by Harrison Shamberg

“Playoff football” is what Lovie Smith called this game and that’s exactly what it looked like.  Two 10-4 teams with stellar defenses going head to head in December, the Bears having already clinched their playoff spot and the Jets fighting to secure theirs.  But it was each team’s offense that would take most of the credit with a final score of 38-34 going Chicago’s way.  

The Bears got their running game going early with Matt Forte rushing for 44 yards in the first quarter and spinning his way to a 22-yard touchdown to stretch their lead to 10-0 by the end of the quarter.  But it was Jay Cutler who was the catalyst for the Jets' 24 point second quarter.  Just one minute into the second following New York’s first touchdown, Cutler threw to his left straight into double coverage, where Jets corner Dwight Lowery cut off the pass and ran it back 26 yards for a touchdown.  The Jets continued firing on all cylinders, ending the half leading 24-17, while Jay Cutler continued misfiring, going into the half with a pass rating of just 43.2.

“I don’t know what they were thinking…with that one” remarked Cutler when asked about the Jet’s first drive of the second half.  What team would fake punt on their own 40 in a non-pressure situation against one of the best defenses in the league?  The New York Jets.  Did it work?  Of course not.  Rashied Davis came up big knocking the ball out of the air and left the Bear’s with excellent field position.  Cutler and the Bear’s took advantage of the opportunity and aired the ball out 40 yards on the first play to Johnny Knox, tying the game at 24.

Cutler would find Devin Hester and Knox again for long touchdowns later in the third.  The only Jets offense came in the form of a 23 yard pass to wide-open Santonio Holmes.  One Bear’s fan showed his disgust by launching a snowball at Holmes that only missed by a few feet.  The Jets were capable of only a field goal the rest of the game, with their final drive ending with an interception by Chris Harris.

Overall, the Bear’s offense played exceptionally well.  The offensive line held off the defense without allowing any sacks.  Cutler went 13-25 with three touchdowns, one interception, and 215 total yards.  Matt Forte rushed the ball 19 times and racked up one touchdown and 113 yards.  For the Jet’s, Mark Sanchez went 24-37 with one touchdown and 269 total yards.  They also managed to secure their playoff spot thanks to a Jacksonville loss.  The Bear’s move to 11-4 for the year and look ahead to next week when they face off against their biggest rival, the Green Bay Packers, on Sunday at 3:15.