Bears Fall to Packers in Opening Week

The long awaited 2009 NFL season finally got underway for the Chicago Bears Sunday night when they faced the archrival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, Chicago faltered at the end, losing 21-15.

Jay Cutler’s debut was one to forget. The Pro Bowl quarterback looked out of sync, completing 17 of 36 pass attempts for 277, one touchdown, and a career-high four interceptions—three of which came in the first half. Not only was the play at quarterback bad, but the running game was nonexistent. Second-year running back Matt Forte only amassed 55 yards on 25 carries. Despite the atrocious passing attack, wide receivers Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and rookie Johnny Knox did put up some decent numbers. Hester scored the team’s only touchdown on a 36-yard pass from Cutler in the third quarter, and finished the game with four receptions for a team-high 90 yards. Bennett had 66 receiving yards on a game-high seven receptions, and with only two catches, Knox finished with 82 receiving yards. Chicago’s leading pass catchers from last season, Forte and tight end Greg Olsen, only had one reception between the both of them the entire game.

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The defense in fact did its job for most of the contest, giving Chicago a chance to win. However, in the end, they just couldn’t hold the Packers when it counted, giving up a 50-yard touchdown pass to seal their fate. Other than the big play at the end of the game, the Bears’ defense did a good job keeping Green Bay’s offense in check. The one thing that stood out the most was the constant pressure put on Packer’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Along with a number of quarterback hurries and hits, the Bears sacked Rodgers four times—two of which were by Adewale Ogunleye. The other sacks were registered by safeties Danieal Manning—whose sack resulted in a safety—and rookie Al Afalava.

To make matters worse, the injury bug hit the Bears hard. Cornerback Trumaine McBride and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa both sprained their knee and didn’t return to the game. However, the biggest blow came when all-pro Brian Urlacher dislocated his right wrist in the first half, which resulted in him not only missing the second half, but also knocking him out for the entire season.

With the 2009 season starting on a sour note, the Chicago Bears will have to regroup quickly in order to defend their home turf when the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers come to The Windy City.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent