Bears get Lucky in Week 1

In the NFL, teams will take a victory any way that they can. The Chicago Bears did just that in Week 1 of the 2010 regular season when they escaped out of Soldier Field with a 19-14 win over the Detroit Lions. In the final two minutes of the game, the Lions were marching down field on Chicago and appeared to have taken the lead when backup quarterback Shaun Hill threw a jump-ball to Calvin Johnson in the end zone. Johnson, who caught the ball with both hands over Zack Bowman and came down in the end zone with both feet, failed to keep possession of the ball while on the ground and let go of the ball, which resulted in the referees ruling the pass incomplete.

It wasn’t only luck that helped the Bears win the first game of the season, but it was also the play of the defense. Out of the 14 defensive series that Chicago’s defensive unit played, they forced three turnovers and eight three-and-outs.

This defensive onslaught was spearheaded by veteran linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Urlacher, who missed virtually all of last season, had eight tackles and a sack, while Briggs finished the game with 10 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

The Bears’ biggest acquisition of the offseason, Julius Peppers, made one of the most impactful plays of the game by sacking and stripping the ball from Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and knocking him out of the game with a shoulder injury. Tommie Harris recovered the fumble, putting the Bears deep into Lions’ territory. In addition to Briggs and Harris’ takeaways, Charles Tillman intercepted his first pass of the year. All in all, Chicago has gotten off to a great start defensively, only giving up 168 total yards versus the Lions.

On the other side of the ball, things were a little bitter-sweet. Chicago’s offense did manage to amass 463 total yards, and they did manage to score the final 16 points of the game to come away with the victory. But the offense couldn’t capitalize on Detroit’s turnovers, and did commit four turnovers of their own.

For the first time as a Chicago Bear, quarterback Jay Cutler won a game in which he threw for over 300 yards. Along with his 372 passing yards, the second highest single-game total in his career, Cutler threw two touchdown passes and one interception.

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The offensive player of the game was third-year running back Matt Forte, who finished the game with 201 total yards from scrimmage. One hundred fifty-one of Forte’s yards came in the receiving game. The 2008 second-round pick scored the Bears’ only touchdowns exactly when they needed them. Forte’s first TD came late in the first half when he took a screen pass 89 yards down the sideline to cut Detroit’s lead to one point. The second TD came in the final two minutes of the game when Cutler connected with the former Tulane running back for a 28-yard TD pass that gave Chicago the lead for good.

Even though Devin Hester is the number one receiver on paper, it’s pretty clear that Devin Aromashodu is the number one receiver on the field. Aromashodu lead the Bears with five catches for 71 yards, and was targeted 10 times throughout the game. Hester, who also saw action in the punt return game, only had one catch for 17 yards. Cutler did manage to connect with three other receivers throughout the game as well. Second-year receiver Johnny Knox had three receptions for 53 yards, tight end Greg Olsen hauled in four balls for 37 yards, and Forte’s backfield mate Chester Taylor had three catches for 44 yards.

Forte and Cutler did have career games versus the Lions, but they also contributed to keeping Detroit in the game. Forte had two fumbles, losing one. Cutler made a terrible decision in throwing into triple coverage in the first quarter, resulting in an interception. Along with the interception, Cutler did lose a fumble, as did Olsen. All of these turnovers could have led to more points for the Bears, giving them a much comfortable lead throughout the game.

The only other phase that really hasn’t come completely together is the offensive line. Cutler was sacked four times and hit seven other times. Forte and Taylor combined for only 79 yards on the ground on 26 carries, which averaged to only three yards per carry.

Another major concern with the offensive line was their inability to get the ball into the end zone when they were on the one-yard line. Three of the four plays called were run plays, and nothing was gained.

Despite the inconsistent play of the offense, things are looking up for the Chicago Bears. They are presently in a tie for first place in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers, a team that they will meet in Week 3 on a Monday night. But before they come face-to-face with the hated Packers, the Bears will have to travel to Dallas and face Tony Romo and the Cowboys in Week 2. Dallas has struggled offensively since the preseason. For the Bears’ sake, let’s hope the Cowboys’ offensive woes continue, along with Chicago’s defensive dominance.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent