For Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, going up against the Chicago Bears is usually a no-win situation. Once again this held true as the Bears beat the Eagles in an ugly 30-24 win on Monday night.
The trio of Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Julius Peppers is tough to beat for any team and with their strong play, the Bears pulled off their third consecutive win. This also allowed them to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Here’s some highlights from the game.
First half
The Bears got on the board first with a touchdown pass from quarterback Jay Cutler to tight end Matt Spaeth. They quickly extended their lead to 10-0 with a Robbie Gould field goal. The Eagles finally jumped on the board in the second quarter with 2:04 remaining before the game started to change.
Let’s just say it wasn’t running back Matt Forte’s night.
The usually error-free Forte fumbled and the Eagle’s Brian Rolle recovered for a touchdown.
Yep, a tied 10-10 game.
The Bears came roaring back and running back Marion Barber pulled the Bears ahead 17-10 with a touchdown at the :43 mark.
Second half
Looking for adjustments from both teams, the Eagles made two quick touchdowns in the third quarter and took a 24-17 lead at the 5:52 mark. The Bears saw their good first half play gone by the middle of the third quarter.
Could they pull it together for a win?
At the end of the third quarter, the Bears kicked a 38-yard field goal and kept inching back into the game as the Eagles now led 24-20.
Early in the fourth quarter, wide receiver Earl Bennett grabbed a touchdown, enabling the Bears to finally take the lead and with 3:58 remaining, the night’s final field goal by Gould allowed the Bears to move ahead 30-24.
The clock slowly ran out.
For the night, Cutler went 18 for 32, 208 yards and two touchdowns. The o-line gave him plenty of protection and it paid off as Cutler had lots of time to seek out his wide receivers and throw without any interceptions. He dodged the usual sack bullet and incurred one fumble.
The Bears’ defense stopped Vick, who finished the game 21 for 38, 213 yards and one interception. He also had 5 carries for 34 yards. Most teams find Vick unstoppable but not so for the Bears. Urlacher had a team-leading 11 tackles.
Bennett returned after recovering from a chest injury and had a great game thanks to his connection with Cutler. He led the team in receptions with 5 for 95 yards and his one touchdown. Questionable Roy Williams made an appearance and had 3 receptions for 46 yards.
Independent of his two fumbles, Forte still had 24 carries for 133 yards while Barber had 9 carries for 31 yards and a touchdown.
It was an ugly win but a win nonetheless. Now the Bears will finally return home and play the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. The wild-card berth is on the line as the 6-2 Lions sit at No. 1 in the NFC spot.
The 5-3 Bears can change this with a win on Sunday.
Revenge is a powerful motivator.