Chicago Bears

Stats of the Game: Bears Make History vs. Saints

The Bears lost to the Saints to drop to 3-3 on the season

The Chicago Bears may have lost to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but we’re here to cheer you up with some of our favorite statistics from the game.

History Was Made

The Bears only attempted seven rushes and gained 17 yards on the ground during Sunday’s loss, and while those numbers by themselves are remarkable, they were actually historic as well.

According to The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain and the Play Index on Pro Football Reference, the seven rushing attempts the Bears were credited with on Sunday were the fewest they’ve had in a single game in the 100-year history of the team.

According to the Play Index, the last time the Bears had a similar performance was in a 2014 game against the Detroit Lions, when they managed just eight carries for 13 yards. They ended up the Thanksgiving showdown with the Lions by a 34-17 margin.

History Was Made, and Then Stopped, Sunday

Saints kicker Wil Lutz set an NFL record by making 35 consecutive field goals in road games, but that streak came to an end on Sunday as the kicker missed a 42-yard-field goal during the New Orleans victory. The kick came just minutes after he had set the record, with the ball drifting wide right as it sailed toward the upright.

According to the Fox broadcast, the kick was the first that Lutz had missed from inside of 50 yards in his last 37 attempts.

Cordarrelle Patterson’s Kickoff Return Was Pretty Unique Too

In what was a small glimmer of hope on an otherwise dreary day on the lakefront, Patterson electrified the crowd when he reeled off a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown late in the first quarter, getting the Bears on the board and making it a 9-7 game.

According to the Bears’ PR department, it had been eight years since a Bears player had returned a kickoff for a touchdown at Soldier Field, and it’s completely unsurprising to note that the last player who did so was Devin Hester back in October of 2011.

The kickoff return touchdown was the seventh of Patterson’s NFL career, putting him one behind Leon Washington and Josh Cribbs for the most in the Super Bowl era.

Tarik Cohen’s Odd Stat Line Was Nearly Unprecedented

As the Bears tried to stage a late comeback, Tarik Cohen caught several passes from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and tried to make some plays happen with his legs, and while it was to no avail, he did join some pretty unique company.

Cohen ended up catching nine passes for 19 yards in the game, checking in at a paltry 2.1 yards per catch. According to JJ Stankevitz of NBC Sports Chicago, Cohen’s average was the lowest a player has achieved in a game since Arizona’s Adrian Murrell caught nine passes for 12 yards in a 1995 game.

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