2015 Season - Week 6 Open

the_EDJ wrote:

Week 1 

Are you ready for some football football football?! Well Chicago wasn't. To open the season, the Bears hosted Division rival Detroit on the lake front. What began as a massacre turned into a miracle, as an overtime finish would leave Detroit shell shocked wondering what could have been.

First Half

The Superfans were at a fever pitch, and the Windy City Flyer was lined up ready to cut and juke his way all around the Detroit Lions. Jason Hanson would boot it deep, and at the 18 yard line, Hester would inexplicably fumble the ball right into the hands of Detroit. Three plays later, Calvin Johnson would be dancing in the end zone. But it's football season, and nothing could break the spirit of Chicago fans. Hester would hold on to the ball this time, and Jay Cutler was set to prove his critics right as on his first offensive series, Cutler would lay a beautiful pass right into the hands of a Detroit corner. No less than 3 plays later, Bryant Johnson would fly above three Chicago Bear defenders to pull down a TD pass. Can deja vu happen in a short period of time? Offensive series number two for the Bears would mirror their first as DeAndre Levy would do his best young Urlacher as Superman impersonation picking off Cutler early. No less than 3 plays later, Calvin Johnson would once again walk into the end zone after slamming Bear defender after Bear defender to the ground. Less than 3 minutes into the game, and the Detroit Lions were up 21-0 on the Chicago Bears and there wasn't a single fan making a peep inside the stadium. Outside the stadium, reports swirled of fans burning Jay Cutler jerseys and Superfans ripping off their Ditka mustaches.

 

Jay Cutler either has balls of steel, or is as dumb as a box of rocks as nothing was going to keep him from slinging the ball down the field. And really, Chicago had no choice but to put the ball in the hands of their most physically gifted player to get them back in the game. From there, it became a career day for Johnny Knox as late in the first quarter, Knox would snare a Cutler pass, shimmy away from a defender and race into the end zone putting Chicago on the board. Detroit would answer with a drive of their own, and who else but Calvin Johnson would be there to muscle his way to the 1 yard line. Jahvid Best would go in from there putting Detroit back on top by 21 points. Facing a 21 point deficit at halftime would be detrimental to the Bears if they had any hopes at a comeback, and in pure dramatic fashion, Jay Cutler would actually deliver again marching Chicago down the field in a hurry thanks to a major gain by new receiver Terrell Owens. Taking their last time out in the red zone with 9 seconds left, Chicago opted to go for the TD rather than settle for the field goal. Wide open to Cutler's right, Johnny Knox would cut Detroit's lead in half heading into the locker room.

Second Half

Chicago would have to kickoff to Detroit to start the half, and without Peanut Tillman, who sustained a broken collarbone, the Bears would have to pit 5'8" Tim Jennings against 6'5" Calvin Johnson in the second half. And it worked. For the entire 3rd quarter, Detroit and Chicago would trade punts as nobody could break free on a drive. At the end of the 3rd Quarter however, Devin Hester would field a punt, fake left, and loop back right streaking down the sideline for a TD. Soldier Field was rocking again. And just as quickly, Soldier Field was quieted again as rookie Running Back Jahvid Best would take the ensuing kickoff to start the 4th quarter all the way to the house without making a single juke or breaking a single tackle. And only in a game like this would Johnny Knox make it back-to-back-to-back return touchdowns as Chicago drew within 7 yet again continuing the roller coaster in the stands.

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A 14 yard run by Cutler for a 1st down would set up an 86 yard TD for Johnny Knox

Matthew Stafford would again take the field with dreams of putting away the Bears, and from inside the Bears' 20 yard line, he would do just that, almost. At the 1 inch line, a Detroit receiver would dive into the end zone, but a Bears defender would punch the ball loose and Chicago would recover the ball at the 1 yard line. A 14 yard rush by Cutler would get Chicago out of their own end zone, and Johnny Knox would once again rise to the occassion catching a Jay Cutler pass, weaving in and out of 5 Detroit defenders and scoring on an 86 yard gain tieing the game! 

Chicago's defense would follow up their heroic effort with another stop and give the ball back to the Jay Cutler and Johnny Knox show. Yet again, Knox would be open walking the tightrope down the sideline giving Chicago the lead late. Detroit, facing their first deficit of the game would be stuck in a scary situation. Chicago had Calvin Johnson triple covered, so instead, Matthew Stafford repeatedly audible for his inside slot guy from their Trips formation streak down the seam for 12 yard gain after 12 yard gain, resulting in a TD within the final minute. And we're going to OVERTIME.

Overtime

Detroit would win the toss and smartly decide to receive the ball. A drive that started out with promise stalled around midfield, and the Lions would have to punt. One stop would be all that Chicago needed as the previously absent run game would take over, and Matt Forte would power his way down the field. After a facemask penalty put Chicago inside the red zone, Chicago would run the ball into the end zone capping one of the craziest games in NFL history.

Final Score (OT)

Detroit Lions 42

Chicago Bears 48

Player of the Game

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]WR Johnny Knox

Can you really argue for anyone else? 4 catches, 190 yards receiving, 4 TD's, 1 KR for a TD. The stats speak for themselves.

Heroes and Zeroes

• Hero -- Jay Cutler -- For a man with a lot critics to silence, you have to hand it to Cutler for persevering through the pressure and throwing 4 TD passes in leading the Bears into overtime where Matt Forte could take over and give Chicago the win.
  
• Hero -- Calvin Johnson -- Johnson beasted Chicago's secondary facing everything from single to triple coverage, and he still pulled in 2 TD passes. With CJ on the field drawing coverage, the running game should be open for the Lions all season. Their receivers should benefit as well. Bryant Johnson also had 2 TD catches of his own because of this.
  
• Heroes -- Special Teams -- Back-to-back-to-back return TD's will be run on highlight reels all season long.
  
• Zeroes -- Special Teams -- Are you kidding me?! Back-to-back-to-back return TD's likely gave Special Teams coverage genius Dave Toub a heart attack. Practice is going to be a nightmare this week.
  
  

Looking Forward

Peanut Tillman is out for 12 weeks with a Broken Collarbone, a major blow to the Bears defense. Major Wright is out for 11 weeks with a Broken Collarbone, a hit on Chicago's depth in the secondary and special teams. Chicago heads to Dallas in week 2 to face a Cowboys team still getting accustomed to that new stadium smell in the house the Jerry Jones built because damn that man is rich. Look for a defensive showcase as DeMarcus Ware and Julius Peppers try to show each other up as who is the better player coming off the edge. Offensively, both teams are very similar as they have mobile QB's, a strong backfield, and equal size and speed at the receiver position, along with adept pass catching Tight Ends to help spread the field. Hopefully the Bears can keep their eyes off the big screen and actually be ready for this game to start, if not, Chicago will be looking at a 1-1 record heading into their faceoff with the Green Bay Packers who are looking to avenge their last second loss to the Eagles.

Until next time, Bear down Chicago Bears...