Bears maul Eagles
Bears 31, Eagles 26
Bears maul Eagles
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
CHICAGO -- For those who believe in worrisome parts of football schedules, and trap games, and the pendulum of emotion that is the result of those forces, the Eagles' game against the Chicago Bears was proof positive. It looked like a bad spot coming into the game and it was: Bears 31, Eagles 26.
Everbody knew the deal. The Eagles had just played three emotional games in succession, including two within the NFC East, and won them all. They are in the middle of an odd stretch: Monday night, Sunday night, Sunday afternoon, then Thursday night upcoming against Houston. This looked like trouble all along. And it was.
For the people who calmed their concerns with this mantra -- "But it's Jay Cutler playing for the Bears" -- it turned out that Cutler played about as well as people around here have seen him play. He did it against an Eagles defense that was missing injured cornerback Asante Samuel, and it really showed. Anybody who can doubt Samuel's value to this defense should be forced to watch a tape of this one on a continuous loop. Without Samuel, both sides of the field were suddenly open for attack, and Cutler did just fine, thanks: 14 for 21 for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was beaten up for the second consecutive week, and there were long stretches where he looked pretty ordinary under the Chicago assault. On a day when very few Eagles people played well, Vick was still good (but no better than that). He missed some throws, he seemed very reluctant to throw the ball at other times, and at least twice, he was chased down from behind by Chicago defense end Julius Peppers on scrambles out of the pocket.
For the day, Vick's numbers -- which were kind of padded in the fourth quarter when the Bears were thrilled to see him throwing underneath while trailing by two scores -- wen like this: 29 for 44 for 333 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The game turned radically right before the end of the first half. The Eagles were on the Bears' 4-yard line, trailing by 14-13, when Vick's pass into the end zone, intended for Jeremy Maclin, was tipped in the backfield by Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris, intercepted by safety Chris Harris, and returned to the Bears' 37 yard line. Six plays later, the Bears scored on a 6-yard pass from Cutler to wide receiver Earl Bennett.
What could have been a 20-14 Eagles lead was instead a 21-13 deficit. And when the Bears took the opening kickoff and Devin Hester returned it 46 yards...and then Hester got 34 more yards on a catch-and-run play...and then Cutler hit tight end Greg Olsen with a 9-yard touchdown over the outstretched hands of cornerback Dmitri Patterson, the rout was on.
To their credit, the Eagles did hang in. Again, playing against a team willing to trade yards for time, they moved the ball and, with 1:48 to go, a touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek, caught in the midst of a crowd, brought the Eagles back to 31-26. It was kind of deceiving, though. And when the ensuing onsides kick failed, it was all over but the pushing and shoving that continued until the end.
Solomanium, what is your major maladjustment? Kolb is a very good quarterback, but Vick is better. One loss doesn't change that fact. The only "lover" I see here is you, with your overblown dismissal of Vick and overblown promotion of Kolb.
My problem with the Eagles is time management. They were too lackadasical in the last quarter, letting too much time go by when they had the ball and needed multiple scores. This has been an ongoing problem for years now.— Stoshie- Good insights Rich. Exactly the conversations had all week with folks. Didn't expect the supreme emotion in this game. Very much like the first Skins game. The defense got mauled. The Bears are very good on defense, yet the offense was two plays from leading the Bears in the fourth quarter despite the mauling. Vick overthrows a wide open Celek in the first quarter. Vick's tipped interception turned the game around. Otherwise all this snarly fan reaction goes away.— retzlaff
- Eagles will win on Thursday but the team has big problems on Defence. We will lose in the playoffs— NoMoreSection8
- The Eagles kicked too many field goals in the red zone and on 1st & goal opportunities.
The Redskin's defense made J. Cutler throw 4 INTs and the Eagle's defense gave up 4 TDs.
The Bears offense had their best game of the season today and the Bears D did what it always does.— joethaplumber - I can accept the loss since it was a bad spot, but kick off and punt coverage, yuck!— escapedcamden4monterey
- It is sad reading all the Eagles hate here today. I feel sorry for you guys that carry such emotions around with your.
And...did anyone expect the Eagle to go undefeated the rest of the year? Really? Yet you gloat and wet yourselves when they lose. Sad.— Stoshie 
You can't win 'em all. Asante will be back, close game in cold weather Chicago, nothing to be ashamed of today. Go get 'em next game Eagles!- How about those Bears putting a Whooping on you losers today. Poor Vick crying on the sidelines after the game. Now they are tied with the Giants. Great game Bears! Way to stick it in their face!— MRD
The people on here who think that Samuel not playing was the difference crack me up. Vick looked more like his old self today. Welcome back to reality, Beagles fans!!— wokmaster- Still good (but no better than that)- Mr Hoffman, why this qualifier in assessing Vicks play? I almost never see this in assessing any other pro athlete. I ask because I notice it particularly in articles posted about Vick on this site. I've seen often enough to begin to see it as " a thing". Am I imagining this?— Manwees
- sorry Gov,i guess no one is allowed to say what a front runner you are!— bill poore
- Word is DeSean Jackson wouldnt talk to media because Andy called him out for having "alligator arms" - what a baby ! !— Hamlet64
- the actual question is: why did the defense struggle so much? the offense wasnt doing badly until the pick in the 2nd quarter turned the flow of the game to the bears. answer: asante samuel's absence— theeman1
His stats were padded?! He kept the Eagles in the game dispite themselves. He could have just told the truth and said my recievers werent catching the ball and my defense couldnt stop nobody. If anybody should be angry it should Andy for not knowing his secondary was built primarily on Samuels shutting down an whole side of an field— Zeru- Jackson had a bad game because he just realized he spent his entire rookie contract feeding the team on the last when we had last week.— Zeru
