so it’s a big deal. We have a lot of history with them. We don’t like them; they don’t like us. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of hype around this game building up to it.”

Even though the Packers entered the playoffs as the sixth and final seed, coach Lovie Smith is hardly surprised that Green Bay advanced to face the Bears in the NFC Championship Game.

“After we played them up there [in the regular-season finale] I thought it could easily come down to it,” Smith said. “I knew what seed they would be. I knew they would be a good football team. A lot of people probably thought it could happen this way.”

Green Bay earned a wildcard berth with a 10-3 win over the Bears Jan. 2 at Lambeau Field. The Packers then went on the road and defeated the Eagles 21-16 and Falcons 48-21 to reach the title game.

“They’re a really good football team,” Cutler said. “They’re really hot. To go to Philly and to Atlanta and now to come to us in Chicago, they’re used to the road. I’m sure that their confidence is sky high.”

“We know what they are,” Urlacher said. “They have a great quarterback and a great defense. It’ll be a big challenge for us. We’ve played pretty well against them here, the last couple years we have at least."

In Green Bay’s lopsided win over the Falcons, Aaron Rodgers completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 136.8 passer rating.

“He knows where to go with the football,” Urlacher said. “He knows what coverage you’re in. You’re not going to trick him. They change up personnel a lot too. They run a lot of guys on and off the field trying to get you off balance and get you thinking about what they’re doing.”

Cutler has developed a friendly rivalry with Rodgers. While they’ve battled on the field, Cutler has helped Rodgers’ younger brother, a junior quarterback who transferred from a junior college to Vanderbilt.

“He’s a guy who’s been great to my little brother,” Rodgers said prior to a Bears-Packers Monday night game in September. “As a big brother, it’s much appreciated the way he’s made my little brother feel comfortable down there and get the lay of the land down there in Nashville.

“It’s only helped to strengthen our friendship. I pull for him 14 weeks out of the season, and hopefully he throws us a couple in those other two weeks.”

Asked Sunday night whether he plans to text Rodgers this week, Cutler said: “I texted him after the [Packers beat the Falcons] and told him ‘good game.’ I’ll probably have a few text messages from him, so we’ll have friendly banter I’m sure. It was an impressive win they had [Saturday] night. What they did on the road to an Atlanta team is hard to do, so we’ve got our hands full.”

Even though Sunday’s game no doubt will be billed as one of the biggest sports events in Chicago history, Cutler understands that the Bears must focus on the task at hand and eliminate all distractions.

“The hype’s definitely going to be there, with the rivalry and the magnitude of the game,” Cutler said. “We’re going to have to do the same thing we did last week. We can’t blow this out of proportion. It’s still a football game. They’re going to line up 11 guys and we’re going to line up 11 guys and whoever executes the best is going to win.”

DIVISIONAL ROUND: CHICAGO BEARS (11-5) VS. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (7-9)

CHICAGO – The Bears snatched control of Sunday’s divisional playoff game right from the outset and never relinquished it, setting up an epic confrontation in next weekend’s NFC championship.

Jay Cutler produced four touchdowns with no turnovers as the Bears stormed to a 28-0 third-quarter lead en route to a 35-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks before a crowd of 60,010 at Soldier Field.

The victory propelled the Bears into the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday at Soldier Field. The longtime rivals have only met once in the postseason, a divisional playoff contest won by the Bears 33-14 in 1941—exactly one week after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“We had to get a win with Seattle,” said coach Lovie Smith. “Now that we’ve beaten the Seahawks, it doesn’t get any better as I see it than for the NFC championship coming down to the Packers coming down to our turf this time. The Packers and Bears to finish it up, that’s how it should be.”

Cutler made the match-up possible by passing for 274 yards and two touchdowns and running for a career-high 43 yards and two scores in the first postseason game of his five-year NFL career.

“It starts with Jay Cutler,” Smith said. “Whether it’s running the football or making the different throws that we ask him to do, he was outstanding today. The offense really gave us a boost.”

The Bears scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions and eventually went ahead 28-0, their largest lead in a postseason game since they beat the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. The offense amassed 437 yards, converted 10-of-18 third downs and possessed the ball for 37:10.

“We were on the sideline most of the game,” middle linebacker Brian Urlacher said of the defense. “It’s easy to play defense when you’re not playing. Our offense converted third downs and scored a lot of points. It was fun to watch. Everything we wanted to do on offense we did.”

After going 0-of-12 on third down in their Week 6 loss to the Seahawks, the Bears converted their first third-down play in a big way Sunday. On Chicago's third play from scrimmage, Cutler lofted a 58-yard TD pass deep down the middle to tight end Greg Olsen, who beat safety Lawyer Milloy.

“On the first third down to get over the top like that was huge,” Olsen said. “It set the tone and got us off to a real good start. With the way our defense played—pretty much shutting them down for the most part—and the offense taking that momentum, the next thing you know it was 28-0.”

Cutler also tossed a 39-yard TD pass to tight end Kellen Davis and scored on rushes of 6 and 9 yards, becoming the first Bears quarterback to run for a TD in the postseason since Jim McMahon scored twice in Super Bowl XX.

“The first one was called and the second one was a shovel pass and the guy collapsed so I had to go,” Cutler said. “When it’s there, we’ll take it. I’m not afraid to do that. The offensive line did a great job today with their front seven and giving me time to read play-action.”

Cutler posted a 111.3 passer rating, Olsen had three receptions for a career-high 113 yards, and Matt Forte rushed for 80 yards on 25 carries and caught three passes for 54 yards.

The Bears defense dominated until a late Seattle surge, forcing the Seahawks to punt on each of their first eight possessions extending into the third quarter. On those eight drives, Seattle mustered just 96 yards while running only two of 32 plays in Chicago territory with both coming at the 49.

“We got off the field on third down,” Urlacher said. “We got pressure on the quarterback. We didn’t get any takeaways, but we did exactly what we wanted to do the whole game until the last couple drives.”

Matt Hasselbeck threw three TD passes in the fourth quarter, including two in a :52 span late in the game. The final score came on a 9-yard strike to Brandon Stokley with 1:24 remaining.

With the win, the Bears advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2006 when they defeated the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field to reach Super Bowl XLI.

“It’s been a long way back,” Urlacher said. “We’ve had some bad years there. We’ve struggled for a couple seasons. But the coaches just kept staying on us. We got some good players. We made some good trades and [added] good free agents, and now we’re back. We’re playing together and hopefully we’re peaking at the right time.”

Bears to face Seahawks in Divisional round

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – With the Packers defeating the Eagles 21-16 Sunday in Philadelphia, the Bears will host the Seahawks in the NFC divisional playoffs next Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Seahawks advanced by beating the New Orleans Saints 41-36 Saturday in Seattle. The Seahawks (8-9) became the first team in NFL history to win a division championship with a losing record.

The Bears lost to the Seahawks 23-20 at Soldier Field on Oct. 17, struggling on both sides of the ball. The offense yielded six sacks and went 0-of-12 on third down, while the defense yielded touchdown drives of 80 and 92 yards, and failed to record a sack or a takeaway.
“They had us off balance all day,” middle linebacker Brian Urlacher said Sunday night on “The Final Word” on Fox. “They ran the ball well. They threw it well. They converted on third down. We didn’t get pressure. I think we’ve gotten better since then. I’m sure they have too. But we think we’ve gotten better since then. We’re a different team now.”

In Seattle’s Week 6 win at Soldier Field, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck completed 25 of 40 passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and an 87.7 passer rating.

“He’s a veteran,” Urlacher said Sunday night on Fox. “He knows our defense. He knows where to go with the ball when he sees certain coverages. Anyone who knows what they’re doing with the football worries me, and he knows where to go with the football all the time.

“We’re probably not going to trick him very much. Like I said, he knows what he’s doing. We’ve just got to play harder and get takeaways like we’ve been doing the last few weeks.”

In the Seahawks' playoff win over the Saints, Hasselbeck threw four TD passes before running back Marshawn Lynch clinched the victory with a spectacular 67-yard TD run with 3:22 left in the fourth quarter.

Asked Sunday night about how the Bears will try to defend Seattle's offense, Urlacher said: “Our No. 1 thing is stopping the run. It’s been that way this whole season and pretty much my whole career since I’ve been here.

“If they get their running game going it opens up their passing game. So we’ve got to try to shut down the run No. 1 and then make them throw the football; try to get them in second-and-long and third-and-long where they could be predictable. If we can stop the running game, it will give us a big advantage.”

WEEK 17: CHICAGO BEARS (11-4) VS. GB PACKERS (9-6)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Lovie Smith obviously would have preferred a different result Sunday at Lambeau Field. But after a 10-3 loss to the Packers, the Bears coach opted to focus on the big picture.

Even though they allowed the Packers to earn the final spot in the NFC playoffs, the Bears ended the day just as they had started it: With the NFC North title and a first-round bye in their back pocket.

“I’m still proud of the effort that we gave today,” Smith said. “I’m proud of our football team as we look at the regular season, and that’s what we’re going to do. I’m disappointed in the loss today, but not disappointed in what the team has been able to accomplish up until this point.”
After the Falcons clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win over the Panthers earlier Sunday, the Bears took the field against the Packers locked into the No. 2 seed win or lose. Despite that situation, the Bears played their starters on both sides of the ball for the entire game.

“Knowing that we had the bye week, we weren’t playing for an awful lot,” Smith said. “But we wanted to just keep momentum going. We hadn’t peaked yet. We still thought there were some things we could improve upon, and that’s what we went into the game to do.

“It was a great opportunity for us to get into the playoff mode as much as anything and to have a chance to as it turns out play against a playoff team and see how we matched up.”

The Bears (11-5) will open the playoffs at noon on Sunday, Jan. 16 at Soldier Field. They will play the Eagles if Philadelphia beats the Packers next Sunday. If Green Bay wins, the Bears will host the winner of next Saturday’s game between the Saints and Seahawks in Seattle.

After allowing 36 and 34 points in two of their last three games, the Bears played well on defense Sunday. They permitted just three points through three quarters, limited the Packers to just 2-of-11 on third down and held Green Bay running backs to 39 yards on 16 carries.

The defense also generated two takeaways as Charles Tillman recovered a Donald Driver fumble that was forced by D.J. Moore in the first quarter and intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass in the third period.

“Defensively, we needed an effort like that to find some success going into the playoffs,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “We’ve got to take the positives out of this game.”

Positives were harder to find on the offensive side of the ball, though Matt Forte was a clear cut choice after rushing for 91 yards on 15 carries and catching a team-high eight passes for 60 yards. In the process, Forte became only the second Bears player to compile more than 1,000 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in a season, joining Hall of Famer Walter Payton.

Under pressure from frequent blitzes, Jay Cutler completed 21 of 39 passes for 168 yards with two interceptions and a 43.5 passer rating. He was sacked six times and managed to complete only one pass for 16 yards to Devin Hester and none to Johnny Knox despite targeting the starting receivers 13 times.

“They kept us out of sync,” Cutler said. “We didn’t change a lot from last game to this game and I think they did a really good job of taking away some of our ‘hots,’ keeping us off balance. They were delaying some of their blitzes and then bringing those guys. I think there was a stretch where [Charles] Woodson came about every snap toward the end of the game.”

The Bears took a 3-0 lead on Robbie Gould’s 30-yard field goal with 4:31 left in the first half and had a chance to widen the margin after Tillman’s 42-yard interception return to the Green Bay 15 on the Packers’ first play from scrimmage of the second half.

But three plays later, Cutler was hit as he threw and his wobbly pass intended for Knox in the left corner of the end zone was intercepted by safety Charlie Peprah.

Mason Crosby’s 23-yard field goal tied the game 3-3 with 2:39 left in the third quarter. Green Bay had first-and-goal at the 1, but had to settle for the kick after John Kuhn was stopped for no gain, Brandon Jackson lost two yards and Rodgers was sacked by Tommie Harris.

Rodgers’ 1-yard TD pass to tight end Donald Lee eventually gave the Packers a 10-3 lead with 12:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. On the two plays preceding the score, Rodgers completed passes of 20 yards to Driver and 46 yards to Greg Jennings.

After being held to minus-six yards on 17 plays over five possessions, the Bears offense marched from their own 2 to the Green Bay 32. But Cutler’s overthrown pass intended for Hester was intercepted by safety Nick Collins at the 11, icing the game with :10 to play.

“We’d like to have a couple throws back,” Smith said. “But I thought Jay played hard like the rest of our football team. He’s done a great job this year of leading us to 11 wins so far.”

Knowing they’re only three victories away from winning the Super Bowl, the Bears left Green Bay determined to take advantage of their playoff bye just as they did with their week off during the regular season.

“We started off the season 4-3 and then came out of that bye and rattled off five [wins] in a row,” Olsen said. “If we do that again, we’re Super Bowl champs.”

PRO BOWL

The following 4 Chicago Bears players have been selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl. Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, and Devin Hester. Hopefully the Bears pro bowlers will not be making the trip to Hawaii because they will be celebrating in Dallas.

BEARS LOCK IN #2 SEED. 1ST ROUND BYE.

The Vikings took a win against the Eagles, giving the Bears the 2 seed and first round bye but they can still take the the number 1 seed with a falcons and saints loss and a Bears win. GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!

WEEK 16: CHICAGO BEARS (10-4) VS. NY JETS (9-5)

CHICAGO – The Bears’ 2010 season has been full of exciting and unexpected developments, and Sunday’s game against the New York Jets at Soldier Field was no exception.

In a battle of two of the NFL’s top defenses, the NFC North-champion Bears stormed back from a 21-10 second-quarter deficit to win a 38-34 shootout and move a step closer to securing a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Our offense helped us out today,” said defensive end Julius Peppers. “They held it down. It’s like that sometimes. Sometimes we need to pick each other up and they carried us today."
After having an interception returned for a touchdown in the second quarter, Jay Cutler scored on a two-yard run shortly before halftime and then threw three TD passes in a 7:14 span of the third period. Matt Forte provided balance on offense, rushing for 113 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries.

In winning for the seventh time in eight games since their bye, the Bears (11-4) maintained their hold on the No. 2 seed. They own a half-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Eagles (10-4), whose Sunday night game against the Vikings was moved to Tuesday night due to a snowstorm in Philadelphia.

The Bears took a 10-0 lead before the Jets scored 21 unanswered points and 24 overall in the second quarter to grab a 24-17 lead. But Chicago then outscored New York 21-7 in the third period as Cutler threw TD passes of 40 and 26 yards to Johnny Knox and 25 yards to Devin Hester. Knox’s second score of the game gave the Bears a 38-31 lead midway through the period.

“Offensively, we knew that we were playing a team that would give us a lot of pressure and we knew there would be a lot of one-on-one situations and match-ups outside to win and our receivers did a great job of winning those battles,” Smith said after the Bears scored at least 38 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1989.

Asked what happened to the Jets defense in the third quarter, coach Rex Ryan said: “I was asking myself the same question. We couldn’t stop a nose bleed then. Everybody has to step up. But you have to give them credit. When Cutler is hot, he’s as good as there is. [He] made some big plays against us.”

Cutler completed 13 of 25 passes for 215 yards and a 104.2 passer rating.

After allowing three touchdowns and two field goals in a span of eight possessions, the Bears defense stopped the Jets on their final three drives of the game. Charles Tillman and D.J. Moore forced punts by breaking up third-down passes before Chris Harris intercepted Mark Sanchez at the Chicago 41 with :51 remaining. The pass was intended for Santonio Holmes streaking down the left sideline.

“That was a big play by Chris Harris making that interception,” Smith said. “We look at this as playoff football and there’s not going to be any blowouts in playoff football. You have to finish the game and our guys did that.”
The turning point may have occurred early in the second half. The Jets led 24-17 and faced a fourth-and-three at their own 40. Punter Steve Weatherford came on the field. But Sanchez lined up as the up back, took the direct snap and threw to Brad Smith in the right flat.

Special teams standout Rashied Davis—who played defensive back in his first season with the Bears in 2005 before switching to receiver—broke up the pass. On the next play, Cutler’s 40-yard TD bomb to Knox tied the game 24-24.

“You anticipate trick plays each week, but that changed the momentum for us,” Smith said. “[Special teams coordinator] Dave Toub and [assistant] Chris Tabor did a good job of preparing the guys, and they executed and made the play.”

The Bears struggled at times against Sanchez, who completed 24 of 37 passes for 269 yards with 1 TD, 1 interception and an 84.2 passer rating.

Despite the loss, the Jets (10-5) clinched a playoff berth in the AFC when the Jaguars lost in overtime to the Redskins. That game ended while Ryan was conducting his post-game press conference.

“I think we’re in the playoffs,” Ryan said after hearing his players cheering in their locker room. “I’ll be honest, I would have much rather won it ourselves, but I’ll take it.”

The Bears will close the season next Sunday against the Packers in a game that the NFL announced late Sunday will be flexed from noon to 3:15 p.m. Regardless of how the Eagles fare, the Bears would secure the No. 2 seed with a win at Lambeau Field.

“We control whether we get the bye or not,” Smith said. “We have a lot of reasons to be pumped up for this game. It’s our rival, Green Bay, coming up. We’re playing for that first-round bye. So what happens with Philly really doesn’t matter. We want to be in this position right here, with an 11-4 record getting ready to play another NFC North opponent.”

MNF: Week 15 CHICAGO BEARS (9-4) vs. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-8). BEARS CLINCH NORTH. HESTER BREAKS KICK RETURN RECORD.

MINNEAPOLIS – They started the week without knowing where they would play the Vikings and found out shortly before kickoff that they’d face Brett Favre—two days after he had been ruled out of the game with a shoulder injury.

But the Bears didn’t allow any uncertainty or adversity prevent them from achieving a goal that most outside the organization were convinced would never happen. On a snowy Monday night at TCF Bank Stadium in Minnesota, the Bears crushed the Vikings 40-14 to win the NFC North title.

“It was just a great job by our football team all week—[with] a lot of things going on—to stay focused on the task and that’s to be the first team to clinch their division,” said coach Lovie Smith, who wore a 2010 NFC North championship shirt to his post-game press conference.
After the Vikings took a 7-0 lead on the game’s opening drive, the Bears scored 27 unanswered points, capped by Devin Hester’s 64-yard punt return touchdown early in the third quarter. The score gave Hester 14 career kick return TDs, enabling him to set the all-time NFL record.

“Just think about that,” Smith said. “The all-time career return leader in the history of the National Football League. You’re talking about an honor, and when you’re a special player like him, he should be the guy to be up on top with that.”

The Bears (10-4) dominated on both sides of the ball, generating three Jay Cutler touchdown passes and four Robbie Gould field goals on offense and five takeaways and four sacks on defense.

One of the sacks—the first of Corey Wootton’s career—knocked Favre out of the game. With the Bears leading 10-7 early in the second quarter, the rookie defensive end wrestled the quarterback to the ground. Favre’s head hit the artificial turf and he remained down on the field for several minutes.

“I didn’t even know he was hurt until we were walking over to the sideline and I looked back and saw he was on the ground,” Wootton said. “You hate when a guy gets hurt, but that’s the game of football. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I hope he’s not hurt too bad and I hope he recovers.”

Favre exited having completed 5 of 7 passes for 63 yards, including a 23-yard TD to Percy Harvin. After that opening drive, the Bears defense allowed only one TD on Minnesota’s final 13 possessions.

“We didn’t start off necessarily the way we wanted to,” Smith said. “Minnesota is a good football team and they have great players over there. Brett Favre gave them a boost there early on. But we settled down after that.”

Julius Peppers intercepted a Favre pass that was deflected by Henry Melton to set up the first of Gould’s four field goals without a miss, drawing the Bears to within 7-3. Chicago then took a 10-7 lead it would not relinquish on Cutler’s 67-yard TD bomb to Johnny Knox late in the first quarter.

“The big pass play to Johnny from Jay really kind of kick-started us off a little bit, and we got some things going,” Smith said. “Offensively, it felt like we were moving the ball whether it was passing or running the ball fairly well the entire night.”
Cutler completed 14 of 24 passes for 194 yards with three TDs, one interception and a 106.6 passer rating. He also threw scoring passes of 15 yards to Hester to put the Bears ahead 17-7 in the second quarter and 9 yards to Rashied Davis to make it 34-14 in the third period.

Though the field conditions were a popular topic all week, they weren’t much of a factor. It stopped snowing early in the game and players appeared to generally have good footing.

“It didn’t really affect our game plan for the most part,” said tight end Greg Olsen. “Guys handled it really well. The turf wasn’t too bad. In the second half it got a little icy and guys started slipping a little bit. But for the most part it was pretty good.”

The Bears defense finished with a flourish, forcing turnovers on Minnesota’s final four possessions. Chris Harris and Charles Tillman intercepted backup quarterback Joe Webb, and Nick Roach and Brian Iwuh forced fumbles that were recovered by Melton and Matt Toeaina, respectively.

In clinching the NFC North title, the Bears are headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 when they advanced to Super Bowl XLI.

“After you make [the playoffs] the first time, you assume you’ll be back there every year,” Smith said. “It doesn’t work like that, so that’s why this is special. The second time around we realize how hard it is to get there. We’re the only team to clinch our division right now.

“It’s hard to win in the National Football League. There’s parity in the league. Our players realize that. You also realize how hard you have to work to stay there, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

Even though outsiders doubted them, Peppers always believed the Bears could win the NFC North.

“I see these guys every day,” Peppers said. “I see these guys work. I see what type of players we have on this team and I see the coaches. The coaches don’t accept anything but our best.

“Anytime you have that combination of things working together, good things have to happen. The football gods make sure good things happen to people who work hard and do things right.”

WEEK 14: CHICAGO BEARS (9-3) VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-2). DESPITE LOSS BEARS REMAIN AT FIRST.

CHICAGO – Steady snow and strong wind gusts weren’t the only things that stormed into Soldier Field Sunday. The Patriots did as well, playing like they were still angry about getting obliterated in Super Bowl XX.

In the NFL’s only Week 14 match-up between first-place teams, New England surged to a 33-0 halftime lead by scoring 26 second-quarter points—into a stiff wind no less—en route to a 36-7 rout.

The 33-point halftime deficit was the largest in the Bears’ 91-season history. They gave up touchdowns on offense and defense and also allowed a TD on special teams that was nullified by a penalty.

“We were beaten by a good football team today,” said coach Lovie Smith. “They dominated us in all three phases. Had a good week of practice, felt like we were ready to go. But some days, this happens.
“We were ready. But you have to play your best ball every snap. We did too many things wrong, and you can’t do that against good football teams like this.”

The Patriots (11-2) outgained the Bears 475-185 in the game and 273-33 in the first half. New England also held decisive advantages in first downs (27-12) and time of possession (39:41-20:19).

“You’ve got to learn from it,” quarterback Jay Cutler said after the Bears' five-game winning streak was snapped. “That’s an elite team. To get where we want to go, those are the teams we’ve got to beat, we’ve got to compete with. [We made] little mistakes out there, and those things add up in a hurry, especially against a team like that.”

After forcing a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, the Bears allowed the Patriots to score three touchdowns and three field goals on their next six possessions stretching into the third quarter. The 36 points were the most the Bears have yielded since a 36-10 loss at Minnesota on Nov. 29, 2009.

“They played a much better game,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “Sometimes you need a good whipping and that’s what we got. A good whipping helps us get ourselves back to where we need to be. A loss like this can be good if it comes at the right time.”

The good news for the Bears (9-4) is that they maintained their one-game lead atop the NFC North over the Green Bay Packers (8-5), who suffered a 7-3 upset loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

“The reality is we got our butts kicked and we’re still in first place,” said middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. “We’ll watch film and learn from it. But we’re still in first place in the NFC North and that’s where we wanted to be when the season began. The Patriots are the best team in the AFC. They came in here—our field, our weather—and pounded us.”

Quarterback Tom Brady led the onslaught, completing 27 of 40 passes for 369 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 113.4 passer rating. The Patriots already led 27-0 when he tossed a 59-yard TD pass to Deion Branch down the left sideline on the final play of the first half.
“We should have had someone back deep and we didn’t,” Smith said. “It’s kind of as simple as that. It’s a basic coverage for us. I guess he didn’t see the receiver out there. It was a breakdown in coverage.”

While Smith didn’t name names, rookie Major Wright was the culprit, failing to retreat to the deep half of the field like he was supposed to in the cover-two scheme.

The Patriots had taken a 14-0 lead on Brady’s 7-yard TD pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski and Danny Woodhead’s 3-yard run, capping drives of 85 and 87 yards, respectively.

New England then scored its second TD in :20 as cornerback Devin McCourty forced a Johnny Knox fumble that linebacker Gary Guyton returned 35 yards for a score, widening the margin to 21-0. The Bears challenged the call, thinking Knox was down before the ball came loose, but the ruling was upheld after replays showed that the Bears receiver had landed on a defender and not the ground.

Shayne Graham field goals of 30 and 25 yards made it 27-0 before Brady connected with Branch on the final play of the half. Graham missed the extra point, but the Patriots still led 33-0 at halftime.

“They were able to keep the chains moving,” said safety Chris Harris. “We weren’t able to get any turnovers. It’s kind of what we live off as a defense. They just outplayed us.”

After Graham’s 29-yard field goal made it 36-0 on the Patriots’ opening drive of the second half, Chester Taylor scored the Bears’ only touchdown on a 1-yard run midway through the third quarter.

Cutler completed 12 of 26 passes for 152 yards with two interceptions, one lost fumble and a 32.9 passer rating for the Bears, who must regroup quickly with a huge game looming next Monday night in Minnesota.

“There’s always a 24-hour rule,” said defensive tackle Anthony Adams. “Win or lose, you put it behind you. It’s just one game. You learn from it. Just like a boxer, sometimes you’re going to get knocked out. But you’ve got to get back up and keep fighting, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

WEEK 13: CHICAGO BEARS (8-3) VS. DETROIT LIONS (2-9). BEARS STAY AT 1ST

DETROIT – After a sloppy first half that ended with the Lions scoring a touchdown on a two-play, 91-yard drive, coach Lovie Smith had some choice words for the Bears defense in the locker room Sunday in Detroit.

“He was fired up,” said defensive end Israel Idonije. “He called out the defense. He said, ‘Hey, that’s not us. Let’s go.’ He was very vocal and just let us know that we had to get after it. He was charged up, but we knew. That was an embarrassing first half. That second half we turned it up.”

Backed by a resurgent defense, the Bears turned a 20-14 third-quarter deficit into a 24-20 victory at Ford Field, extending their winning streak to five games. With the win, Chicago (9-3) maintained a one-game lead atop the NFC North over the Packers (8-4), who beat the 49ers Sunday in Green Bay.
Jay Cutler delivered another excellent performance, completing 21 of 26 passes for 234 yards and a 117.0 passer rating. His 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Manumaleuna in the right flat put the Bears ahead 24-20 with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter.

“In games like this, you need your special players to be special,” Smith said. “I really thought [Cutler] stood up, stepped up and made play after play.”

The Bears defense made two key stops in the fourth quarter. First, D.J. Moore broke up a Drew Stanton pass intended for Nate Burleson on fourth-and-one at the Chicago 41.

After Manumaleuna gave the Bears the lead, Stefan Logan returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Chicago 44. But Moore split a sack with Brian Urlacher and later held Tony Scheffler to a three-yard gain on a third-and-19 pass play, forcing a Detroit punt.

The Bears took over after the punt at their own 20 with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter and proceeded to run out the clock by picking up four first downs, the final one coming on Cutler’s 16-yard pass to Manumaleuna over the middle to the Detroit 29.

“Defensively, in the second half we challenged the guys to play the way we’re capable of playing as much as anything, and they did that,” Smith said. “They really shut down the Lions that second half of the game. We got our ninth win, we’re in first place, and we feel good about that.”

After allowing 253 total yards and 11 first downs in the first half, the Bears permitted 49 yards and three first downs in the final two quarters to sweep the Lions (2-10) for the third straight season.

“That second half was our defense,” Idonije said. “That first half, I don’t know. But thankfully we left those guys on the field and we don’t want to see that defense the rest of the year.”

Stanton’s 3-yard touchdown run gave the Lions a 7-0 lead with 6:36 left in the first quarter. The score came after Logan had returned a punt 19 yards to the Chicago 38.

Making just his second NFL start because of injuries to Matthew Stafford and Shaun Hill, Stanton completed 16 of 24 passes for 178 yards with 1 TD, no interceptions and a 102.4 passer rating.

