Final Score: Bears 27, Falcons 13
(Getty)
The Chicago Bears continued to be road warriors this season, improving to 3-1 in Atlanta in a 27-13 win. Jay Cutler picked the Falcons apart for 381 yards passing and a touchdown while running back Matt Forte ran for two decisive TDs that were the difference.
The Bears are 3-3 after the Week 6 win, while the Falcons, coming off a disappointing season, are 2-4 and searching for some answers.
Here’s how it happened.
The Bears Posted 478 Total Yards Against a Poor Atlanta Defense
The Bears poured it on with Cutler passing for 381 yards. His favorite target for the day was Forte out of the backfield. The Bears RB had 11 catches for 77 yards and he was targeted a whopping 13 times by Cutler. Receivers Brandon Marshall caught 6 balls for 113 yards and Alshon Jeffery turned 5 catches into 136 yards–the longest was a 74-yard catch that put the Bears at the Atlanta 6-yard line in a tie game. Forte scored a TD on the next play, which would stand as the game-winning score.
Matt Forte Scored Two Huge Touchdowns
Forte continued his excellent season, putting the Bears ahead for good on the first of his two late TDs. Above is the game-winner, which followed a 74-yard bomb from Cutler to Jeffery with just over 6 minutes left in the third quarter.
Here is his second score, a shake-and-bake run through the guts of a weak Atlanta defense that iced the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter:
The Bears Held a 13-3 Lead Going Into Halftime
Chicago scored 13 points in the second quarter to erase an early 3-point Atlanta lead on a pair of Robbie Gould field goals and a three-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The pass was the only one Morgan caught all day.
Falcons RB Antone Smith Scored on an Amazing 41-Yard Run
Atlanta came back from down 10 points in the third quarter thanks to a dazzling run by Smith. The run above was the only touchdown the fearsome-again Chicago defense allowed. The unit has forever been the signature of the Bears identity, but this season the defense is overshadowed by the Bears’ explosive offense.
On Sunday, the Bears got a huge road win thanks to both units.
The Bears Have Been Very Good on the Road in 2014
Loud #Bears fans chanting “Let’s Go Bears” force Falcons to take timeout.
There was a large, loud contingent of Bears fans in Atlanta. And while the win snapped a two-game losing streak for Chicago, it was their third victory on the road this year. The Bears improved to 3-1 away from Soldier Field.