Bears do just enough to win
By TOM MUSICK
CHICAGO – After a pair of painful losses, the Bears were willing to take whatever they could get Sunday.
Fortunately, the Cleveland Browns gave the Bears quite a bit.
The Bears defense forced five turnovers en route to a 30-6 win over the Browns (1-7) that featured plenty of bad football. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Bears (4-3), who tied the Green Bay Packers for second place in the NFC North despite showcasing a host of trouble spots on offense.
“We’re not saying the Cleveland Browns are the best team in the league, but it was good for us to bounce back,” Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said.
Instead, the Browns (1-7) made a case for being the worst team in the NFL in front of a subdued crowd of 59,493 fans at Soldier Field. Browns quarterback Derek Anderson threw two interceptions, including one that Charles Tillman returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Browns coughed up three fumbles to offset a hesitant Bears offense that never found its rhythm.
The Bears limited the Browns to 61 total yards in the first half and stuffed Cleveland on 10 of 11 third-down plays Sunday, but turnovers proved to be the biggest difference. Bears safety Danieal Manning earned coaches’ praise with an interception and a fumble return, while Ogunleye and Tillman also grabbed Browns fumbles to set up short fields for the Bears offense.
“We see the effect of what turnovers do,” Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said. “It’s a score or it sets up a score. The whole game is a real positive not for the defense, especially [with] getting our confidence back.”
On offense, the Bears showed little competence, let alone confidence.
The Bears went 2-for-7 in the red zone, and a shaky offensive line allowed quarterback Jay Cutler to absorb a day’s worth of punishment. In the second quarter, Cutler spit blood after Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley plowed his helmet into Cutler’s chin and caused him to bite his tongue.
Cutler did not bite his tongue when discussing the state of the Bears’ offense after the game. The Bears settled for three field goals by kicker Robbie Gould to start the game before a 1-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte made it 16-0 with 1:56 to go before halftime.
“We have to get better,” said Cutler, who was sacked four times and registered a 66.7 passer rating. “That’s the state we’re in. … We’re going to need to make more plays if we’re going to beat quality teams.”
Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner’s mood was equally sour after the 24-point win. Despite Forte’s 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Turner said every facet of the offense needed to improve.
“If we’re doing too much, we’ll cut back,” said Turner, who also blamed himself. “Obviously we are, because we’re making too many mistakes.”
On the other hand, defensive-minded Bears coach Lovie Smith spoke optimistically about what he described as a team effort and a much-needed win.
“There was a sense of urgency,” Smith said. “We need to keep that going. We have a long way to go, still, but we made progress.”
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