After the Bears tied the game 7-7 on Chester Taylor’s 1-yard TD run late in the first quarter, Dave Rayner’s 50-yard field goal gave the Lions a 10-7 lead with 9:31 left in the second period. Matt Forte then capped an eight-play, 83-yard drive with a 14-yard TD run, giving the Bears a 14-10 lead.

It appeared the Bears would take that four-point advantage into the locker room when the Lions took over at their own 9 with :53 remaining in the half. But Jahvid Best bounced outside around right end for 45 yards and Stanton followed with a 46-yard TD pass to Calvin Johnson, giving the Lions a 17-14 lead.

“It was man [coverage], Moore said. “I should have been a little closer to him. When he caught it he had a lot of space to make a move on the safety, and then I got stiff-armed pretty good. I know I’m going to see that on ESPN later on today. It was just a good player making a good play.”

The stunning turn of events left Smith in a sour mood at halftime.

“Upset? Yeah, you could say that,” said the Bears coach. “We weren’t happy about what was happening. The message though was just to play the way we’re capable of playing. I know they were doing some good things, but it’s hard to stomach missed tackles and critical plays, letting a team go over 90 yards in two plays. We should have had them stopped. But again, we liked the way the guys finished.”

The Bears defense immediately responded to their coach’s challenge. The unit forced the Lions to settle for a field goal after Detroit had recovered a Cutler fumble at the Chicago 9 on the second play of the second half. Rayner’s kick made it 20-14, but the Bears were still within one score.

After Robbie Gould booted a career-long 54-yard field goal, Cutler connected with Manumaleuna for the go-ahead touchdown as the Bears rallied to beat the Lions in the fourth quarter for the second time this year.

The Bears clearly weren’t as sharp against the Lions as they were in winning last Sunday's showdown over the Philadelphia Eagles. But battling back to escape with a victory in Detroit was just as satisfying.

“Coming off the [big] win over Philadelphia, it’s easy to have a letdown game,” Cutler said. “This team is veteran enough to know what type of game we were in for. It was going to be a tough one. It was going to be a fight. It was going to be four quarters.

“We weren’t going to come in here and just blow anybody’s doors off. This kind of knocks us back down a little bit. It gets our feet back on the ground. But every game is a tough one in the NFL and we’ve got to prepare like it.”

WEEK 12: CHICAGO BEARS (7-3) VS. PHILADELPIA EAGLES (7-3). BEARS TAKE 1ST PLACE.

CHICAGO – If Sunday’s NFC showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles was indeed a statement game for the Bears, they delivered a powerful one with an exclamation point to boot.

Jay Cutler tied a career-high with four touchdown passes and Chris Harris highlighted a clutch effort by the defense with a momentum-swinging interception in an entertaining 31-26 win at Soldier Field.

“I think it’s a statement for the team,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “Every week is a statement. I don’t know if we’re not given enough credit or whatever it is, but the character on the team week-in and week-out has been great.”

The victory in a battle of first-place teams gave the Bears (8-3) a one-game lead atop the NFC North over the Green Bay Packers (7-4), who lost to the Falcons 20-17 earlier in the day in Atlanta. Chicago has now won four straight games in the same season for the first time since 2006.

Once again directing a balanced offense, Cutler completed 14 of 21 passes for 247 yards and a career-high 146.2 passer rating. He tossed two scoring passes to Earl Bennett and one each to Johnny Knox and Greg Olsen in the game’s first 32 minutes to help the Bears surge to a 31-13 lead.

“Jay Cutler was outstanding throughout,” said coach Lovie Smith. “Whether he was throwing the football or taking off running with the ball, I just felt like he was in total control of our offense.”

Matt Forte rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries, including a 61-yard dash that set up a first-quarter touchdown. The Bears compiled a season-high in points Sunday and didn't commit any turnovers against an Eagles team that had entered the contest leading the NFL with 26 takeaways.

While the Bears offense scored three touchdowns on four red-zone trips, the Chicago defense allowed only one TD on five Eagles possessions inside-the-20. One of those drives ended with the play of the game as Harris became the first NFL player to intercept a Michael Vick pass this season.

Trailing 14-13, Philadelphia faced second-and-goal at the Chicago 4 when Tommie Harris bolted up the middle and deflected Vick’s pass intended for Jeremy Maclin. The ball fluttered into the end zone, where Chris Harris picked it off and returned it 39 yards to the Chicago 37.

Vick had entered the game leading the NFL with a 108.7 passer rating, having thrown for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in seven starts this season.

“I wanted to be the first one to pick him, get it on his résumé,” said Chris Harris. “We were in cover-one, single high safety. I was the middle-field safety, just reading his eyes. We got great pressure up front. Tommie ended up tipping it and I saw it and got it and then got a few extra yards.”

The Bears converted the only takeaway of the game into Cutler’s 6-yard TD pass to Bennett, increasing their lead to 21-13 with :38 left in the half. Four plays before the score, Bennett took a short pass from Cutler and broke two tackles en route to a 30-yard gain to the Philadelphia 20.

“When you get into the two-minute drill, you want to go down and you want to score,” said Bennett, who caught two TD passes for the first time in his three-year NFL career. “That’s something I really thrive on, run after the catch. I feel like I’m bigger than everybody else and they can’t tackle me.”

Vick completed 29 of 44 passes for 333 yards with 2 TDs, 1 interception and a 94.2 passer rating. He also rushed for 44 yards on nine carries. But the Bears sacked the elusive Eagles quarterback four times, with all four starting defensive linemen recording at least half a sack.
“Guys came in today, put their hats on, punched in the clock and were ready to work,” said defensive end Israel Idonije. “We knew it was going to be a full day of running, working and changing direction. If you miss one tackle, the next guy’s got to come. It was a challenge and a competition that we were excited about as a group up front, and man, it was a good day.”

After David Akers’ 45-yard field goal gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead, Cutler tossed TD passes of 10 yards to Bennett and 20 yards to Knox to put the Bears ahead 14-3 by the end of the first quarter.

The Eagles dominated the second period, closing to within 14-13 on Vick’s 8-yard TD pass to Maclin and Akers’ 36-yard field goal. It appeared that Philadelphia would then take the lead late in the first half before Chris Harris picked off Vick and Cutler connected with Bennett for another score.

Devin Hester returned the second-half kickoff 46 yards and followed with a 34-yard reception, setting up Cutler’s 9-yard TD pass to Olsen.

After the Eagles went three-and-out, the Bears capped a methodical 17-play, 83-yard drive that burned 10:05 off the clock with Robbie Gould’s 23-yard field goal, extending their lead to 31-13.

Philadelphia closed to within 31-19 on Akers’ field goals of 22 and 36 yards before Vick lofted a 30-yard TD pass to Brent Celek into triple coverage on fourth-and-10, cutting the deficit to 31-26 with 1:48 left.

But Knox recovered the ensuing onside kick, clinching the victory.

While Smith declined to call Sunday’s game a litmus test, the Bears coach is certainly pleased with the progress his team has made in winning all of its November games for the first time since 2005.

“We’ve taken steps each week,” Smith said. “Even the times when we lost, we found out something that we needed to know about our football team.

"So, yes, I would definitely say our arrow’s pointed up when you win four games in a row the way we have. We talked early about getting in position in October and making that run in November. That’s exactly what the guys are doing.”

WEEK 11: CHICAGO BEARS(6-3) VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-4)- THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – To borrow some baseball terminology, the Bears pitched a complete game shutout on short rest against the Miami Dolphins Thursday night at Sun Life Stadium.

Back in action just four days after an impressive win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears rode a stifling defense and a productive running game to a 16-0 victory. It was their first shutout since Nov. 19, 2006 when they blanked the New York Jets 10-0 at the Meadowlands.

“We dominated the time of possession and controlled the game for the most part,” said coach Lovie Smith. “But the story tonight was the defense. Getting a shutout is just tough no matter where you are, especially on the road.”
With their third win in 12 days, the Bears (7-3) took over sole possession of first place in the NFC North while also matching their victory total from all of last season. They now have a half-game lead over the Green Bay Packers (6-3), who visit the Minnesota Vikings Sunday at the Metrodome.

“It’s always hard going on the road getting a victory,” said Smith, whose squad improved to 4-1 away from home this season. “But for our team, with the short turnaround and all that, the guys really wanted to follow up a couple good wins with one tonight, and the guys took advantage of it.”

The Bears defense registered a season-high six sacks—including three by star defensive end Julius Peppers—held running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to a combined 11 yards on six rushes and allowed the Dolphins to convert only 1-of-11 third-down opportunities.

Israel Idonije, Henry Melton and Brian Urlacher also had sacks for the Bears, who yielded only 187 total yards, the fewest since they held the Detroit Lions to 168 in the season opener.

“I thought the guys had constant pressure throughout,” Smith said. “Julius Peppers was outstanding, [as was] all of our defense. The coverage was good too.”

After advancing to the Bears’ 35-yard line on the game’s opening possession following a 46-yard kickoff return, the Dolphins (5-5) ran only two plays in Chicago territory the rest of the night—one at the 49 that resulted in a Peppers sack and the other on the final snap of the game.

“The defense has played like this for 10 straight games, so it’s nothing new to us,” said quarterback Jay Cutler. “We’re the ones offensively trying to catch up with them. If we can get to their level and playing at their level, we’re going to be a very good team in December.”

The offense did its part Thursday night, taking control of the game in the third quarter. Leading 6-0 at halftime on Robbie Gould field goals of 46 and 24 yards, the Bears increased the margin to 16-0 with a field goal and touchdown on two third-quarter possessions.

Cutler’s eight-yard scramble to the Miami 32 on third-and-12 set up Gould’s 50-yard field goal, and Matt Forte later capped a 13-play, 60-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run. The Bears ran the ball 10 times and only threw three passes on the possession, which burned 7:26 off the clock.

“We struggled a little bit in the first half punching one in there,” Cutler said. “We were moving the ball well. Our offensive line took over. In the second half, we ran the ball extremely well.”
The Bears converted 10 of 18 third-down chances and possessed the ball for 37:51, rushing for 135 yards on 40 carries. Forte gained 97 yards on 25 carries, his second most productive game of the season.

Cutler completed 16 of 25 passes for 156 yards with one interception and a 64.8 passer rating. He also made another big play with his feet, stepping up in the pocket and then tip-toeing along the sideline for 16 yards on third-and-16 to set up Gould’s second field goal.

Cutler’s run gave the Bears a first down at the Miami 9, but they had to settle for the kick after Cutler's fade pass intended for Earl Bennett in the left corner of the end zone was broken up by safety Vontae Davis on third-and-goal from the 6.

Gould’s 24-yard field goal was set up by the Bears’ only takeaway of the game. It came when Charles Tillman intercepted a Tyler Thigpen pass that was deflected by Peppers.

The Dolphins were forced to start Thigpen, their third-string quarterback, after both Chad Pennington and Chad Henne were injured in last Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans. Pennington was placed on injured reserve, while Henne served as the emergency third quarterback Thursday night.

In his first NFL start since he opened 11 games for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008, Thigpen completed 17 of 29 passes for 187 yards and a 63.4 passer rating.

The Dolphins also were down to their third center when Cory Proctor, who was subbing for the injured Joe Berger, exited on Miami’s second possession after hurting his knee. Top wide receiver Brandon Marshall later was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury late in the first half.

But the Bears weren’t making any apologies after blanking the Dolphins on the road.

“[Shutouts] are huge,” said middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, who eclipsed Mike Singletary to become the Bears’ all-time leading tackler Thursday night. “They’re hard to get in the NFL, really hard to get. So it was nice to come away with one tonight.”

WEEK 10: CHICAGO BEARS (5-3) VS. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-5)

CHICAGO – With a share of first place in the NFC North on the line Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears picked the perfect time to play what was likely their most complete game of the season.

Outperforming the Minnesota Vikings on offense, defense and special teams, the Bears cruised to a 27-13 win that enabled them to tie the idle Green Bay Packers atop the division with identical 6-3 records.

“We’re in first place in our division, and that’s our goal,” said coach Lovie Smith. “This was a big game. In order for us to hopefully be the champs of our division, you have to beat the [two-time defending] champs, so it was a big win for us.”
Operating a balanced offense for the second straight week, Jay Cutler completed 22 of 35 passes for 237 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and an 87.4 passer rating. Cutler also contributed a 25-yard scramble as the Bears rushed for 130 yards on 38 carries.

“Offensively, I felt like we had control of the game most of the time,” Smith said. “We had a few turnovers that knocked us back a little bit. But for the most part we did about what we set out to do.”

Cutler completed passes to nine different receivers, including touchdown throws to tight ends Greg Olsen and Kellen Davis and wide receiver Devin Hester.

“Jay did a great job of distributing the ball to all the receivers, and they made plays,” Smith said. “It seemed like time after time someone else would come up with a big play.”

That was certainly the case on defense as the Bears generated a season-high four takeaways— including three second-half interceptions of Brett Favre—and held Adrian Peterson to just 51 yards on 17 carries, his lowest output in seven career games against Chicago.

“On the defensive side of the ball, it is about taking the ball away, and the guys really did a super job of that,” said Smith, whose team leads the NFL with 24 takeaways this season.

Hester scored his first offensive touchdown since Week 2 and nearly got into the end zone on special teams, returning a kickoff 68 yards and a punt 42 yards in electrifying fashion. Sunday marked the first time all season that he was utilized on kickoff returns.

“It felt pretty good back there,” Hester said. “My teammates were kind of excited to see me back there, trying to give me a little inspiration and a little motivation and I wanted to please them.”

The Bears dominated Sunday’s game on third down, converting 11-of-19 opportunities on offense (58 percent) and limiting the Vikings to just 1-of-9 (11 percent).

"This was probably as good a three-phase performance that our team has had I would probably say all season," Olsen said. "All in all, it was a good team win."

After Ryan Longwell’s 36-yard field goal had given Minnesota a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter, the Vikings failed to convert the first of safety Husain Abdullah’s two interceptions when Longwell hit the left upright on a 39-yard attempt.

Cutler then gave the Bears a 7-3 lead with a 17-yard TD strike to Olsen on third-and-14 midway through the second quarter. The score came one play after Cutler’s apparent 10-yard TD pass to Olsen was nullified by a holding penalty against center Olin Kreutz.

The Vikings responded as Favre stepped up in the pocket and fired a laser beam down the right sideline to Percy Harvin for a 53-yard TD, giving Minnesota a 10-7 lead with 3:17 left in the second quarter.
But Rashied Davis returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the Minnesota 49, setting up Cutler’s 19-yard TD pass to Hester with :44 remaining in the half. Beating a blitz, Cutler flipped the ball short over the middle to Hester, who dove into the end zone.

On the second play of the third quarter, Israel Idonije and D.J. Moore teamed up for a pass deflection and interception just as they had three weeks earlier against the Washington Redskins. This time, Moore returned the pick three yards to the Minnesota 10, setting up a Robbie Gould 34-yard field goal that widened the margin to 17-10.

After Longwell’s 33-yarder closed the gap to 17-13, Hester’s 68-yard kickoff return led to Gould’s 37-yard field goal, making it 20-13.

The Bears scored the game’s final points midway through the fourth quarter when Cutler tossed a 19-yard TD pass to a wide open Kellen Davis after executing a perfect play-action fake on third-and-one.

“Basically it was get a hard run fake and get the linebackers to bite up,” said Davis, who dunked the ball over the goal post after scoring a TD on his first catch of the season. “It worked just like we drew it up, so it was great.”

The Bears defense closed the game with a flourish as Chris Harris and Lance Briggs intercepted Favre passes on Minnesota’s final two possessions.

“We were able to play the run fairly well and get them into the passing game,” Smith said. “Once you get a team where they are one-dimensional, it’s tough for them to come back.”

The Bears won’t have much time to celebrate Sunday’s critical win, not with a road game against the Miami Dolphins Thursday night next up on the schedule.

“We’re in first place, so we like that,” Kreutz said. “We know that when you win these games, the next one becomes bigger. We’re going to try to get ready for Thursday. We’ll try to enjoy this one for about two hours, I guess, and then get on to the next game.”

WEEK 9: CHICAGO BEARS (4-3) VS. BUFFALO BILLS (0-7)

TORONTO – Their first regular-season game outside the United States was a memorable experience for the Bears, but not until they delivered clutch plays in all three phrases to rally for a critical win.

Trailing the winless Buffalo Bills 19-14 in the fourth quarter at Rogers Centre in Toronto, the Bears converted a Tim Jennings interception into the go-ahead touchdown in a 22-19 victory.

Jay Cutler provided the winning points with a two-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett on third-and-goal followed by a two-point conversion pass to Matt Forte with 6:41 remaining.

The Bears iced the win when Chris Harris intercepted a deflected Ryan Fitzpatrick pass at the Buffalo 40 with :27 to play—after Brad Maynard had buried the Bills at their own 1 with a 46-yard punt.

The victory enabled the Bears (5-3) to snap a two-game losing streak and remain a half game behind the first-place Green Bay Packers (6-3), who thrashed the Dallas Cowboys 45-7 Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

"As you look each week in the league, you can't ever tell," said coach Lovie Smith. "There's so much parity in the league. It's hard getting a win. So that's why we feel so good about this. Coming off the bye, we needed to get that fifth win and we were able to do that."

The Bears offense entered the game ranked last in the NFL in third-down conversions, red-zone efficiency and sacks allowed. But the unit showed marked improvement in all three areas.

The Bears were successful on 7 of 12 third-down opportunities—two of which resulted in touchdowns—after converting just 5 of 53 attempts in their last four-plus games. They scored three touchdowns on four trips inside-the-20, and allowed only one sack.

"Things clicked," said tight end Greg Olsen. "We got settled in and for the most part did a really good job. [The line] gave Jay a lot of time to find guys getting open, and the receivers, backs and tight ends got open and when the ball came made the play. I think it was an all-around pretty solid effort."

Cutler played well, completing 17 of 30 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 97.6 passer rating. He showed his mobility by scrambling for gains of 18, 14 and 9 yards while also making pinpoint throws on the run.

"Jay played great, using his feet, rolling out, running, keeping them off balance," said center Olin Kreutz. "Those are the things Jay can do when we block, and we know that."

After calling 91 pass plays and 28 runs in losing their last two games to the Seahawks and Redskins, the Bears vowed to be more balanced on offense Sunday, and they were. They ran 31 pass plays and 31 runs (counting two kneel-downs by Cutler at the end of each half).

"The last couple weeks we talked a lot about balance on the offensive side," Smith said. "I thought our guys did a great job of mixing in the run and the pass."

The defense closed the game with a flourish, but not before allowing the Bills (0-8) to turn a 7-0 deficit into a 19-14 lead with three touchdowns on drives of 68, 80 and 51 yards on four possessions.

"Defensively, we didn't play as well as we have," Smith said. "But you have to give a lot of credit to the Bills. I thought they made some plays after a slow start."

The Bears generated three takeaways for the sixth time in eight games this season. The first came on the opening possession of the second half when Lance Briggs stripped the ball from running back Fred Jackson on third-and-one and Charles Tillman recovered at the Chicago 40.

The Bears converted the turnover into Chester Taylor's 1-yard TD run to take a 14-7 lead midway through the third quarter. It was their first score from the 1 after 10 failed attempts this season.

"The turnovers were huge," Briggs said. "The turnovers to me helped really win the game. The first turnover we scored on; the second turnover we won the game."

The Bills answered immediately as Jackson capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run. But Canadian native Israel Idonije celebrated his return to his native country by blocking Rian Lindell's extra point attempt, enabling the Bears to maintain a 14-13 lead late in the third period.

The Bills then recorded their only sack and takeaway of the game as defensive end Spencer Johnson forced and recovered a Cutler fumble at the Buffalo 49.

The Bills converted the turnover into fullback Corey McIntyre's 1-yard TD run to take a 19-14 lead with 10:24 left in the fourth quarter, though the Bears stopped Jackson on the two-point conversion run.

The Chicago defense then reverted to form as Jennings and Harris intercepted Fitzpatrick passes to preserve the win. In between the picks, the Bills turned the ball over on downs at the Bears' 40 with 2:20 to play as Fitzpatrick threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-10 while being pressured by a blitz.

"I like the way our team was able to finish," Smith said. "That says a lot."

The Bears had taken a 7-0 lead on Cutler's 4-yard TD pass to Olsen early in the second quarter. They later reached the Buffalo 14, but committed back-to-back false start penalties before Robbie Gould missed a 42-yard field goal attempt wide right.

The Bills followed by tying the score 7-7 on Fitzpatrick's 14-yard TD pass to Roscoe Parrish with :13 remaining in the first half.

WEEK 7: CHICAGO BEARS (4-2) VS. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (3-3)

CHICAGO – It’s difficult to say what was more frustrating for the Bears Sunday at Soldier Field, not moving the ball in the first half or giving it away with alarmingly regularity in the second.

Either way, the offense’s inept performance was most responsible for a frustrating 17-14 defeat to the Washington Redskins that sent the Bears (4-3) reeling into their bye week having lost two straight games and three of four since a promising 3-0 start.
Leading 14-10 at halftime, the Bears turned the ball over on their first five possessions of the second half and on six of their seven total drives in the final two quarters. Jay Cutler threw four interceptions and lost a fumble at the goal-line, and Matt Forte also lost a fumble after an 11-yard reception.

“You can’t turn the ball over that many times,” said coach Lovie Smith. “It’s kind of as simple as that.”

Cutler entered the game with just three interceptions in five starts this season. But he was picked off four times—all by cornerback DeAngelo Hall—in a span of 21 minutes 16 seconds in the second half. Hall became the first player in NFL history to intercept four passes in a game against the Bears.

“When you have that many turnovers, of course there is a problem,” Smith said. “I can’t say [who was at fault]. I know Jay was trying to win the football game as much as anyone out there.”

Cutler accepted blame for all four interceptions, even though receiver Johnny Knox appeared to cut off his route on a slant pattern on one of the picks. On another, Hall snatched a jump ball away from Knox with one hand and raced 92 yards for the go-ahead TD late in the third quarter.

“I’ll take them all,” Cutler said. “Obviously, it’s very discouraging right now. We let a game get away from us. The defense has every right to be mad at us. We blew that game offensively, and most of that falls on my shoulders.”

The defense had given the Bears a 7-0 lead as D.J. Moore returned a Donovan McNabb interception 54 yards for a TD midway through the first quarter. Moore blitzed on the play, but McNabb slipped out of his grasp. The veteran quarterback’s pass was then deflected into the air by Israel Idonije and caught by Moore, who dashed untouched into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown.

The Redskins rallied, however, to take a 10-7 lead on McNabb’s 24-yard TD pass to Santana Moss and Graham Gano’s 46-yard field goal.

The Bears offense, meanwhile, was stuck in neutral early, mustering just 25 yards and one first down on 19 plays on its first six possessions of the game, five of which were three-and-outs.

The unit finally awoke from its slumber late in the second quarter, producing a seven-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. Cutler completed 7 of 7 passes for 59 yards including a nine-yard TD to Knox in the left corner of the end zone, giving the Bears a 14-10 lead with :24 left in the half.

After completing a 48-yard pass to Earl Bennett to the Washington 1 on the first possession of the third quarter, Cutler lost a fumble on the next play when he tried to reach the ball over the goal line on a quarterback sneak.

“I extended the ball forward, then Albert [Haynesworth] was in there and pushed me back,” said Cutler, who completed 26 of 40 passes for 281 yards and a 54.3 passer rating. “I started to go backwards. The middle linebacker [London Fletcher] came flying over the top and knocked it out. I felt like I was going backwards.”

It appeared the Bears had extended their lead three plays later when Moore returned a second McNabb interception for a TD, this time an eight-yarder. But an official had blown the play dead before the snap because the play clock had expired—a Redskins penalty that ended up hurting the Bears.

“Everyone was excited,” Moore said, “but I saw the flag.”

It was that type of day for the Bears, who will now attempt to regroup during their bye week before traveling to Toronto to face the winless Buffalo Bills (0-6) on Nov. 7.

"Offensively, we need to make some steps," said Cutler, who was sacked four times in Sunday's loss. "We need to keep going. It's very devastating right now, very disappointing.

"There are some [good] things that happened out there that we haven't done in the past. We hit some throws, we hit some runs, we hit some stuff that the details of this offense have been lacking in the past, which is a good thing.

"Then we go back and we have four picks and a couple fumbles, and that's the difference in the ballgame. That can't happen. The defense has just got to keep doing what they're doing. They're the reason we have four wins. The offense has got to get up to their level."

WEEK 6: CHICAGO BEARS (4-1) VS. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (2-2)

CHICAGO – Devin Hester’s electrifying 89-yard punt return touchdown late in Sunday’s game at Soldier Field gave the Bears an edge over the Seahawks in a battle of two of the NFL’s top special teams units.

Unfortunately for Chicago, it came too late to erase or overcome lackluster performances by an out-of-sync offense and a sluggish defense in a humbling 23-20 loss to Seattle.

“You have to be ready each week to play your best ball, and we didn’t play our best ball today,” said coach Lovie Smith. “None of us looked good today. We got our butts beat.”

While Sunday’s loss dropped the Bears to 4-2, they maintained a one-game lead atop the NFC North over the Packers (3-3), who lost in overtime to the Dolphins at Lambeau Field by the same 23-20 score.

With Jay Cutler back in action after missing last weekend’s game in Carolina with a concussion, the Bears offense yielded six sacks, went 0-of-12 on third down and scored only one touchdown against a Seahawks pass defense that entered the game ranked 31st in the NFL.

With Cutler under center, the Bears have now failed to convert their last 22 third-down opportunities, a streak that dates back to the second quarter of a Week 3 win over Green Bay. They entered the game ranked last in the NFL in third downs, and have converted just 3 of 40 in their last three contests.

“Offensively, we didn’t get anything done,” Smith said. “Third downs on the offensive side of the football, we can’t reach the place we’re trying to go until we can take care of third downs.”

Taking care of their quarterback is also an issue. After getting sacked nine times in the first half against the Giants in his last game action two weeks ago, Cutler was under intense pressure on Sunday.

Seahawks blitzers repeatedly had clean shots at the Bears quarterback coming off the edge, with defensive backs Jordan Babineaux (1½), Lawyer Milloy (1) and Roy Lewis (1) combining for 3½ sacks.

“It’s protection and we’ve got hot routes, so it’s on everybody,” Cutler said. “It’s on 11 guys. As I’ve said earlier, it takes 11 guys to make a play happen and a few times today we had some breakdowns.”

Cutler completed 17 of 39 passes for 290 yards and a 69.4 passer rating, while Johnny Knox had five receptions for a career-high 120 yards. But the running game produced just 61 yards on 14 carries after generating 218 yards on 42 attempts a week earlier in a win over the Panthers.

“Protection-wise, it’s still a problem,” Smith said. “It’s something we have to fix. We never really got the running game established. We didn’t get a whole lot done.”

Defensively, the Bears yielded TD drives of 80 and 92 yards, failed to record a sack or a takeaway, and permitted the Seahawks to convert 7 of their first 14 third-down opportunities.

“We were kind of on our heels today, off-balanced,” said safety Chris Harris. “They were attacking us instead of us attacking them.”

Matt Hasselbeck completed 25 of 40 passes for 242 yards with one touchdown and an 87.7 passer rating. Justin Forsett (10 carries for 67 yards) and Marshawn Lynch (17-44) combined to rush for 111 yards on 27 attempts. And Detroit Lions reject Mike Williams had 10 receptions for 123 yards.

“You have to take the ball away,” Smith said. “It’s as simple as that. Their quarterback had control of the game most of the time. Mike Williams had a career day it seemed like against us.

“If you can’t convert on the offensive side and on the defensive side you let them convert and you’re not getting any takeaways, it’s going to be a tough day.”

Both teams opened the game with 80-yard touchdown drives.

Matt Forte’s six-yard scoring run gave the Bears a 7-0 lead after Hester had drawn a 58-yard pass interference penalty against Lewis at the Seattle 23. But the Seahawks made it 7-7 as Hasselbeck completed 4 of 4 passes for 76 yards including a 22-yard TD strike to Deon Butler.

After Seattle took a 14-7 lead on Forsett’s nine-yard TD run on the second play of the second quarter, the Bears threatened to score touchdowns but twice had to settle for Robbie Gould field goals of 34 and 24 yards, cutting the deficit to 14-13 at halftime.

