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.”
No comments:
Post a Comment