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.
Comments (81)
Bad spot for Birds. DeSean is clearly playing scared. He just isn't the same since his concussion. Dropped passes, not getting open and fear of getting hit.— 809308- hate to say I told you so. The D looks terrible as does Ron Mexico.— iamkingdunlap
- Defense sold us out today. No heart. Offensive play calling was also spotty at times. As usual, have no clue what Big Red was thinking at the end of the game with FG's and not kicking on-sides. Not going for the TD instead of the 2nd FG was egregious IMO. That said, we almost won the game sans some key defensive players and all of the above.— DennyP
- Well, the Eagles lost, a tough one. Let the wails and banshee screams of EagleFan begin...
- What a day, Eagles lose and now the whining will begin.— BirdsSuck
- Agree AS would have probably picked Cutler once or twice but his absence was not the reason we gave up huge plays on the ground or short passes.— davi
Vick stinks— bill19666- Can't win them all...— Philly Fan in Kuwait
- Where's all the Vick lovers now? I thought when Kolb threw checkdowns all day against Washington people said you couldn't do that to Mike Vick, his arm was too strong, he's too dangerous out of the backfield. Where are you all now? Probably licking your wounds along with this fraud of a team. Kolb should be our starting QB but this game was a step in the right direction, if that direction is getting Reid canned.
- Hoffman it was a terrible lost, Bear's offensive really exploited our defensive coverages and tackling skills. Cutler played a flawless game. Bear's defensive front four shown how weak our O-line is, Vick did what he could to keep team in the game. The turning point was the interception.— gauwow
- Tough loss, but team played better in 4th Quarters— jameslaka
- Vintage Andy Reid game. Wasting timeouts to draw up a running play on 3rd and 18. Going for field goals. Not going for an onside kick. Terrible play calling inside the 20.— AreaMan
- Losing two corner backs in the same week is tough, but the Cutler isn't Brady and the Bears aren't the Pats.
Play calling was unimaginative. Too many passes. Too few runs. Way to predictable.— maxtel1910 - You must play better Defense against a good Defensive team. Be prepared for stops by not making Cutler look like Marino. O did leave points on the field with first and goals and only getting 3 points.— joethaplumber
- As an Eagle fan in Arizona, I need to have someone in Phila file a missing person report for me.
Last seen at the end of the first half, Quinten Mikell was missing for the entire second half. Course, that might not have been him wearing number 27 falling down on the Bears touchdown at the end of the first half. But I need to know how a safety is never seen anywhere near the play at any time.
Perhaps his disapearance can explain why Ernie Sims was man to man on Devin Hester at the beginning of the second half.
Like playing defense with ten guys when you have a missing person.— psu77 
the biggest "p" in the league threw 4 td passes. let me repeat Jay Cutler threw 4 td passes. 4 td passes from the same qb that threw 4 int's against the skins and the same qb that was sacked 9 times in the first half against the giants. The d gave up 340 + yards to the bears. there is your loss.— delcodanno
defense and special teams were bad,offensive line was bad as well ain't have nothing to do with vick,might be time for a defensive coordinator after this season though— dmac6419- No prob. Iggs kick a next week.
- To make cutler the crybaby look like an all star makes me sick. Does Vick know how to throw a down and out . Not hard to defense him.The red headed want to be ...has to go. Like i said he made cutler look like an all-pro.
Disgusting.
— clobal - Washington's defense made J. Cutler throw 4 INTs and the Eagle's defense gave up 4 TDs— joethaplumber
- Vegas had Birds in August, 'Over and Under' at 8 and 1/2 for the year-
Birds will go 8-8 or 9-7 period, and no playoffs.— Romus - Vick haters....he's still starting. LOL— mlr710
- Nice field they've got there in Chi-town...looked like it had the consistency of painted kitty litter.— Nicher
- The Redskin's defense made J. Cutler throw 4 INTs and the Eagle's defense gave up 4 TDs— joethaplumber
- King dunlap just want Attention and I'm here to give it to him I know we lost but did anybody see vick put that ball in a impossible spot— shaad
- Vick is showing up....could have been 5 turn overs. His pass to the tight end that has been beat down amoungst 3 defenders was a was a dalai laima oh i want ya.— clobal
- Where's the Vick fans? We're still here... Tough lost for the Eagles, We'll bounce back against the Texans. But the pass to Celek in 4th quarter was crazy.— gauwow
- Goes to show you that when you miss a key piece (Asante)on defense games like this can happen. I guess the key going to the superbowl is have very few key injuries.— joey013
- This may be part of the problem...
D. Hester 3 86 28.7 0
J. Knox 3 68 22.7 1
— clobal - When that ball was picked off in the end zone near the end of the second half you could see the fight leave the Eagles eyes. They should have run a play then. But not pass happy Andy. Another game where the opposing coaches did their homework and the Eagles coaching staff didn't. And whatever happened to RB Harrison? Has the very good game against the Redskins then he disappears on the sidelines. And the defense today was absolutely horrible letting the Bears get 31 points. Try a trick play once in awhile stop going by the book! And have the Eagles ever blocked a punt or a field goal or won an on side kick?— slade1955
- @Solomanium..so I guess you didn't notice that the Bears front four was getting constant pressure on Vick and they could drop 7 guys in coverage, hence taking away the deep pass and forcing the dink and dunks? That being said, the O-Line is really bad beyond recognition when 4 guys are beating 6, sometimes 7 guys most of the game. If Kolb were in there it might have gotten uglier. Anyhoo, now they get to face a Texans team that has no Pass D (next to last in passing yards given up (3010), 2nd to last in yards per pass attempt (8.4), 25 passing TDs allowed (most in NFL), 17 total sacks (4th fewest in league), QBs have a rating of 109.1 (by far the worst) and they allow 301 yards a game through the air. Plus they will most likely be missing some guy named Andre Johnson, don't know if anyone heard of him but apparently he is pretty good. To finish 3-1 in 18 days will be pretty darn spectacular.— ESFjellin
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SI cover was the "Kiss of Death".....— dogman5- OMG, did I miss the game? The Eagles must've been humiliated by 30 points or something right? Puh-leeze, people. 1) The special teams got thumped a couple of times by the best return team in the league. Philly struggled to recoup field position. 2) The DBs couldn't 'make a play', meaning that game-changing play that Asante Samuel specializes in. Hmmm, coincidence? 3) The Bears played sound 2-deep all game long, forcing the short throws...but Philly still was able to move the ball through the air, and had sustained drives. They were better today in all phases...but if 31-26 with a dropped TD pass, another tipped pass INT'd in the endzone, playing vs a defense as athletic as the G-Men, and multiple big plays going against you without your best DB all game counts as being "mauled", I think someone needs to put the proverbial pipe down for a minute.— KNuff
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- I don't blame Vick for this loss. He still managed to put up 26 against the best D in the league on a night when Jacksona dn Maclain decided not to show up. Our D needs a major chew-out after this one. They were pathetic. As others have said, the loss of Asante hurt us too.— Carcharios
- I don't blame Vick for this loss. He still managed to put up 26 against the best D in the league on a night when Jacksona dn Maclain decided not to show up. Our D needs a major chew-out after this one. They were pathetic. As others have said, the loss of Asante hurt us too.— Carcharios
- This loss is very concerning as Reid prides himself on winning regular season championships. Don't fret, Reid will still win his prized division championship.(His personal Superbowl). He will receive his accolades just before losing the playoff game because he failed to put his players in "Position to win". He will fool many all along the way.... as a fraud always does... and fool the biggest milquetoast of them all, once again, Jeffrey Lurie.— Carlos2
Wow, Did u really think Vick would go undefeated as a starter? Imagine if it was Kolb with all that pressure all day. The score wouldn't have been as close as it was. The D gave up too many points too fast. So tell me what D is going to play their regular D when you have a quick 2 TD lead and your front 4 is getting constant pressure. It's pretty simple, they got outcoached today. They need to bounce back next week.— ewsavage- Need a new defense coordinator! Need stop trying to blitz so much with those pitiful corners! Go get Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor! Lol!! What's Rich Kotite doing this days?! lol— jordan8
- Desean's alligator arms are getting ridiculous. The guy is not big-time. I thought McDermott had "proved his critics wrong." The defense was embarrassing. And I agree with a previous comment. The in-game coaching was dreadful and the red-zone play-calling was terrible. 2nd and goal from the 3. Why not go shotgun, four receivers, and try to throw a cross through three defenders? Sounds good. That play had no chance, and it's on the coaches.— auntesther
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- M. Vick: 29/44 (65.9 %) 333yds 2 td , 1 int. 9 rushes 44 yds, escaped another 3 or 4 sacks. Made another highlight film throw on the Celek TD.
Yep, they sure figured out a way to "stop Michael Vick". Note to my favorite all-time best Eagles coach who is doing a heckuva job rebuilding (check the record): LeSEAN MCCOY is averaging 5 YARDS PER CARRY. No, the screen game is NOT the same as the RUN game. Ask BILL WALSH not Lavell Edwards! RUN THE D*MN BALL!!— KNuff - Comment removed.
- We are still the best team in the NFC. Please help me in my petition to the NFL to have 31 teams in the AFC and the Eagles be the only team in the NFC. I booked my trip to Dallas for the SB after the Washington win.— rsjII
- 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
- @SanFran_Champs, what do you miss most, the 49ERS being a winner, or the gay baths ban?— escapedcamden4monterey
- btw, the eagles were ready to take the lead if fat andy has just run the ball. big momentum swing there. we got beat but I would hardly call this a "mauling." Also Vick: 29/44, 333yds 2 td , 1 int. 9 rushes 44 yd. Hes giving our team a better chance to win than Kolb ever could— theeman1
- Quinten mikell is always lost.— perezme
- Who the heck was that # 35 posing as a football player.— joepir
- Bobby April coaches special teams like June Cleaver.— watsonmr
The D is responsible for this one...anyone remember when the D under Jim Johnson used to almost NEVER give up TD's when the opposing offense was in the redzone..dunno what the stats are but this current D almost ALWAYS gives up 6's in the zone..in spite of a few nice sacks and tackles for losses this D is terribly inconsistant...where was Trent Cole in the second half? Can we now say Brandon Graham is a possible bust? Is it time to draft another Mike backer?— Cerestes- They stunk— Klutch Krappie
- after three great wins it feels good to have the loss to complain about. give this loss to the D. can we now go back to running mcdermott out of town.— notch44
- The hater MRD said, "Now they are tied with the Giants"
Not true. The Eagles are still in first place, by virtue of having a better division record than the Giants and having beaten the Giants.
Not that it really means much at this point in the season. Still a long way to go.— Stoshie - Get Real.. This was a blowout. All phases were terrible. Crying about the field condition is lame. The turf didn't seem to slow the Bears from getting an atrocious amount of big plays. How about ONE stop on that 18 play drive????— Sal Manilla
- Reminiscent of Titans' game. Driving for a td and turnover within 5 yard line. They go on to score and game is effectively over. This team cannot play catch up. If we get a lead, we're hard to beat. But if not . . . We are not play-off bound, but this season is much better than I thought it would be. Now if we can just beat Dallas.— DallasEagle
- People are dumb, are defense and special teams lost this one.— MyFirstCommentEveronThisSite
- Hard to play the underneath passing game when you're in max protect most of the time. Could have used some designed running plays for Vick to draw the safeties in. The Eagles were bad in all phases today, offense, defense, special teams and coaching. Credit goes to the Bears. They just outplayed the Eagles.— p-diddy
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- wake up people. Reid has been here 11 years. Has he ever won a super bowl. And with this offensive line Vick will be on IR before the season ends. I said at the beginning of the year that this was a team a long way from contention. Well get used to that fact.— rich729
- Hey, sooner or later every qb is going to get intercepted. It was a shame, came at the worst possible time and, without that, we probably would have won despite Reid's usually atrocious play-calling with the usual meaningless field goals when we need touchdowns and deep kick late in the fourth when we needed an onside.
Then he's angry? Yeah. Angry that he's exposed. It's too late in the season now but with Vick and without Reid we cudda been a contender. Definitely oust Reid next year.— kibitzer - hey sal, we lost by 5 points. no not a blowout. if andy had actually gone for it instead of kicking a useless field goal we couldve had a chance. again, not a blowout.— theeman1
The "D" disapeared on us after the first half,,if u give 31 pts in the NO FUN LEAGUE you will lose 9 out of 10 times,,,when ur top receiving threat is worried about getting hit instead of catching a TD pass,9 out of 10 times you will lose,,,we are still in 1st place and theres a lot of football left,,if we dont put it behind us today we will lose thurs,,GO EAGLES— hender- Hey Bears Fans in here - Enjoy this win, front runners. You will lose to - in order: The Patriots. The Jets. The Packers. You might even lose to the Lions and the Vikings. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I guess yesterday was your Super Bowl! LMAO at all of you!— 5NOT4
- You guys are acting like the sky is falling or something, we lost to the top defense in the league, in Chicago, with a depleted defense, in a game the Bears needed just as much. This was a vintage let down game by the Eagles coming off a huge win against the Vagiants. Was anyone really that surprised? Defense needs to look in the mirror on this one, how many big plays did the let up? How many times did Bradley miss his gaps? Oh an the special teams were wonderful. Vick did exactly what he should have done, took the 10 yard curl routes over the middle. I think we got a bit over confident as fans, this was a good reality check. Good news, we won't be seeing Andre Johnson this week, boy did he land some haymakers on that punk Finnegan though.— EaglesBleedMoney
- Bears defense is built to contain Vick...check his win/loss record against Chicago! We will beat the Jets, the Packers (again), and give Tom Brady a heck of a game. Lions game will be tough also. Bottom line, the Bears will go deep into the post season much to the dismay of you bird fans!— Bearsfan1
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