Cutler was sacked by linebacker Aaron Curry on third-and-10 from the 11 and later was pressured into throwing an incomplete pass over the middle on third-and-four from the six.

The Seahawks increased their lead to 16-13 when Cutler recovered his own fumble in the end zone on another sack early in the third quarter after Babineaux stormed off the edge unblocked.

Lynch capped an 11-play, 92-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, widening the margin to 23-13. Danieal Manning returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for an apparent TD, but the play was nullified by a holding penalty against Rod Wilson.

Hester closed the gap to 23-20 with a spectacular 89-yard punt return with 1:54 to play, knifing through a hole and dashing down the left sideline. But the Bears had no timeouts remaining, forcing Gould to attempt an onside kick that tight end John Carlson easily secured to ice the victory.

WEEK 5: CHICAGO BEARS (3-1) VS. CAROLINA PANTHERS (0-4)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – With quarterback Jay Cutler watching from the sideline in street clothes, the Bears turned to a successful old formula to thump the Carolina Panthers Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

Matt Forte rushed for 101 of his career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter, while the defense generated three takeaways and didn’t allow a TD for the first time this season in a 23-6 victory.


Matt Forte's second TD run of the first quarter, a career-long 68 yarder, helped the Bears beat the Panthers 23-6 Sunday. “That was definitely old school Bear ball right there for sure where you ran the football, played great defense, got some takeaways and the special teams contributed,” said coach Lovie Smith.

“We know how to win games that way, and it was good to see that we could still do that.”
The road win over the Panthers, coupled with Green Bay’s 16-13 overtime loss at Washington, enabled the Bears (4-1) to take a one-game lead over the Packers (3-2) atop the NFC North Division.

The Bears overcame a poor performance by veteran quarterback Todd Collins. Making his first NFL start since 2007, Cutler’s replacement completed just 6 of 16 passes for 32 yards with four interceptions and a 6.2 passer rating before getting yanked late in the third quarter in favor of Caleb Hanie.

With Cutler out due to a concussion he suffered last weekend in a loss to the Giants, the Bears committed to the run early. After Danieal Manning returned the opening kickoff 62 yards to the Panthers’ 38, Forte’s 18-yard TD run around left end gave the Bears an early 7-0 lead.

John Kasay’s 24-yard field goal drew the Panthers to within 7-3. But Forte’s career-long 68-yard TD run on the Bears’ next play widened the margin to 14-3 midway through the first quarter.

“When you lose your quarterback, you have to have a little but different game plan going in,” Smith said. “Coming in, we wanted to run the football, try to establish the run a little but to take a little bit of the pressure off the passing game. I thought we did a good job of that.”

Forte, whose 166 yards came on 22 carries, teamed with Chester Taylor (43 yards on 18 attempts) to help the Bears compile 218 yards on the ground, their highest output since they had 223 in a 1990 win over the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Chicago passing attack mustered just 29 net yards in the game.

“The running game was our offense today,” said tight end Greg Olsen. “We didn’t really do much through the air because I really don’t think we needed to. With the way our backs were running, especially Matt, and with the special teams and defense giving us good field position, I don’t really think we had to push the issue too much in the pass game.”

Julius Peppers enjoyed a happy homecoming against his former team, producing a highlight reel play in the first quarter. The star defensive end leaped high to deflect rookie Jimmy Clausen’s pass and then made a diving interception in traffic, catching the ball just before it hit the ground at the Carolina 27.

The Bears converted the turnover into Robbie Gould’s 28-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 17-3 with 4:37 remaining in the first quarter.

After the Panthers gained 60 yards on their opening drive on eight straight running plays, the Bears held Carolina to just 87 yards and six first downs on 14 possessions the rest of the game.


Bears linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa sacks Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. The defense, which had recorded four sacks in its first four games, had five Sunday. Israel Idonije led the way with three, while linebackers Lance Briggs and Pisa Tinoisamoa had one apiece.
“The defense from start to finish—the front, the linebackers and the back end—played well,” Smith said. “We had good pressure on the quarterback. Whenever you play a young quarterback, you have to be able to make him make some big throws.”

Clausen completed just 9 of 22 passes for 61 yards with one interception and a 29.7 passer rating before being replaced by Matt Moore late in the game.

The Bears had a chance to open the game by scoring on their first four possessions after Devin Hester’s 50-yard punt return to the Carolina 9. But on third-and-goal from the 1, Collins’ short pass over the middle was intercepted by defensive tackle Ed Johnson.

Collins threw two more interceptions in the second quarter—giving him three on four possessions—but the Bears maintained their 17-3 lead at halftime. Smith didn’t put Hanie in the game until late in the third quarter after Collins had been picked off for the fourth time.

“We were in control of the game for the most part then,” Smith said when asked why Hanie didn’t open the second half. “We knew that we were committed to the run, so we felt like we could keep going and [we] wanted Todd to finish up on a high note. But it got to the point where we just felt like we couldn’t let them back in the game. We said last week that Todd was next up. We felt good about Caleb playing, and Caleb came in and did a good job.”

Hanie mostly handed the ball off, though he did complete 2 of 3 passes for 19 yards.

Kasay’s 53-yard field goal drew the Panthers to within 17-6 late in the third quarter. But Gould answered with 53- and 43-yarders. Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman then intercepted Moore passes on Carolina’s final two possessions to cap the victory.

WEEK 4: CHICAGO BEARS (3-0) VS. NEW YORK GIANTS (1-2)-SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Jay Cutler took more abuse than some crash-test dummies before exiting at halftime with a concussion. Dropping back to pass 20 times in the first half, the Bears quarterback was sacked nine times, lost one of three fumbles and threw one interception.

“When you get pressure like that, it’s just tough to do anything,” said coach Lovie Smith. “It’s tough on the quarterback. It’s tough to get anything going with the passing game or the running game.”

The nine sacks in the first half set an NFL record, but the Giants weren’t finished. Backup quarterback Todd Collins was knocked out of the game late in the fourth quarter with a neck injury when he was drilled in the back by linebacker Michael Boley while completing a five-yard pass to Earl Bennett.

A few plays later, third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie was sacked by defensive end Justin Tuck, giving the Giants 10 sacks, the most by a Bears opponent since the stat became official in 1982. Tuck and Osi Umenyiora led New York with three sacks apiece.

“We tried a lot of different combinations to try to offset their rush a little bit, whether it was chipping, keeping the tight end in,” Smith said. “We just have to do a better job blocking.”

The Bears mustered just 110 total yards and six first downs in the game. They were 0 of 13 on third down and 0 of 1 on fourth down. They gained only 22 yards on 29 plays in the first half and just 39 yards on 36 snaps on 11 possessions before Devin Hester’s 11-yard run on the last play of the third quarter.

“The NFL is a humbling business,” said center Olin Kreutz. “It always has been. Those guys are great players across the way. Sometimes you get your [butt] kicked, and we did tonight.”

The Bears (3-1) didn’t run a play in Giants (2-2) territory until midway through the third quarter—and Matt Forte was promptly thrown for a two-yard loss back to the 50 on third-and-one.

“It was a tough loss for our football team tonight,” Smith said. “We felt like we were ready to go, ready to play the best game we’ve played all year. Of course, it didn’t turn out that way.”

When Cutler wasn’t getting knocked to the ground, he completed 8 of 11 passes for 42 yards. Forte (12 carries for 26 yards) and Chester Taylor (3-22) combined to rush for just 48 yards on 15 attempts.

The defense kept the Bears in the game, holding the Giants without a first down on nine of 11 possessions through three quarters. But the unit ultimately wilted while trying to carry the rest of the team on its back.

Even though the offense was struggling mightily, the Bears only trailed 3-0 at halftime. After Lawrence Tynes’ 22-yard field goal late in the first quarter, the Chicago defense yielded just five yards on 14 plays with no first downs on New York’s final five possessions of the half.

Julius Peppers produced the defense’s biggest play, swatting the ball out of quarterback Eli Manning’s hand for the Bears’ second and final sack of the game. Brian Urlacher recovered the fumble at the Chicago 48. But the offense failed to capitalize on the takeaway, going three-and-out.

Manning completed 18 of 30 passes for 195 yards and a 79.2 passer rating in the game.

Ahmad Bradshaw’s three-yard touchdown run gave the Giants a 10-0 lead with 2:48 left in the third quarter. The TD capped an eight-play, 90-yard drive highlighted by Manning completions of 25 yards to Travis Beckum and 21 yards to Hakeem Nicks and a 25-yard run by Bradshaw.

After a Collins interception, the Bears got the ball right back when Chris Harris recovered a botched handoff at the Giants’ 29. The offense once again failed to pick up a first down, but Robbie Gould’s 40-yard field goal drew the Bears to within 10-3 with 10:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Bradshaw later dashed up the middle for 22 yards and was headed into the end zone when Zackary Bowman poked the ball loose from behind at the Bears’ 14 and scrambled to recover it at the 1.

But the Giants clinched the win on their next possession, widening the margin to 17-3 on Brandon Jacobs’ one-yard TD run with 4:31 to play. Bradshaw (23 carries for 129 yards) and Jacobs (6-62) combined to rush for 144 of their 191 yards in the second half.

“It was just a total team loss for us,” Smith said. “We realize how it looked, which was bad. But this is one game. That’s the bright part of it. If there’s something positive, it only counts for one loss. We finished up the first quarter [of the season] 3-1. We’ll go back to work tomorrow and start trying to fix some of these things.”

After the loss, Urlacher refused to take solace in the Bears’ 3-1 record.

“I’m not happy right now,” said the veteran middle linebacker. “We didn’t see this one coming. We had a good week of practice, but we didn’t play well today.”

