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For this Bears’ fan there was a lot more trepidation than anticipation leading up to last night’s match-up against the 49ers. I always seem to forget how difficult it is to predict game outcomes in general, but especially in the first few weeks of any NFL season as there is very limited basis for fan speculation/media hype. Rather, you are looking at one week of regular season highlights/game tape combined with scrutiny of the moves made in the off-season with some wishful thinking thrown in for good measure.
I let all that get the best of me thinking about this game. I had no idea what to expect from the Bears who did not have a particularly strong showing in an overtime loss to the Bills. Yes, THE BILLS! Then the Bears had to come off that loss and travel to San Francisco to face a team that many predict (hype!) will make a strong playoff push, in their stadium opener, in Primetime, with the strong possibility that Marshall and Jeffrey were not going to play. All a realistic Bears’ fan could hope for was not to get blown out in front of a National TV audience. See there is that hype again. Unfortunately in the first half it appeared that the Bears were going to do their level best to live up to those bleak expectations. The defense appeared to be playing in a state of paranoia or in the Bears case a fear of their often suspect secondary, specifically the safety help coming over the top (or not as the case may be). They were trying so hard to rush Kaepernick that they were being eaten alive by the screen pass. Still they managed to keep the offense in the game despite a cheerless offensive performance in the first half, the evil “Dr. Jay,” if you will. That is until something clicked or maybe it was someone (Quinton Dial) pounding on Cutler’s sternum right at the end of the first half. Jay reported post-game that it felt like his stomach met his back. Again, say what you want about Cutler, but don’t tell me he isn’t tough. Whatever it was, Cutler and the rest of the Bears were of a different caliber in the second half. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey also each turned in a gutsy performance as they were clearly playing hard despite their injury limitations. Of course Marshall stole the spotlight with three touchdowns, including a one-handed grab that is sure to make SportsCenter Top 10 Plays of the Week.
Before going out with a shoulder injury, free safety Chris Conte made a superman like interception on Kaepernick, which was one of four turnovers caused by the defense along with four sacks, and only allowing 129 yards rushing. These stats are made that much more exciting given that two of those turnovers were from rookie Kyle Fuller who should see more playing time with the unfortunate loss of Peanut Tillman for the season (triceps).
Now for my own version of hype: what if the Bears could play like this for a whole game? What if the right Jay, the “Mr. Cutler persona,” the tough, composed guy who does not try to win the game with one (often errant) throw, were to show himself with true consistency? He has an incredible fourth quarter rating, but it really would be okay if he spread that out across the whole game.
Right now the Bears are tied with all three of the other teams in the NFC North with a record of 1-1. It is too early to make speculations, but that is not going to stop me. What if the Bills are better than people anticipated? If that’s the case, maybe the Bears are too. They have a tough schedule ahead, but last night was certainly a second half for the offense to build upon and about three quarters for a defensive that demonstrated this is not the miserable Bears D of 2013.
Also, thank you Bears for doing right by my Mom and winning on her birthday. She deserved it – she’s the best.
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