Bears Get Back On Track In Win Over The Falcons
By Coach Boss
Oct 12, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman (left) greets Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith after their game at the Georgia Dome. The Bears won 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
I know the loyal readers of Bear Goggles On are used to reading this from me but I’ll say it again for those who are new to the party…
Trust the process.
Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons was a microcosm of what we thought the Chicago Bears would look like when the season began:
They were solid on defense forcing at least one turnover and almost two; putting consistent pressure on the QB and recording four sacks as well as hitting the receivers hard early and often which helped lead to dropped passes throughout the game. This was particularly impressive since their top four LB were out for the game with injuries and the Bears were literally signing guys off the street to suit up for the game.
Special teams had a couple of penalties but also held the greatest return man in history former Bear Devin Hester to just 54 return yards on four attempts. It helps when you can send the kickoffs through the end zone and you only allow two punt return opportunities. There was also that blocked extra point which is not good.
This is what the fans (and the team) expected the offense to look like from day one; 110 yards rushing with 2 TDs (which you can see here and here), 381 yards passing with 1 TD and the most important stat 0 turnovers. The big 4 (Forte, Marshall, Jeffery & Bennett) combined to catch 27 out of the 28 receptions for 378 yards. The other one reception went to the 3rd receiver Josh Morgan for three yards but the only TD. All in all, QB Jay Cutler was 28/38 (73.7%) 381 with 1 TD for a passer rating of 109.6 and a QBR of 72.3. The offense had plays of 25 yards (Bennett), 47 yards (Marshall) and 74 yards (Jeffery) which is an element to the offense that has been lacking the past couple weeks.
Cutty looked good…
He looked every bit the franchise QB he was paid in the off season to be. He was a leader on the field and his teammates followed him.
For as much crap as the defense and DC Mel Tucker is blamed for (and some rightfully so), he and the rest of the defensive staff deserve a ton of credit for circling the wagons and playing well. Holding any team to 42 yards rushing is impressive in the NFL.
Head Coach Marc Trestman and the Bears coaching staff as a whole deserve some credit for keeping the players even keel throughout these last couple of weeks as well. Losing two games in a row could have started some major division in the locker room and I am sure there were conversations internally but ultimately, the team came together and took care of business in what could have been an ugly loss in Atlanta.