Rapid Reaction: Bears Come Back to Beat Bengals 24-21

Sep 8, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) makes a reception against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

It was a tale of two halves.  I don’ t need a stat sheet to know that the Bears came out with a purpose in the second half of their 2013 season opener in their come-from-behind 24-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.  The offense settled down and regained their composure after a rough first half and the defense pulled it together to get key turnover and make key stops when it mattered most.   

Jay Cutler and the offense had a hard time getting in sync, gaining under 100 yards in the first half.  After starting the game 10 for 19 for 70 yards, Jay Cutler bounced back to finish the day 21 out of 33 for 242 yards.  Jay spread the ball around nicely, but didn’t forget about his favorite target.  Brandon Marshall scored the decisive touchdown with just under 8 minutes left in the game.

As well as the Bears offense did in the second half, the Bengals seemed to implode late in the game.  They burned all their time outs early in the half and had none left when they needed to try to get the ball back. On the Bears’ final drive, as Michael Bush came up short of the first down to seal the game, Jordan Mills drew an unnecessary roughness penalty on Rey Maualuga to give the Bears a first down inside of two minutes to allow the Bears to take the victory formation and earn Marc Trestman his first win as an NFL head coach.

We’ll have more coverage and dive inside the stats sheet later today, but all you need to know for now is that the Bears showed great composure and never panicked in their comeback win.