Bears put the freeze on the Jags

The Chicago Bears (7-6) were ready for the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) from the opening kickoff. Playing the first of three consecutive games at home, the Bears took full advantage of the cold weather and of home field.

Chicago’s offense pounced on the Jags when they were given a short field as a result of an interception that was returned to the one-yard line by Danieal Manning. Two plays later, Kyle Orton hooked up with Desmond Clark for a touchdown that gave the Bears a lead that they would never relinquish. Orton finished the game by completing 20 of his 34 pass attempts for 219 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. And once again, rookie Matt Forte had over 100 total yards from scrimmage—69 yards rushing and 37 yards receiving. With that performance, the Tulane product surpassed the great Gale Sayers for most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in franchise history. On the receiving end, Greg Olson racked up 52 yards and a touchdown, while the steadily improving Devin Hester tied Forte for a game-high five receptions for 80 yards.

Despite giving up 119 yards on the ground and a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Chicago’s defense kept the Jags in check. Anthony Adams, Mike Brown, Charles Tillman, and Brian Urlacher had eight tackles each, while Israel Idonije had a game-high 1 ½ sacks—followed by Mark Anderson with one sack and Adewale Ogunleye with other half of Idonije’s sack.

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The performance of the kicking and punting game couldn’t have been better. Robbie Gould connected on all three of his field goal attempts (22, 36, and 35). Veteran Brad Maynard, who leads the NFL in punts inside the 20, was the X-factor in the field position game by placing four of his six punts inside the 20-yard line.

Although the Chicago Bears earned this much needed win, they still find themselves one game behind the Minnesota Vikings (8-5) in the NFC North. With already very little room for error in the division, the Bears have very little room for preparation for their next opponent, the New Orleans Saints, whom they will face this coming Thursday night.

By Clyde A. Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent