Chicago Sports Then and Now

Jay Cutler threw five interceptions in a 10-6 loss to the 49ers.

The Bears fell to 4-5 on the year, and their playoff hopes basically dissipated, after losing to San Francisco last night.

Rookie Johnny Knox has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears.

Is this team really that bad that they would allow Cincinnati to put up 45 points and Arizona to put up 41? I guess so.

The Bears have beaten Pittsburgh, Seattle, Detroit and Cleveland, who are a combined 11-21 and they have been beaten by Green Bay, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Arizona, who are a combined 20-12.

The Bears played very well in the victories over Pittsburgh, Seattle and Detroit, but besides Pittsburgh their victories this season don’t look very impressive.

The losses against Green Bay and Atlanta came on Sunday night, where the Bears could have easily won both games, if they didn’t make stupid mistakes. They could be 6-2, but instead their sitting at .500 (4-4).

They are three games behind the Minnesota Vikings and the only good thing is that they still have two games against the Vikings to gain some ground.

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Matt Forte must pick up his game against the surprise Bengals run defense.

Overview: Both the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals are coming off losses and need a win to stay in contention in their respective divisions.

Last Week: The Bears fell just short in a 21-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Chicago had a chance to tie the game at the end, but were unable to convert. Jay Cutler passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns, but the rushing game continued their season-long struggles.

The Bengals had a rough second half in a 28-17 loss to the Houston Texas. Leading 17-14 at intermission, the Bengals were unable to score in the second half while surrendering two scores. They allowed Texans quarterback Matt Schaub to pass for 382 yards and four touchdowns.

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The Bears had their chances against the Falcons, but came up just short.

The Bears lost 21-14 last night to the Atlanta Falcons and you would think the Falcons played great ball, but they really didn’t.

The Bears had a lot of good drives in this game, but had way too many red zone mistakes. Jay Cutler was 2/9 throwing a touchdown and an interception in the red zone. Matt Forte had back to back fumbles at the one yard line, the first one the Bears got back, but the next one the Falcons recovered. The final drive in the game, on a fourth and one, veteran Orlando Pace had a huge false start penalty, which ultimately cost the Bears the game.

Jay Cutler had 300 yards passing, two touchdowns, two interceptions and actually lead the Bears in rushing yards with 34 yards. Matt Forte and Garrett Wolfe combined for 38 yards on 18 carries. The receivers played very well, Johnny Knox know has touchdowns in four straight games, and he is now the first rookie to accomplish such a feat since Walter Payton. Earl Bennett, Greg Olsen and Dez Clark all had clutch catches and Devin Hester had almost 100 yards receiving and had two very nice punt returns, one which he almost took to the house if it wasn’t for a nice tackle by a Falcons player.

Jay Cutler had another good game against Atlanta, but the Bears were hampered by the lack of a rushing attack.

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Every time Cutler throws a touchdown pass it helps not only the Bears, but also the American Diabetes Association.

Giving a new meaning to the term “two for one”, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears is making every touchdown pass he throws in 2009 count double.

That is because not only do the Bears score six points every time he completes a touchdown, but for each scoring pass Cutler throws, Eli Lilly and Company will donate $1,000 to the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) “campership” fund — roughly the cost of sending one child to attend a week of diabetes camp.

And, this donation is just the start of Cutler’s partnership with Lilly. For each pass that Cutler completes during the 2009 season, Lilly will donate an additional $100 to the “campership” fund.

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Jay Cutler is the first Chicago Bears quarterback since Jack Concannon in 1970 to have three straight games with a passer rating of 100 or better.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler became the first Bears quarterback since Jack Concannon in 1970 to have a 100-plus passer rating in three straight games.

Oddly enough in 1967 the Bears traded Mike Ditka to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Concannon. Concannon spent five seasons with the Bears (1967-1971), where he threw for over 5,000 yards, 31 touchdowns and 52 interceptions. His passer rating in those five years was 55.6.

Concannon’s best season with the Bears was in 1970, when he threw for 2130 yards, 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

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