WEEK 3: CHICAGO BEARS (2-0) VS. GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-0)-MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

CHICAGO – All the experts who picked the Packers to reach the Super Bowl may not be ready to change their predictions this early in the season. But there’s a different team on top of the NFC.

The Bears ascended to that lofty plateau by rallying from deficits of 10-0 and 17-14 to stun Green Bay 20-17 in a classic first-place showdown Monday night at Soldier Field.

After the Packers took a 17-14 lead on quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ three-yard touchdown run with 6:52 left in the third quarter, the Bears tied the game on Robbie Gould’s 25-yard field goal with 3:59 to play and then won it on Gould's 19-yarder with just :04 remaining.
The victory gave the Bears (3-0) a one-game lead over the rival Packers (2-1) atop the NFC North and left Chicago as the only undefeated team in the NFC.
“I thought our guys played hard for 60 minutes,” said coach Lovie Smith. “I know that’s coach talk, but they did. We got off to a rough start. They had momentum early on, but the guys just kept fighting.”

Gould’s winning field goal was set up by a key takeaway. With the score knotted 17-17, middle linebacker Brian Urlacher stripped the ball from receiver James Jones on a 12-yard reception, and cornerback Tim Jennings recovered the fumble at the Green Bay 46 with 2:18 to play.

“We needed a play,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “In situations like this, against teams like this, big-time players play big. They’ve got to play big.”

Urlacher wasn’t the only big-time player who played big. Devin Hester finally rediscovered his mojo on special teams. After his 28-yard punt return set up the offense’s only touchdown, Hester brought back another punt 62 yards for a score to give the Bears a 14-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. It was the 12th return TD of Hester’s career, but his first since the 2007 season finale.

“We’ve been waiting for Devin to come back and he was back tonight,” Smith said. “He was outstanding on that one touchdown run, but even before that it just felt like every time he went back there he had a chance to score. We’re tough when we have all three phases working like that.”

Julius Peppers was another star who delivered Monday night. On the opening possession of the second half, Peppers drew a holding penalty on right tackle Mark Tauscher that nullified Rodgers’ apparent 15-yard TD pass to tight end Jermichael Finley and then blocked Mason Crosby’s 37-yard field goal attempt.

“We have a lot of good football players on our team and the guys realize that,” Smith said. “We’re 3-0 because our top players, our marquee players, are playing that way.”

The Bears struggled early in the contest. After Gould missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on the game’s opening possession, Rodgers gave the Packers a 7-0 lead with a seven-yard TD pass to receiver Greg Jennings. Rodgers completed 4 of 4 passes for 62 yards on the drive. The Bears reached the Green Bay 25 on their second possession, but Cutler’s pass intended for Greg Olsen was intercepted by safety Derrick Martin in the end zone.
Crosby’s 38-yard field goal later gave the Packers a 10-0 lead with 4:41 left in the first half. The kick capped a methodical 14-play, 73-yard drive that burned 7:47 off the clock.

Hester then awakened his team and the crowd by taking a low punt and dashing 28 yards to the Green Bay 44, where he was brought down by punter Tim Masthay.

Cutler followed by connecting with Johnny Knox for 31 yards to the 13 and then hit a diving Olsen for a nine-yard TD on third-and-six, cutting the deficit to 10-7 with :26 left in the half.

Cutler made some clutch throws, but he didn’t perform as well as he had in the first two games of the season when he compiled an NFL-best 121.2 passer rating. Against the Packers, he completed 16 of 27 passes for 221 yards with one TD, one interception and an 82.5 passer rating.

“I didn’t play very well,” Cutler said. “I thought we were out of sync, missing throws I should have made. We didn’t play our best game and we won. That’s got to be a good sign. Offensively, we’ve got to get a lot better. I’ve got to play better. The defense did a good job of keeping us in there.”

The Bears defense allowed 379 total yards and failed to record a sack for the second straight week. But the unit delivered when the game was on the line.

“On the defensive side of the ball, guys hung in there,” Smith said. “We need to be able to get the quarterback down. But Aaron Rodgers is a good player. It’s hard to get him down. We kept the ball in front of us for the most part most of the game and came through with a big takeaway at the end.”

The Bears, who wore throwback uniforms to honor the Monsters of the Midway teams of the 1940s, improved to 3-0 for the first time since they went to the Super Bowl in 2006.

“On a night when we honored the Monsters of the Midway, it was good to see a team play 60 minutes of ball,” Smith said. “When you’re down a little bit, you have a chance to show your character. We have great leadership on our football team and the guys weren’t going to be denied.”

WEEK 2: CHICAGO BEARS (1-0) VS. DALLAS COWBOYS (0-1)

ARLINGTON, Texas – As the final seconds ticked off the clock Sunday at Cowboys Stadium, receiver Rashied Davis turned toward a large contingent of Bears fans behind the team’s bench and playfully shrieked, “We’ll be back!”

Davis, who of course was referring to a return trip to The House That Jerry Built for Super Bowl XLV in February, was euphoric after the Bears improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2006 by defeating the favored Dallas Cowboys 27-20.

“It was a signature game,” said coach Lovie Smith. “At halftime we talked to the guys about putting their name behind that second-half performance and really the entire game. Dallas is one of the favorites to win the NFC, so we were playing a good football team and wanted to see exactly how we match up.”Smith no doubt was extremely pleased with the results, although things didn’t go well early. An attacking Cowboys defense swarmed Jay Cutler for most of the first quarter and left tackle Chris Williams exited with a hamstring injury on the game’s opening possession.
But the Bears made key adjustments and Cutler made the Cowboys pay. The quarterback was masterful in completing 21 of 29 passes for 277 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a sparkling 136.7 passer rating that was his highest in 18 starts with the Bears.

“The receivers played well,” Smith said. “But it all starts with Jay Cutler. Jay really stayed in there early on and made the big throws that we brought him here to make.”

The Bears defense delivered as well, generating three takeaways, including the first two interceptions of nickel back D.J. Moore’s career. The unit looked better on the field than on the stat sheet, gang-tackling and punishing ballcarriers with hard hits while allowing only one touchdown.

The Cowboys (0-2) compiled 410 total yards, converted 6 of 13 of third-down opportunities (46 percent) and picked up first downs on 10 of 11 drives, with the only exception a one-play possession when they took a knee at the end of the first half. But the Bears made plays on defense when it mattered most.

The first came on Dallas’ first possession of the game when Charles Tillman drilled receiver Miles Austin just as Tony Romo’s pass arrived. The ball caromed off Austin to Moore, who alertly snatched it out of the air and returned the interception 18 yards to the Cowboys 23.

The Bears converted the turnover into Robbie Gould’s 38-yard field goal, but fell behind 7-3 when rookie Dez Bryant returned a low Brad Maynard punt 62 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter.

The game’s turning point, at least in Cutler’s mind, then occurred less than two minutes later when he beat a blitz with a quick throw to Greg Olsen, who raced for a 39-yard TD to give the Bears a 10-7 lead.

“We were reeling a little bit,” Cutler said. “The crowd was getting into it. [The Cowboys] were getting into it defensively. It just takes one play. We talk about it all the time. It just takes one play to turn the momentum around. We hit Greg, he’s gone and we’re right there in it.”

After initially replacing the injured Williams with Kevin Shaffer, the Bears flip-flopped their tackles, moving Shaffer to right tackle and switching Frank Omiyale from right tackle to the left side.

The Cowboys retook a 14-10 lead on Romo’s 1-yard TD pass to fullback Chris Gronkowski midway through the second quarter. But the Bears responded as Cutler floated a 59-yard bomb deep down the middle to Johnny Knox on third-and-15 and then lofted a 9-yard TD pass to Devin Hester. Hester soared to make a spectacular one-handed catch in the left corner of the end zone, bringing the ball down and barely getting both feet down inbounds. The TD, which was upheld after the Cowboys challenged the call, gave the Bears a 17-14 lead they would not relinquish with 3:38 left in the first half.
“First of all I had to make sure I secured the ball and second of all I had to make sure my feet stayed inbounds,” Hester said. “Other than that, it was a great throw by Jay. All the credit [goes] to the offensive line for holding their blocks and giving Jay the opportunity to put the ball where it needed to be put.”

After Moore’s second interception of a deflected pass—this time the ball bounced off tight end Jason Witten—Gould’s 40-yard field goal widened the margin to 20-14 with :20 left in the half.

David Buehler’s 28-yard field goal drew the Cowboys to within 20-17 on the opening drive of the third quarter. But Buehler missed a 44-yarder that would have tied the game with 7:23 left in the final period.

Instead of keeping the ball on the ground and trying to kill the clock, the Bears came out throwing. Cutler completed four straight passes for 66 yards, capped by a 3-yard TD to Matt Forte, who was split out wide right and beat single coverage by safety Michael Hamlin to make it 27-17 with 5:17 to play.

“That’s Mike [Martz],” Cutler said of the Bears offensive coordinator. “We’re going to be attacking. He’s going to dial up some good ones. By that time I think he had a good feel for what they were doing, when they were going to blitz, when they were going to come off, when they were going to play man.”

Buehler’s 48-yard field goal drew the Cowboys to within 27-20 with 1:17 remaining, but Earl Bennett smothered the subsequent onside kick and the Bears killed the clock to secure the victory.

Smith was especially happy to win in his home state and prove those who doubted his team wrong.

“Whenever you come back home, you want to do well in front of a lot of people that care about you,” said the Bears coach. “There’s a group that’s been trying to tell us what type of team we are. We’ve been saying exactly what type we are, and that’s a good football team. But you have to get wins to validate that. This win I think puts us a little bit closer to more people believing in us.”