Bits and Pieces From the Chicago Bears Win over the NY Giants

Oct 10, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) rushes the ball against the New York Giants during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

That game was a lot closer than it should have been. I know the New York Giants have some great players but QB Eli Manning is a turnover machine right now and the Giants defense has been giving up points like they were out of style, in fact, the Bears are the first team to beat the Giants this year without scoring at least 30 points.

It was also the Giants second smallest losing margin (6 points) this season (the Cowboys beat them by 5 in the opener).

The Bears continue to be turnover causing fools with 3 more interceptions and 7 more points off of those turnovers. It could have (should have) been more if Head Coach Marc Trestman had chosen to go for the points instead of the 1st down (or touchdown) on 4th and 2 from the 3 yard line. That move was baffling and intriguing at the same time. Had QB Jay Cutler pulled up a little sooner, he might have been able to hit WR Earl Bennett in the front corner of the end zone (back shoulder) for a TD.

I thought it was interesting that the NFLNetwork put up a picture of CB Charles Tillman and DE Julius Peppers as impact players for the game. Tillman didn’t play and Peppers didn’t record a statistic for the the 3rd game this season.

I love this defense for the turnovers and scoring it does, but the whole giving up big chunks of yards thing is wearing on my nerves. I was pretty nervous on the Giants last drive until the 2nd Tim Jennings INT of the day. I tried to stay positive and send strong tackling and D-line pressure vibes to the defense through my tablet.

The run defense was horrible all night. I know it is difficult when your 1st and 2nd string interior line goes down and out with injury and you are forced to play with an undrafted rookie (Zach Minter) and a guy you signed off the street two weeks ago (Landon Cohen) but come on. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs looked like he did in his prime running for 106 yards and 2TD. The Giants came in averaging 57 yards rushing per game and the Bears D gave up 123 yards. That is not getting it done.

The defense is giving up way too many long drives (80+ yards). There were two more 80 yard scoring drives given up this game and a 91 yard scoring drive. This is not good for the defense.

The Bears continued to struggle wrapping up the ball carrier and there were missed tackles all over the field. This has become a real issue with the defense and I am beginning to worry that the defense has become the weak link.

Of course, I could say that about the Special Teams as well.

Aside from the Minnesota game, the ST has been pretty underwhelming as a whole. There was even a shouting match between KR Devin Hester and K Robbie Gould after the kickoff return team gave up a 46 yard return to Giants WR Jerrel Jernigan. Both Hester and Gould say they are good with each other and that frustrations boiled over; I believe them. I don’t believe there is any rift between the two special teams stars.

Good things happen when RB Matt Forte gets the ball on the edge. I don’t know the exact statistics but Forte seems to have a lot more success when he gets the ball outside the tackles. I like the sweeps. screens, pitches and throws to the flat with him on the receiving end.

I don’t know when the last time I remember seeing a fullback utilized the way Tony Fiammetta is being used. He is blocking his tail off, pounding the rock and going out for passes. His catch and run was awesome and it was good to see a grinder get to show off more of his skills.

I hope Coach Trestman continues to call the end around to WR Alshon Jeffery. It continues to be successful and it is just fun to watch.

Jay Cutler is making much better decisions; he threw to places only his receivers could get to the ball; he thre the ball away, he used his checkdowns and he ran the ball when necessary. I’m pretty sure this was the first game in a Bears uniform where he was not sacked, nor turned the ball over for an entire game. I might be wrong but I do know it does not happen very often.

I thought the penatly for intentional grounding was pretty lame. I went back to see how far away the ball was when it hit the ground compared to where Forte was; they were approximately 4 yards apart. I don’t know the exact wording of the rule but it seems like the foul was incorrectly applied. I loved Cutler’s feistiness when telling the ref  “that’s two!” in regards to the 2nd blown call.

Speaking of blown calls; Giants WR Rueben Randle did not give himself up when he caught, fell then spiked the ball without being touched. That was clearly a fumble; if the wording of the rule says it was not, then the wording needs to be changed. Robert Griffin III slid head first and “gave himself up” a couple games ago and his was ruled a fumble. The league needs to get this clarified.

I am worried about lost production at the MLB position now that D.J. Williams is out for the season. Bostic is a big hitter and I like his agressiveness, but right now he is a liability in pass coverage and I am not sure that is something the Bears D can afford. It will be interesting to see how well Bostic plays once he has an entire week to prepare to start.

I was really on edge during the Giants final drive. If Eli Manning throws the ball just a few inches lower, the receiver more than likely catches the ball and the drive continues. That was a case of Manning making a bad play instead of the Bears creating a turnover.

The Bears are still the only team that has not given up a touchdown in the 4th quarter this season.

So what did you see Bears fans? What did you like? What frustrated you? Should fans be worried about the run defense or will the coaches and players get it figured out?  Let me know what you think!