Chicago Bears 2012 Rewind: Bears destroy Jaguars in Week 5
Oct 7, 2012; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) calls the cadence at the line during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
One of the most common lessons learned in life is that we must learn from our mistakes. The best way to go forward in life and football is to look back. We all learn from the past to build on the future. From now on, every week I will be giving you a retrospective look at every one of last season’s games until the start of the season.
Let’s face it; all fans look back on games and wish that things would have gone differently. I always look back at the 2010 NFC Championship game and think “Man, if Urlacher just would have made a better move on Rodgers…” That game is just one of the few. There is something to be learned from every game.
Now moving on to Week 5, the Bears visit to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars. For Bears fans, this game was majestic. For Jaguars fans, it was a nightmare. After a relatively boring first half, the Bears crushed Jacksonville with a title wave of points. Just check out the box score.
Game Summary
Jay Cutler’s first pass of the game was intercepted. It was a terrible miscommunication between him and Brandon Marshall after a low snap. At that point, I felt like the game was going to go downhill. Thankfully, I was wrong. The Bears got a field goal on their ensuing drive. The Jaguars nodded things up early in the second, and that was the scoring in the first half.
The second half started with a Bears drive that lasted almost 10 minutes. Unfortunately, it ended in a field goal because of two Gabe Carimi false starts. Marshall had 6 catches on the drive.
The fact that the drive ended in a field goal was aggravating, but it was okay because on the following Jaguars possession, Charles Tillman picked off a Blaine Gabbert pass and took it 36 yards for a score. It was his second touchdown in as many weeks. Here is the clip.
The first play of the fourth quarter was a 10 yard touchdown strike to Alshon Jeffery. 20-3. After a forced punt, Brandon Marshall caught a 24-yard touchdown from Cutler. 27-3. Then, something amazing happened. For the second week in a row, both Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs had pick-6’s. Here’s the clip of the play of the game. 34-3 Bears. It became 41-3 Bears after a 46-yard Armando Allen touchdown run. And that’s how it was chalked up.
Bright Spots
The second half. The Bears went on a rampage and scored 28 fourth quarter points. It was a thing of beauty. Brandon Marshall wins MVP honors for his 12 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. The defense was flawless, holding Blaine Gabbert to 142 yards passing.
Oct 7, 2012; Jacksonville FL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) is congratulated by fans after their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. The Bears won 41-3. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
One to grow on
Against teams that are better than the Jaguars, a slow start won’t do you any good. This game started off slow, like so many others. Slow starts are a reoccurring theme in these posts. Gabe Carami’s false start penalties were also disastrous, but that problem has been solved. The Bears need to look back at this game as a stampede of a weak team. Scores should look like this when you play teams this bad.