The Chicago Bears got four field goals from Robbie Gould and two touchdown passes from Jay Cutler to knock off the Oakland Raiders by a score of 22-20 on Sunday at Soldier Field.
The victory is Chicago’s first of the season after they lost their first three games in a row.
The Bears got off to a flying start as Jay Cutler came out of the gate firing. He found Martellus Bennett on a deep completion over the middle of the field, and then Marquess Wilson racked up an excellent catch of his own as he brought the ball deep into the red zone. Cutler finished off the drive with a touchdown pass to Eddie Royal to give the Bears a 6-0 lead early in the game.
The Raiders’ offense struggled in a big way to get going in the first quarter of the game, only getting nine plays throughout the frame. The Bears’ defensive line did some great work in stopping Latavius Murray on several runs, and Tracy Porter executed some great coverage on Amari Cooper to limit the Raiders’ passing game as well as the Bears held onto their lead through the end of the quarter.
Unfortunately for Chicago, the good times didn’t last, and they gave up the lead early in the second quarter. Murray grabbed a screen pass from Carr and picked up a long first down gain to keep the drive going, and Cooper finished it off as he hauled in a pass in the back of the end zone and somehow kept both feet in-bounds to give the Raiders a 7-6 lead.
After Cutler fumbled a snap from Matt Slauson, the Raiders took the ball and quickly scored again. Cooper moved the Raiders into the red zone with an excellent catch and run, and Roy Helu did the rest as he danced into the end zone to give Oakland a 14-6 advantage about halfway through the second quarter.
The Bears responded well to the adversity, and they scored another touchdown late in the first half to cut into Oakland’s lead. Matt Forte had several big runs and pass catches to get the drive going, and ultimately Cutler finished off the drive with a touchdown pass as he found Martellus Bennett wide open in the back of the end zone to make it a 14-13 game.
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After a Pernell McPhee interception gave the Bears back the ball late in the half, they ended up getting a quick field goal from Robbie Gould to give themselves a 16-14 lead at halftime.
The Raiders and Bears traded turnovers early in the third quarter as Carr threw an interception and Forte lost a fumble, and the Raiders were the team that eventually took advantage. Kyle Fuller did make a big play to prevent a first down deep in the red zone however, and the Raiders were forced to take a field goal from Sebastian Janikowski to make it a 17-16 game.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears were driving into Raiders territory, but their momentum was sapped thanks to a questionable delay of game penalty. Undeterred, Gould blasted home a 54-yard field goal to give the Bears a 19-17 lead with about 13 minutes remaining in the contest.
On a sweep play later in the quarter, Murray coughed up a fumble, and the Bears got the ball with excellent field position. Royal made a big play to convert on a 3rd-and-8 for Chicago, but just a few plays later, everything came undone as Cutler threw an interception into the waiting arms of Charles Woodson to give Oakland the ball and a chance to take back the lead.
The Raiders did ultimately grab the lead, but the Bears’ defense prevented them from scoring a touchdown. McPhee made a huge play late in the drive to stop Helu in the backfield, but Janikowski was still able to boot the ball through the uprights to make it a 20-19 game.
The Bears didn’t quit however, and after several great plays by Forte and Wilson, Gould stepped up with a 49-yard field goal attempt. He drilled it right between the uprights, and the Bears took home their first win of the season.
