Chicago Bears show character, toughness in comeback win
The Chicago Bears erased a 14 point halftime deficit to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 18 to 17. The victory is quite impressive for the Bears (2-3) who were undermanned due to numerous injuries and came away with a win in a hostile environment. The team showed incredible character and toughness on their way to a second straight win.
Jay Cutler spent Sunday afternoon doing something that no quarterback looks forward to doing. He was playing behind a reshuffled offensive line and without his top two receivers. With five starters out on offense (three on the offensive line and two receivers), Cutler and the Bears were figured to struggle mightily against a tough Chiefs defense at home.
And that was the case as the game approached the early third quarter. The Bears, who did dominant time of possession, had only 3 points and were showing no signs of life offensively. Without receivers Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal, the Bears were unable to move the ball down field and looked like a spiritless team.
Then, the new leader of the defense (and maybe the team now) Pernell McPhee, sparked the Bears and changed the momentum of the entire game.
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The Bengals were setting up for a 26-yard field goal, when McPhee broke through the line and blocked the kick. After the block, McPhee and his teammates let out a roar, a roar that symbolized the new-found toughness of this team.
“They had disrespected me three times, running the counter at me, and they busted three times in a row,” McPhee said. “I looked at my guys and said, that was one me. I’ve got to make a play.”
The attitude that McPhee displays is something the Bears as a team have lacked over the past few years. His emotion and passion for the game is having a positive effect on his teammates, and the team seized the momentum after his big play.
Robbie Gould hit his second field goal of the game to make it 17-6. The make made him the top scorer in Bears history. The Bears shut down the Kansas City offense in the second half as the Chiefs went scoreless.
The Bears defense is playing with an edge again, an edge that rubbed off on the offense as well.
Cutler led the Bears on two touchdown drives late in the game, and was clutch when it counted for the second consecutive week. All the excuses were there for the Bears to make. Down five starters, playing with a rookie center making his first start, down two play makers on the outside, playing in a hostile environment; and yet the Bears showed mental toughness and character to stun the Chiefs at the end.
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The two touchdown throws from Cutler were marvelous. The first to Marquess Wilson was a perfectly placed ball over two defenders and right into the arms of Wilson.
“That was an amazing throw”, Wilson said. “He put it exactly where it needed to be right on the money. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that. He threw that before I even got out of my break. It was just a matter if the ball was going to get there or not. But, it was a phenomenal throw.”
The second one to Matt Forte started off bad as Cutler fumbled a low snap. He quickly recovered the ball and tossed a strike to Forte in the corner for the game winner.
The Bears comeback was complete, and their growth as a team continues.
This is a game the Bears would have lost under the old regime. They would have given into the score and just packed it in. New head coach John Fox is a players coach and his message really resonates with the Bears players. Cutler and the Bears showed tremendous poise today and battled through adversity well.
The character of this team is rising and the results are showing.
The Bears defense continues to show improvement week by week and they kept the team in the game. Cutler and the offense have to get going earlier in games in the future, but showed great resiliency to pull this one out.
Next week the Bears head to Detroit to take on the 0-5 Lions.