“Upright,” Cutler said of the difference between the two games. While the Bears’ line progressed, other players on offense, defense and special teams regressed in a 41-13 loss.
On the opening series after the Bears’ defense forced a three-and-out, running back Matt Forte lost a yard. Then after a six-yard pass to tight end Matt Spaeth, left tackle J’Marcus Webb was flagged for a false start, and receiver Roy Williams dropped what would’ve been a 16-yard completion.
After another three-and-out, the Bears’ offense flashed some explosiveness, with Cutler finding a wide-open Devin Hester down the right sideline. On the next play, the Bears perfectly executed a screen pass to Forte, who sidestepped a defender after a short gain, then sprinted across the field for a 42-yard gain.
But on second-and-goal from the Giants’ 5, an open Hester tripped while running toward the right sideline, and Cutler’s pass breezed by him. Then Hester couldn’t haul in a hard pass around the 1-yard line with Aaron Ross tightly covering him.
The Bears settled for a 23-yard field goal by Robbie Gould.
According to a scout in attendance, the offensive line played well overall. The Bears only attempted eight runs in the first half and averaged just under three yards, but Cutler suggested the team was more focused on pass protection.
For the half, Cutler was 12-for-21 for 171 yards for a passer rating of 83.6.
Most alarming was the dismal play of the Bears’ special teams. They allowed a 73-yard kickoff return that set up a touchdown and had a punt by undrafted rookie Spencer Lanning blocked that set up another touchdown.
Playing without linebacker Lance Briggs and defensive tackle Anthony Adams, the Bears didn’t sack Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who converted a fourth down and a third-and-15 on two scoring drives.
Only then, Smith hopes his entire team takes a step in the right direction.
1. The Giants need help at cornerback
Jacobs averaged 5.6 yards per carry as the team’s change-of-pace back for Ahmad Bradshaw last season, and Jacobs can again thrive in that role. He averaged 8 yards on six carries last night, including a 28-yard touchdown. 3. Devin Thomas can start at kick returner
“I thought it went well,” Cutler said. We completed some passes. On the opening series after the Bears’ defense forced a three-and-out, running back Matt Forte lost a yard. On the next play, the Bears perfectly executed a screen pass to Forte, who sidestepped a defender after a short gain, then sprinted across the field for a 42-yard gain.
Then Hester couldn’t haul in a hard pass around the 1-yard line from Cutler with cornerback Aaron Ross tightly covering him.
The Bears settled for a 23-yard field goal by Robbie Gould.
According to a scout in attendance, the offensive line played well overall. The lone sack of Cutler came when Giants defensive tackle Rocky Bernard got around right guard Lance Louis and flushed Cutler out of the pocket, where he slid with linebacker Jonathan Goff quickly closing in on him.
The Bears only attempted eight runs and averaged just under three yards. For the half, Cutler was 12-for-21 for 171 yards for a passer rating of 83.6.
Playing without linebacker Lance Briggs and defensive tackle Anthony Adams, the Bears didn’t sack Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who converted a fourth down and a third-and-15 on two scoring drives.
Bears safety Major Wright, who had a strong preseason opener, missed several tackles.
In the first half, Manning completed 8 of 16 passes for 78 yards, but the Giants’ running backs averaged 4.6 yards per carry.