Jay Cutler’s Resilient Performance Leads Chicago Bears to Victory in Week 9
Published by Matt Eurich on November 10, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw an interception for a touchdown and lost a fumble early on Monday Night Football, but the veteran quarterback showed resiliency in the team’s 22-19 comeback victory against the San Diego Chargers in Week 9.
Chicago’s offense moved the football well on the opening drive of the game, but after wide receiver Alshon Jeffery was unable to haul in a pass from Cutler in the end zone, the Bears were forced to attempt a field goal.
Kicker Robbie Gould missed his second field-goal attempt of the season, and Chicago’s defense gave up a touchdown to San Diego on its first drive of the game.
The veteran signal-caller connected with tight end Martellus Bennett for a 17-yard gain and with rookie running back Jeremy Langford for a 31-yard gain on the team’s second drive of the night before edge-rusher Melvin Ingram swiped the ball out of Cutler’s hands for a fumble.
SportsCenter provided a look at the turnover:
Chicago’s defense forced San Diego to punt on its ensuing possession, but Chicago’s offense stumbled on its next possession and had to punt as well.
The Bears came away with a fumble recovery on San Diego’s next possession, but second-year cornerback Jason Verrett intercepted Cutler’s first throw of the Bears’ possession and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.
The NFL shared the replay on Twitter:
Verrett‘s touchdown gave the Chargers a 13-0 lead, but Cutler showed resiliency on Chicago’s next drive.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase opened up the playbook on Chicago’s ensuing possession, and Cutler found Jeffery down the sideline for a 47-yard gain. The veteran quarterback completed four of his five passing attempts on the drive for 74 yards, finishing it off with a one-yard touchdown strike to Bennett.
Cutler’s throw to Bennett in the end zone made him the team’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, vaulting him ahead of Sid Luckman. The Bears’ official Twitter account congratulated the signal-caller:
The Bears went into halftime down 16-7 even though they had outgained the Chargers on offense 221-207. Cutler completed 10 of his 16 passing attempts in the first half for 155 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a quarterback rating of 89.3.
Chicago leaned on the running game on its first possession of the second half, but the offense stalled after gaining 44 yards on 10 plays. Gould then missed his second field-goal attempt of the game.
The Bears defense forced the Chargers to punt after six plays, and the Chicago offense started its next possession on the 7-yard line. Gase opted to use a lot of quick passes and screens to the outside to get the passing game into a rhythm, and Cutler completed eight of his 10 passing attempts on the drive for 85 yards before Langford scored a one-yard touchdown.
NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks was impressed by Gase‘s play-calling on Chicago’s 93-yard drive, which took more than eight minutes off the clock:
Trailing the Chargers 19-14 with just under eight minutes remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter, Cutler again showed his resiliency on a 10-play drive that took more than four minutes off the clock.
Cutler connected with both Bennett and Jeffery on the drive for big gains, but his most impressive throw of the night came on a 25-yard strike to backup tight end Zach Miller for a touchdown. Cutler stepped up in the pocket and threw a bullet to Miller down the middle of the field. The veteran tight end tipped the ball with his right hand before securing the catch and falling into the end zone.
The NFL provided another look at the big play:
Chicago’s defense forced the Chargers to turn the ball over on downs on their next possession, and the Bears were able to secure their third win of the season.
Following his average first half, Cutler finished the game with 345 passing yards, completing 27 of his 40 passing attempts with two touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 100.5.
Despite his early struggles, Cutler was able to bounce back in the second half. He looked confident in the pocket, did a nice job of using his mobility to get away from San Diego’s pass-rushers and made big throws when the team needed him the most.
Turnovers are nothing new for Cutler, but he has done a relatively good job of protecting the ball this season. His interception in the second quarter was just his fifth of the season, and his lost fumble was only his second of the year.
Despite the veteran quarterback’s struggles early in the game, Gase was not afraid to open up the offense to help build Cutler’s confidence back up. When Gase opted to get the offense into a rhythm in the second half with screens and bubble passes, Cutler made all of the necessary throws.
In the past, Cutler has tried to make up for his mistakes by forcing dangerous throws down the field, but he did a great job of taking what the defense gave him Monday night.
He still struggles with his mechanics and has a tendency to throw off his back foot, but a couple of Cutler’s best throws against the Chargers came when he had to rely on his arm strength over his mechanics because he was facing pressure from the defense.
Cutler is not an elite quarterback, but he has proved week in and week out that he has what it takes to lead Chicago’s offense in Gase’s system. He will attempt throws that cause fans to scratch their heads, but Cutler proved Monday night that he is resilient enough to bounce back from adversity.
Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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