Bears Belittle Giants: Chicago gets first preseason victory

The Chicago Bears gave their fans plenty of reasons to be very optimistic after their second preseason game against the New York Giants. Chicago’s first-string offense and defense, as well as the reserves, were dominant on both sides of the ball, which resulted in a 17-3 victory.

Quarterback Jay Cutler rebounded from his sub-par performance in the first preseason game by completing eight of his 13 pass attempts for 121 yards and a touchdown. In addition to his improved numbers, Cutler also led the Bears on their first three offensive possessions, which all resulted in scores. Second-year running back Matt Forte saw his first action of the preseason and picked up where he left off from his rookie campaign rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Forte displayed his explosiveness in the second quarter when he ran 32 yards for the game’s first touchdown. The Bears’ next offensive possession went 92 yards, ending with Cutler connecting with tight end Desmond Clark for a one-yard touchdown pass.

> Find Chicago Bears jerseys & hats online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

The defense, as a whole, was clicking on all cylinders and surrendered no touchdowns throughout the game. The defensive line showed significant improvement from the first preseason game also. Of the five sacks the Bears produced, four were by the d-line. The secondary, who ranked 30 th last regular season, only gave up 165 yards in the air.

The third, and most important, game of the preseason is up next for the Bears, who will travel to Denver to face the Broncos. The hype will not only be centered on Cutler facing the team that he played for last year, but it also will be focused on Broncos’ quarterback Kyle Orton, who was Chicago’s quarterback last year. But what makes this game important isn’t the hoopla of the two quarterbacks, but it is the one game of the preseason in which the starters will play the majority of the game, which will give head coach Lovie Smith and the rest of the Chicago faithful a clearer look of how ready the team is for the regular season.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent