Cutler, Forte and Defense Impress – Bears Beat Falcons 27-13

In what many were calling a “must-win” for the beloved Bears, they came through….in a BIG way. I give a lot of credit to the guys that came in for some injured players. I think it’s safe to say that the depth this year is much improved.

This past week, I think everyone in Chicago said a bad thing about the Chicago Bear quarterback position, even my grandma (aka Nana). I know this because I am one of the biggest Jay Cutler backers you will ever meet, and I felt the pressure. I can imagine what it felt like in the Cutler household. Well…..Cutler responded, completing 69% of his passes for 381 yards and 1 td. The biggest stat of all, NO INTERCEPTIONS. Matt Forte, for the second week in a row exploded as a 2 way threat rushing for 80 yards and catching 10 passes for 77 yards. Through the first 6 games of the year, it is not out of the question to say that Matt Forte is the Bears MVP. Alshon Jeffrey and B-Marsh broke out with 11 receptions for 249 yards. It was a good day offensively. If we want to be picky, Jordan Mills had a rough 1st half with 2 false start penalties and 1 sack given up. With that said, Michael Ola played a solid game in relief of Jermon Bushrod.

Defensively, I was even more impressed. Keep in mind – Bostic, Briggs, DJ Williams, McClellin…ALL OUT. The Bears starting linebackers today were Kaseem Greene, Christian Jones and Darryl “don’t call me Al” Sharpton. When I saw this, I was not sure if we had a shot in the world against  my high school team let alone one of the top scoring offenses in the league (yards-wise). These guys proved me wrong and played well, especially Sharpton. I saw hitting, I saw aggressive play, I saw blitzes and most of all…..I saw PRESSURE ON THE QUARTERBACK. This is something we have not seen in a while. Willie Young had 2 sacks and Jared Allen added one as the 2 guys that are no strangers to the indoor turf, showed up to play. I still think that the defensive line needs a little bit of criticism on their ability to identify a screen, but lets not expect perfection, folks. I’ll let the coaches figure that one out.

And theN there was the special teams. One word – garbage. A blocked extra point, 34 total return yard on punts and kickoffs, multiple penalties again on returns, etc. Joe D had better get his unit together, fast.

With all factors in play, it was a good Sunday in Chicago and will be a much better work week ahead. The Bears had their backs against the wall and they rose up. This was no easy task as there were many fans, NOT including yours truly, that were ready to give up on this team. If you were one of them, then shame on you. There’s a lot of football to play and with all of the underachieving so far this year, the Bears are still only 1 game out of first place.

Bear fans – stay behind your team, have faith and….BEAR DOWN!!!