Chicago Bears May Have Found Defensive Spark to Contend with NFC Heavyweights
Published by Zach Kruse on September 15, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears pulled off one of the more improbable wins of the young 2014 season, coming back from 17 points down in the first half to beat the San Francisco 49ers on the road for the first time since 1985.
Surprisingly, it was Chicago’s defense that provided the winning spark against one of the NFC’s heavyweights.
A week after struggling with the Buffalo Bills at home, the Bears caused four 49ers turnovers Sunday night—all from quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Chris Conte‘s diving interception and Jared Allen’s forced fumble kept the Bears alive in the first half, and rookie Kyle Fuller’s two interceptions in the second half led to 14 points for Chicago, including the game-winning score in the fourth quarter.
The contest had the makings of a blowout over the first 30 minutes.
With just over two minutes to go in the first half, 49ers running back Frank Gore lunged into the end zone from eight yards out to give San Francisco a well-deserved 17-0 lead. Battered on the injury front and lost on both sides of the ball, the Bears looked well on their way to 0-2.
Instead, a helmet to the sternum of quarterback Jay Cutler initiated Chicago’s comeback.
“It felt like my chest hit my backbone,” Cutler told NBC’s Michele Tafoya on the field after the game.
The hit ended up being a wake-up call for Cutler, the offense and eventually the Bears defense.
A few plays later, Brandon Marshall, who was questionable coming in with an ankle injury, made an impressive one-handed snag of a Cutler throw for a 17-yard touchdown. Despite being manhandled for most of the first half, Chicago went into the break down only 17-7.
The defense flicked on the switch when it had to most.
The 49ers took the first offensive drive of the second half 84 yards over 14 plays, but the Bears stood tall near the goal line.
San Francisco had 1st-and-goal from the Chicago 5-yard line, but Tim Jennings and Fuller stopped Frank Gore for one yard on first down, Lance Briggs shot a gap and took down Carlos Hyde for a loss on second down, and Willie Young managed to get Gore on the ground on third down.
A chance to go up 24-7 in the second half was instead turned into a 24-yard field goal, which kept Chicago within two scores.
The 49ers wouldn’t score again.
Meanwhile, the Bears offense found the end zone on its first three possessions of the second half. The defense provided a helping hand.
After Dawson’s field goal made the game 20-7, Cutler took Chicago 80 yards over 13 plays to pull the Bears within six points.
San Francisco’s next offensive play saw Fuller intercept Kaepernick, which set up Chicago on the 49ers’ 3-yard line. Cutler found Martellus Bennett for a touchdown one play later, and the Bears suddenly found themselves in possession of the lead, 21-20.
Chicago’s defense wasn’t done.
Asked to play important snaps in place of Charles Tillman (triceps), Fuller made a veteran play to halt the 49ers’ next drive. He drifted off his man coverage to undercut Kaepernick‘s deep attempt to tight end Derek Carrier, which both prevented a big play on third down and gave the Bears the football back with a chance to score more points.
Cutler delivered on the opportunity. His fourth touchdown pass of the night put the Bears up 28-20 with under seven minutes to play.
“The defense set us up with some short fields, some turnovers,” Cutler told Tafoya. “That helped, and we were able to convert when we got down in the red zone.”
A pair of sacks from Young—the quarterback fisherman?—and a fourth-down stop sealed the come-from-behind win. Sunday night’s 17-point comeback represented the rarest of victories for the Bears, who won a road game after being down more than 16 points for just the fourth time in 145 tries.
The 49ers certainly gave Chicago an assist.
San Francisco’s four turnovers and 16 penalties for 118 yards were instrumental in keeping the game manageable in the first half and helping along the second half’s comeback.
But good teams create their own breaks, and that’s exactly what the Bears did to spoil the 49ers’ first regular-season game at Levi’s Stadium.
After a discouraging season opener, the Chicago defense suddenly has reason for optimism.
Fuller, Chicago’s first-round pick in 2014, looks like a future star. Briggs played faster and more decisively. Conte was aggressive before leaving with an injury. Young, Lamarr Houston and Jared Allen provided a pass rush.
The final numbers were respectable. Kaepernick took four sacks. The 49ers rushed for 129 yards, but 66 came from Kaepernick. Gore rushed for just 63 yards, and the 49ers running backs averaged only 3.5 yards per carry.
The Bears defense can’t be considered fixed because of one game, but confidence from improbable wins can be contagious.
Sunday night proved Chicago can get a spark from its much-maligned unit, even on the road against one of the best teams in the conference.
Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report.
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