Bears Blow Late Lead Against Seahawks 12/1/12
By: Peter Fleischer
Updated: December 6, 2012
Bears blow late lead, fall to Seattle 23-17.
When one game-winning drive wasn't good enough, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson managed to come up with two against a normally stout Bears defense.
Wilson led the visiting Seattle Seahawks down the field at the end of regulation, putting his team up 17-14 with just 24 seconds left in regulation. But the Bears responded, with Jay Cutler finding Brandon Marshall for a 56 yard reception that put Robbie Gould in field goal range for the game-tying kick.
The Seahawks began overtime with the ball and Wilson again bested the Bears defense, going 79 yards over almost eight minutes, frequently extended plays with his legs against defensive line that was supposed to give him problems.
"We had some opportunities to make some plays there late and we didn't," head coach Lovie Smith lamented after the game. "Our rush wasn't good enough at the end. We had opportunities on third downs, they were terrible today for us. We had them in a fourth down situation; just not the type of football that we play around here."
As good as Wilson was, the Bears defensive line took responsibility for not playing like they're capable.
"That comes on us," defensive end Corey Wootton said. "Just containing them, simple as that. If we're able to contain [Wilson] he doesn't scramble for first downs, get outside the pocket and make plays happen."
It was a strong day for Jay Cutler against a stout Seattle defense. Cutler completed 17 of 26 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, but he still regretted putting the defense in the position to make a late game stand.
"The defense takes a lot of pride in that," Cutler said. "I'm going to worry about our offense and what we can do. I still think we never should have put them in that position. We never should have been there."
The most controversial play of the day came early in the second quarter, when the Bears decided to go for a 4th down conversion deep in Seattle territory rather than kicking what appeared to be an easy field goal. Instead, Michael Bush was stopped short of the first down, and the Bears got no points out of the drive.
"Some decisions I made really hurt early on. Should've taken the field goal" Smith admitted.
"Every play doesn't work," Bush said. "You just try to improvise and make it happen. I didn't get much movement and just tried to push the pile."
When one game-winning drive wasn't good enough, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson managed to come up with two against a normally stout Bears defense.
Wilson led the visiting Seattle Seahawks down the field at the end of regulation, putting his team up 17-14 with just 24 seconds left in regulation. But the Bears responded, with Jay Cutler finding Brandon Marshall for a 56 yard reception that put Robbie Gould in field goal range for the game-tying kick.
The Seahawks began overtime with the ball and Wilson again bested the Bears defense, going 79 yards over almost eight minutes, frequently extended plays with his legs against defensive line that was supposed to give him problems.
"We had some opportunities to make some plays there late and we didn't," head coach Lovie Smith lamented after the game. "Our rush wasn't good enough at the end. We had opportunities on third downs, they were terrible today for us. We had them in a fourth down situation; just not the type of football that we play around here."
As good as Wilson was, the Bears defensive line took responsibility for not playing like they're capable.
"That comes on us," defensive end Corey Wootton said. "Just containing them, simple as that. If we're able to contain [Wilson] he doesn't scramble for first downs, get outside the pocket and make plays happen."
It was a strong day for Jay Cutler against a stout Seattle defense. Cutler completed 17 of 26 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, but he still regretted putting the defense in the position to make a late game stand.
"The defense takes a lot of pride in that," Cutler said. "I'm going to worry about our offense and what we can do. I still think we never should have put them in that position. We never should have been there."
The most controversial play of the day came early in the second quarter, when the Bears decided to go for a 4th down conversion deep in Seattle territory rather than kicking what appeared to be an easy field goal. Instead, Michael Bush was stopped short of the first down, and the Bears got no points out of the drive.
"Some decisions I made really hurt early on. Should've taken the field goal" Smith admitted.
"Every play doesn't work," Bush said. "You just try to improvise and make it happen. I didn't get much movement and just tried to push the pile."
