Bears drop to 0-2 in 2010 Preseason

With the 2010 NFL preseason half over, the Chicago Bears still find themselves trying to get on track before the start of the regular season. The Bears suffered their second loss of the preseason to the Oakland Raiders 32-17. Just like their first game, there were some bright spots, but it seemed that there were more rough spots that needed to be worked on.

The good news for the offense is that 174 yards was produced on the ground. Matt Forte had the majority of those yards, rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown on five carries. On the flipside, only 100 net yards was gained through the air. Jay Cutler completed seven out of 15 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown to second-year receiver Johnny Knox from 22 yards out. Though the offensive line did a great job in blocking for Forte and the rest of Chicago’s backfield, the same can’t be said for their pass protection. Cutler was sacked five times in the first half. Oakland’s Kamerion Wimbley recorded four of those sacks, two of which were given up by third-year left tackle Chris Williams.

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Things started bad for the Bears’ defense in their first series. The face of the franchise, Brian Urlacher, left the game early with a strained left calf. Following Urlacher’s departure, the Raiders marched down the field to score the game’s first touchdown. But the defense rebounded in the first half and recorded two sacks, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception, and pressured the quarterback once. This defensive onslaught gave Chicago a 14-13 lead at halftime. Unfortunately, the Bears’ reserves couldn’t keep the lead for the remainder of the game.

The only thing that stood out on special teams was the three bad snaps by Desmond Clark. Clark was taking over the duties of 13-year veteran long snapper Patrick Mannelly, who didn’t play due to injury.

Up next is the preseason game that counts the most. The Chicago Bears’ starters will play the majority of the game and show everyone how ready they are for the upcoming regular season when they face the Arizona Cardinals.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent