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Bears Steelers Live Blog
Posted by: mfrost on September 20, 2009 at 7:18PM EST
This is Matt checking in again, getting ready for kickoff the of the Bears home opener.  As I write this intro, there's a game of interest coming to conclusion in Green Bay - with the Bengals leading the Packers 28-21.  Be sure to keep an eye on that....we'll see you at kickoff - and as always feel free to throw your take on the game in as a comment!  See you at game time - Bear Down!

Bears receive the opening kick and start around their 30 yard line - a lot of questions can be answered today...

Ron Turner appears to have lost a little bit of faith in Cutler, on 3rd and 6 they threw the ball one yard.  Defensive battle - hopefully.

After picking up a quick first down - the Bears have the Steelers in a third and long at the Bears 20 - but the Steelers converted on a huge play to Santonio Holmes.  Roethlisberger is susceptible to the sack, but if the Bears can't get pressure on him it's going to be a very long frustrating afternoon.

Steelers are just picking the Bears defense apart, Roethlisberger hasn't had a hand in face the whole entire drive.

Roethlisberger completes his opening drive domination of the Bears by throwing a 1yd TD pass to Spaeth.  The Bears offense is going to have to respond - after the defense was on the field for as long as they were, they're going to need a breather.

The Bears have a 3rd and 3 - are in serious danger of going 3 and out twice in a row.  3 and out after Olsen drops the first down pass.  Maynard pins the Steelers deep with a punt and an illegal block in the back.  The Bears are going to have to make some adjustments and try to get some pressure on Big Ben.

Steelers are moving again - the Bears defense looks like swiss cheese.

Bears intercept Roethlisberger down around the goal line to take over, the offense has been stagnant - the receivers need to start catching the ball.  This is a game where the Bears will probably have to pass to set up the run.

The Bears picked up their first first down - it's only the second quarter so that's good....

The Bears drive stalled, Steelers take over around the 20...

Steelers are moving again - 3rd and 10 Bears D  needs to show up.  After trading penalties - the Bears defense holds, but they're pinned back around their goal line.

The Bears are moving again, they've reached the Steeler's side of the field for the first time this year...Olson just got lit up on a pass down the sideline - looks like he's trying to figure out where he is...

Bears have taken advantage of a defensive holding penalty - they're right around the Steeler's 30 yard line and are looking to tie this game up before half.

Cutler is starting to look sharp and the receivers are starting to hold on to the ball with a little bit of regularity.  Knox is slowly putting together a solid game, his size and speed should be a nice fit for this Bears offense.

The Bears are getting ready to score - they have third down on the 5 yard line.  The Bears should get some points here and Cutler is starting to make some better decisions.  The Bears are going to have to punch this ball in.  This will be the last drive of the half and a touchdown should fire this crowd up for the second half.

TOUCHDOWN BEARS!!! Jay Culter to Kellen Davis for 6 yards - Gould with the PAT 7-7 just before half.

Steelers kneel on the ball to end the half.

Halftime Analysis

The Bears offense got off to another slow start, but finished it up the half with a 97 yard touchdown drive to tie the game up.  More importantly the Bears defense was able to get a much deserved rest while the Bears ran the half out.  Cutler looks much more comfortable, but the receivers have dropped a fair amount of passes to hamstring any progress.  Forte has been relatively ineffective, but the Adrian Peterson has found a few running lanes.

The Bears got a turnover off a Ben Roethlisberger interception, and it marked the first time all game the Bears were able to get pressure on the Ben.  The Bears have been playing a pretty loose zone against the Steelers offense, so Ben has been able to get the ball off quickly and pick up first downs.  The Bears have done a good job against the run, with the exception of a run or 2.  It'll be important for them to continue stopping the run and play solid pass defense.  It's been raining for the better part of the second quarter - so it'll be interesting to see what kind of effect the weather has on the game.  We'll get some pizza and see you in the second half.

Steelers get the ball to start of the 3rd quarter and will start from the 20 yard line on a Robbie Gould touchback.

The Bears keep the momentum on their side forcing the Steelers to a 3 and out.

Cutler and the Bears are going to take over on their own 35 yard line...a nice long drive here would give these young receivers some confidence.  Let's see how the offense comes out.

The Bears reciprocate by going three and out on their first drive - the Steelers are bringing the heat now.

Steelers picked up a first down, the Bears will try to prevent a first down here on 3rd and 2

Alex Brown with a huge sack forcing a Steelers punt, huge play!  That sack was on Roethlisberger - he held the ball too long and gave Brown a chance to get there for the big blindside hit.

Earl Bennett just picked up a huge first down on 3rd an 13 - nice little screen pass with some blockers out in front.

Bears punt and the Steelers get a 20 yard punt return to set up good field position.  Defense has looked good over the last few possessions, they'll need to keep it going.

Rashard Mendenhall just busted off a 39 yard run to get the Steelers inside the 5 yard line of the Bears.

Alex Brown lost his outside contain on the 2 yard line and Ben Roethlisberger dove in for a 2 yard touchdown.  14-7 Steelers

Johnny Knox had a great kickoff return, but it was called back on a holding - the Bears are going to have to answer from their own 13 yard line.

The Bears called a delay handoff on 3rd and 13 - and have to punt.  Steelers take over around their own 40 yard line

Steelers are driving down around the Bears 10 - defense comes up with another huge sack...Tommie Harris got his hat in there along with Alex Brown.

Jeff Reed missed a 38 yard field goal wide left....Bears take over down 14-7

Jay Cutler escaped pressure and threw to Hester for a first down on 3rd and 3.  Then connected with Olson on a 29 yard completion.

First and goal Bears - looking for the tying score - Olson coming alive on this drive.

TOUCHDOWN BEARS 7 yard pass from Cutler to Johnny Knox and Gould's PAT is good 14-14 with a little under 7 minutes left in the game.

The Bears are trying to hold off a late Steelers drive to get the ball back, but the Steelers are moving the ball on the ground and in the air.

A big third down - 3rd and 5 around the 40, the Bears defense needs another big 3rd down play.

Roethlisberger scrambles for a first down to keep the Steelers drive going.

Jeff Reed misses his second field goal of the game - Bears take over on the 35 yard line.

Matt Forte fumbled after taking a screen about 15 yards, but Greg Olsen recovered the fumble.  The Bears face an important 3rd down, as they are about 10 yards out side of Robbie Gould's range.  It's the 2 minute warning - and the Steelers have 2 TO's remaining.

Hester pickes up a huge third down on a nice pass from Cutler - they've moved inside Gould's range.  It'll be interesting to see how they handle these last couple of plays before they kick.  They're looking at about a 47 yard field goal.

Robbie Gould is coming out to attempt a game winning field goal looks like about 45 yards out.  Slick field, it should be interesting.

GOULD GOOD FROM 44 BEARS LEAD 17-14 with 15 seconds remaining in the game!

STEELERS FUMBLE THE KICK OFF BEARS RECOVER - BEARS WIN BEARS WIN!!!

POSTGAME ANALYSIS - 

There weren't many people that gave a chance for the Bears to win this game against the defending Super Bowl Champs, but the Bears defense play inspired and the Bears offense answered the call every time the Steelers scored.  Jay Cutler and the Bears defense didn't turn the ball over - Jay Cutler rose to the occasion after some early drops and rallied the offense scoring 10 unanswered points. 

There wasn't a lot to not like about this game, when the Steelers threatened the Bears answered and the Bears were helped out by 2 missed field goals and 2 Steeler turnovers - including one on the kickoff following Robbie Gould's go ahead field goal.  While the Bears obviously miss Urlacher, Hillenmeyer played a nice game, and defensive line stepped it up when they had to.

Jay Cutler answered a lot of questions for me, facing a defense like the Steelers, only being sacked once, not turning the ball over, and throwing for 2 touchdowns.  His ability to lead the Bears back down the field after a Steelers score kept them in the game, and then taking advantage of another missed field goal.  The Bears even themselves with the Packers who lost earlier, it was a big game, because most people expected the Bears to start 0-2 while the Packers and Vikings were both expected to start 2-0. 

Johnny Knox was my player of the game - he played spectacularly as an inexperience wide receiving, using both his size and speed to make plays.  Jay Cutler seems to have taken a liking to him and they could end up forming a potent tandem.  

That's all I've got, Bears win 17-14 and have a ton of momentum going into next weeks showdown with the Seahawks.  Thanks for tagging along - Bear Down!

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