NFL Game Recap: Chicago Bears Show Very Little in Preseason Loss to Denver
Published by Jake Perper on August 10, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Denver Broncos beat the Chicago Bears 31-3 in preseason game number one.
The Bears decided to rest starters Jay Cutler, Matt Forte and Julius Peppers due to the field conditions. Brian Urlacher wasn’t at the game due to personal reasons.
Jason Campbell got the start, while Michael Bush got the call at running back.
Campbell completed four of five pass attempts for 13 yards. Bush carried the ball three times for two yards.
Bush lost a fumble on a half back pitch by Campbell. The Broncos booted a field goal to score the game’s first points.
Broncos QB Caleb Hanie received a large amount of boos from Bears fans upon his arrival in the first quarter.
Those boos can be viewed as necessary after how Hanie played under center for Chicago last season.
Overall the Bears ran 49 plays for 132 yards and eight first downs. They didn’t convert a single third down (0-11).
The highlights of the night came from safety Major Wright, defensive end Shea McClellin and WR’s Alshon Jeffery and Chris Summers.
Safety Major Wright intercepted Broncos QB Peyton Manning, who was appearing in his first game since Jan. 2010. Nickelback D.J. Moore deflected the pass in the red zone and Wright reeled in the interception during the first quarter.
Wright left the game with a reported hamstring injury after that drive, but Wright said the injury was “nothing major” after the game.
Major said its not “major” so lets not worry.
Rookie defensive end Shea McClellin showed his speed in this one, racking up three tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits.
He was quick off the edge against the Broncos second team. He made a big mistake in the second quarter that led to a rushing touchdown by Broncos running back Lance Ball.
Ball ran for two yards to put the Broncos up 10-0 with 3:24 remaining in the second quarter. McClellin was pancaked by two Broncos lineman and was completely dominated on the play.
McCellin played well overall in his first NFL game. He was certainly a bright spot in this pretty uneventful first preseason game.
Rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery reeled in four catches for 35 yards and showed his athleticism throughout the night. He has a similar frame to teammate Brandon Marshall (one catch, four yards).
He isn’t a completely polished product, but the Bears could be deeper than ever at receiver with Jeffery coming off the bench.
Fellow rookie wideout Chris Summers made the play of the night in the second half. He reeled in a pass for 28 yards as rookie QB Matt Blanchard delivered it perfectly to the 6’5″ receiver.
J.T. Thomas was a bright spot on defense with seven tackles. DT Nate Collins looked like he could be a solid player in the rotation, racking up three tackles, one sack and one quarterback hit.
DE Cheta Ozougwu is likely a long shot to make the team, but the second-year end from Rice looked pretty good making one tackle, one sack and two quarterback hits.
The offensive line allowed six sacks. J’Marcus Webb and Lance Louis each committed a false start in the first half. Webb played through the first half and into the fourth quarter. Offensive coordinator Mike Tice is obviously trying to send Webb a message.
The Bears return to practice at Bourbonnais at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. They host the Washington Redskins next Saturday, August 18 in preseason game number two.
We should be able to get a better feel for this team next week. The Bears tried to not put too much on tape by running plays that are considered vanilla throughout the night.
The third preseason game is the one that actually means something. So, don’t get too upset about this game.
Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.
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