Chicago Bears and Monday Night Football

This past evening's Bear's game was so exciting, I feel it merits a second, separate post for the night! While the Bears received plenty of help from a sloppy, penalty prone Packers team, they were able to make a convincing case of their own for NFC North supremacy. Jay Cutler minimized the mistakes that so often plagued him last season, tossing only 1 interception while equaling that with a touchdown throw to Greg Olsen. Cutler also lead the Bears to 2 field goals,which gave Chicago the advantage.

In terms of the Bears'other special teams units, I was pleased to see Devin Hester cross the endzone on a punt return for the first time in 2 seasons, and the kicking game obviously provided the difference in this contest, as Robbie Gould banged through the eventual difference making points on a 20 yard try late in the fourth quarter. On the defensive front, the Bears displayed extraordinarily solid tackling, led by Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Julius Peppers. Peppers' mere presence forced Aaron Rodgers out of the pocket several times, and his relentless pursuit on passing downs led to several holding calls against Mark Tauscher and the rest of the Green Bay line. The Bears' offseason acquistion also forced the Packers' tackles into several false start calls that effectively killed quite a few of their drives.

While Cutler and the Bears' offense didn't put up spectacular numbers by any means, they proved they can handle pressure situations while at the same time taking care of the football-this is a trend that needs to continue if they wish to contend in the NFC. While three weeks of football (and one Monday night) doesn't write an entire story of success, it certainly provides a good prologue.

--Beau