Bears Comeback Falls Short, Seahawks Win 23-17 in Overtime
Dec 2, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to hand off against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE
At the end of the first half, I wrote about missed opportunities. Those missed opportunities turned into a loss as the scrappy Russell Wilson-led Seahawks prevailed 23-17 in overtime. It was a crushing defeat as a Packers win over the Vikings means Green Bay goes back atop the NFC North.
The Bears seemed to take control of the game in the 3rd quarter with a beautiful Jay Cutler led 11 play, 94 yard drive capped off by a Matt Forte receiving touchdown. The Bears went up 14-10 and appeared to be in good shape. They spent most of the fourth quarter running the ball and trying to keep the ball away from the Seahawks. Jay Cutler didn’t attempt a pass in the 4th quarter until the closing seconds. More on that in a bit.
The Seahawks started their last drive of regulation at their own 3 yard line down four point with less than 4 minutes to go. Russell Wilson guided his team 97 yards to a Golden Tate touchdown to take a 17-14 lead with 26 seconds left. All hope appeared lost. Enter Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall.
On the first play of the Bears’ final drive of the day, Cutler heaved a 56-yard bomb to Brandon Marshall to set Robbie Gould up for the game-tying FG. Solid Gould nailed a 46 yarder to force Overtime and thrill the Soldier Field faithful as time expired.
The Seahawks won the coin toss and never looked back. The exhausted Bears defense didn’t stand a chance. Russell Wilson continued to carve them up, running the ball effectively and finally hitting Sydney Rice for the decisive score.
Big injury concerns for the Bears following this game. Earl Bennett left the game with a concussion, Chris Conte left early with the flu (seriously, the flu?!?!) and Tim Jennings took a vicious shot that looked like a shoulder injury. On the second to last play, Brian Urlacher limped off the field with what’s been described as a hamstring injury.
That’s all for my rapid reaction. I need to walk away for a while or my head might explode. This loss hurts after the Bears couldn’t protect the lead and let the Seahawks march up and down the field on them late in the game. Poor decisions early and poor play late cost the Bears a crucial conference game. No time to waste, Adrian Peterson and the Vikings await in their building.