Chicago Bears 2012 Rewind: Bears lose to Green Bay… Again
Teams traded punts until the Bears caught a break on a Crosby missed field goal. They then took it down the field on a nice drive, resulting in an awesome 15 yard Cutler to Marshall touchdown. Marshall caught it over the middle, broke a tackle, performed a stiff arm, and ran it in. Here is the clip of the Bears best play. Notice how Kellen Davis actually almost made a nice block.
Dec 16, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones (89) catches a touchdown pass against Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman (33) during the second half at Soldier Field. The Green Bay Packers defeat the Chicago Bears 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The next drive, the Bears got the Packers to a third and six at their own 34. Rodgers made a few men miss, rolled out and threw a beautiful pass into triple coverage that was caught by Randall Cobb. If only the Bears could have gotten to the man and rushed his throw. But no.Three plays later, James Jones caught a 29 yard pass for a touchdown and a tie game. The teams traded punt, and the Bears found themselves in a good position, with the ball at their own 37 with 2 minutes in the half. Unfortunately, Jay Cutler had a wide open Matt Forte underneath, but instead he threw the ball into the open arms of Casey Heyward, who brought it to the Bear 27. All Jay had to do was check it down, or wait a few more seconds for the intended Hester to make his break. But he didn’t and it greatly cost the Bears. The elite Aaron Rodgers, of course, capitalized. 14-7 at the half .
Early in the third, the Packers were facing a 4th and six at the Bears 25. They went for it, and got it. On a third and thirteen on the same drive, the Bears actually forced an incompletion. Chris Conte got flagged for end zone PI. If he wouldn’t have made the penalty, it would have either set up a Packer field goal, or a 4th and thirteen attempt that could have easily failed. But it was 21-7, either way.
After Charles Tillman forced an amazing fumble, the Bears got lucky and got two pass interference calls, setting the team up at the opponents 5. First down, Forte took it 4 yards to the one. Second down, third down, he took it for no gain. Is there no such thing as a quarterback sneak nowadays? Where was Michael Bush? He was injured with “sore ribs.” Sore ribs. The guy gets played millions to run the ball between the trenches near the goal line, but he couldn’t do it because his ribs hurt. I don’t know why they didn’t let Cutler sneak across. Either way, Alshon Jeffery should have had a touchdown the next p[lay, but he was flagged for offensive pass interference. Olindo Mare cut it to an unconvincing 21-10. The Bears held the Packers to another missed field goal next drive, and when they inevitably punted, Randall Cobb made a boneheaded throw back and no one was there to catch it. The Bears recovered. Three 0 yard plays later, Mare came out again. Where’s the variety? Why can’t the offense gain 16 yards?! The Bears had another chance to do something good, but of course, they didn’t cease their creation of rage within the souls of the fans.
Things to grow on
Too many italics. If the Bears were just able to seize the opportunities given to them, they can easily win by a touchdown or more. But they couldn’t. That is what separates the good from the great. And the Bears didn’t even look good; they looked pathetic. The biggest mistake of the game to me was the Cutler 2nd quarter interception. If he just took a little more time and didn’t throw a terrible pass to Hester, the Bears could have been leading at halftime. But instead, the veteran looked like a rookie. This year, if the Bears want to compete with the Packers, the opportunities must be seized, the pain must be endured, and the mistakes must be minimized.