Closing the Book on Bears’ 41-21 Week 1 Win Over the Colts

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Sep 09, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) shakes hands with Chicago Bears defensive end Henry Melton (69) after the game at Soldier Field. Chicago defeats Indianapolis 41-21. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

With a short week ahead of us and the 0-1 Packers just a couple days away, it’s almost time to turn the page and close the book on the Week 1 over the Indianapolis Colts.  I said almost.  Let’s look at some stats and other minutia that jumped out at me when I did one last review of the game.

  • The Bears were 4 out of 6 (67%) in the red zone.  Better than that, they were 3/3 (100%) in goal to go situations.  That’s a big difference in this version of the Chicago Bears.
  • The Bears won the time of possession battle 35:28 to 24:32.  Why is that important?  Because keeping the opposing offense on the sidelines also allows the defense to rest on the sidelines and stay fresh.
  • Brandon Marshall was targeted 15 times on Jay’s 35 pass attempts.  That’s nearly triple the next closest guy, Forte, who had 6 targets in the passing game.  If you thought that was a lot, Reggie Wayne had a game-high 18 targets.  He pulled in 9 passes for 135 yards.  If Reggie Wayne is a free agent in your fantasy league, go pick him up.  If you’re in My fantasy league, pick up a phone and make me an offer.
  • A couple of guys worth singling out who didn’t get mentioned in the first wrap up were Kelvin Hayden and Evan Rodriguez.  Hayden did a nice job stepping in for Peanut Tillman while Evan Rodriguez filled that H-back role nicely with a few nice blocks.
  • In case you missed it, you’ve got to see the Matt Forte catch again.  Just sick.

It wasn’t all seashells and balloons for the Bears.  There were some negatives that popped up in the stats.

  • The Bears defense allowed the Colts to go 2/2 on fourth downs.
  • The offense only converted on 4 out of 12 third downs.  That kind of conversion rate isn’t going to cut in when the Bears step up in class on Thursday night against the Packers.
  • The Bears committed 7 penalties for 48 yards.  Another thing they’ve got to clean up ASAP if they want to compete in Green Bay.
  • The Bears had 3 sacks (2 from Melton and 1 from Corey Wooten on the strip/fumble might have been an INT what it wasn’t) and 5 QB rushes.  Considering Andrew Luck had 45 pass attempts, that’s just piss poor.  The Bears need to get the quarterback on the ground more often if he’s dropping back that much.
  • Was it just me or did the entire game take a turn in the Bears’ favor when Dwight Freeney headed to the sidelines with a bum ankle?  Coincidence?

What did I miss?  What do you want to add before we close the book on the big Bears’ 41-21 win over Andrew Luck on the Colts?  Hit it up in the Comments.