Bears Avoid Drama by Handily Defeating Jaguars

It may not have been a lop-sided blowout, but it certainly wasn’t a heart-stopping, vomit-inducing rollercoaster either. The Bears came out on top of the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-10 in what ended up being a relaxing Sunday afternoon competition. Chicago put themselves on top early and held firm against the Jags, careful not to blow another fourth quarter lead this season. 

On their third defensive play of the day, the Bears forced their only turnover, and what a valuable one it was. Nickel corner Danieal Manning intercepted David Garrard at the 47-yard line and brought it all the way back to the Jacksonville five. Two plays later Kyle Orton found Desmond Clark in the end zone to give Chicago a 7-0 lead. Chicago would go on to score 13 more in the first half, thanks to two Robbie Gould field goals and a stretching Greg Olsen touchdown. The score was 20-3 at halftime so it was all but over for the offensively-challenged Jaguars. Devin Hester had another sound performance at wide receiver, pulling in a 31 yard reception, as well as a punt return for 22 yards to the Jacksonville 22 that set up one of the first half field goals. Conversely, he also fumbled twice on punt returns, which is unacceptable whether he recovered them or not. Kyle Orton threw an interception early in the third quarter, but the Jags couldn’t capitalize, keeping the victory intact. Matt Forte only rushed for 69 yards on 21 carries, but he also caught five passes for 37 yards as he passed Gale Sayers for most scrimmage yards by a rookie in Bears history. So even on a quiet day, Forte made a loud statement. Still, even amidst a solid outing, the Bears had their troubles. They only converted on 5 of 15 third downs, a growing concern for Ron Turner and the offensive staff. The second half was an offensive dry spell, as the Bears had one interception, one field goal, and four punts. They won’t defeat playoff opponents if they can’t keep drives alive late in games.  

Chicago’s defensive unit, fueled by Manning’s early interception, kept the Jaguars off-kilter and under pressure for the rest of the afternoon. The normally accurate Garrard completed only 19 of his 38 pass attempts and averaged a measly 4.2 yards a completion. Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor were each held under 60 yards rushing, an impressive accomplishment when you consider they’re one of the best running back tandems in the NFL. Jones-Drew also added 47 yards via his seven receptions out of the backfield, but he couldn’t carry the Jaguars on his own. Tight end Mercedes Lewis and receiver Matt Jones were the only other Jaguars to catch more than two Garrard passes, but no one stood out for Coach Jack Del Rio. A decimated Jacksonville offensive line allowed three sacks, 1.5 by Israel Idonije, who had a stand-out performance filling in for the lost-for-the-season Dvoracek. Defensive end Mark Anderson finally registered a sack this season as he tries to live up to his post-rookie season hype. Mike Brown, Anthony Adams, Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman each totaled eight tackles as they kept the Jaguar ground game in check.  

Even if the Jaguars are 4-9, this is a solid building block for Chicago as they head into the final three games of their season. Their next contest comes with short rest as they match up with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. To make the playoffs, the Bears need Minnesota to lose two of their last three while winning all three of their own. Chicago certainly has a forgiving schedule to wrap their season, keeping their hopes alive to win the mediocre NFC North. Unfortunately, if they don’t pull it out, no one in Chicago will be forgiving of their failure. This is when playoff teams prove their mettle, it just remains to be seen if the Bears can pass the test.