Chicago Bears

Stats of the Game: Bears vs. Broncos

The Broncos managed to do something never before accomplished in NFL history

The Chicago Bears didn’t make it easy, beating the Denver Broncos on a last-second field goal to earn their first victory of the season.

As we begin to dig into the wild victory, we’re taking a look at some of the more interesting statistics to emerge about the contest.

Eddy Money

The Bears ended up winning the game on a last-second field goal by Eddy Piñeiro, who has made his first four field goal attempts with the Bears. He ended up knocking through a 53-yard field goal to secure the win, the Bears’ first since last season.

According to Jack Silverstein of Windy City Gridiron, the game-winning kick was the longest made by a Bears kicker since Paul Edinger drilled a 54-yarder in a 2000 game against the Detroit Lions.

Incidentally, Edinger was also the Bears’ kicker the last time they won a game in Denver, making four field goals in a 2003 game at Mile High Stadium.

A Two-Point Rarity

After penalties on both the Broncos and the Bears, the Broncos ended up going for a two-point conversion while down a point in the closing seconds, and they succeeded as Joe Flacco found Emmanuel Sanders for the conversion.

What happened next has never happened in NFL history: the Broncos lost. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Broncos are the first team to ever convert a two-point conversion while trailing by one point in the fourth quarter, and then lose the game.

Success is Fleeting

The Broncos’ two-point conversion was ultimately a moot point as they lost the game, but the successful completion of the play isn’t exactly commonplace.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Broncos’ two-point conversion was the first to be successfully converted by a home team trailing by a point since 2008, when the Broncos achieved the feat against the then-San Diego Chargers.

You May Want to Avert Your Eyes

The Bears finally scored their first touchdown of the season late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, but David Montgomery’s desperate reach for the goal line didn’t save the team from some rather unwelcome company.

According to the Pro Football Reference Play Index, the Bears have tied the team record for fewest touchdowns through two games, matching the one that they put up in the first two contests of the 1982 season.

We’ll End on a (Mile) High Note

The Bears’ defense continued its strong performance in the early going this season, giving up just 14 points to the Broncos.

In total, the Bears have given up 24 points so far this season, and according to Pro Football Reference, that isn’t exactly a common occurrence. The Bears haven’t been this good defensively since 2007, when they allowed 24 points in their first two games.

In fact, there have only been five occasions where the Bears have been that good defensively and have started the season 1-1, including this year. The Bears have never started 0-2 when giving up 24 or fewer points in the first two games of a season, so Piñeiro saved the team from some bad history with his game-winning kick.  

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