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Bears hold off Eagles, 30-24
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PHILADELPHIA -- Matt Forte bounced back from two costly turnovers and Jay Cutler rallied the resilient Chicago Bears.
Cutler threw a go-ahead 5-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett in the fourth quarter, Forte ran for 133 yards and the Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 30-24, Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
It was a crushing loss for Michael Vick and the Eagles (3-5), who blew a fourth-quarter lead for the fourth time this season. Jeremy Maclin fell down and was tackled at the Bears 30 after a 9-yard catch on fourth-and-10 with just under two minutes left.
The defending NFC East Division champion Eagles trail the New York Giants (6-2) by three games.
Chicago (5-3) won its third consecutive game, but remains third in the NFC North behind Green Bay (8-0) and Detroit (6-2).
After LeSean McCoy's 33-yard touchdown run following Forte's second fumble gave the Eagles a 24-17 lead in the third, the Bears answered with 13 consecutive points.
Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yard field goal to cut it to 24-20, and then Chicago's defense forced a punt after three plays.
The Bears drove 51 yards for the go-ahead score with Cutler tossing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bennett over Asante Samuel for a 27-24 lead.
The Eagles reached the Bears 42 on their next drive. On fourth-and-6, punter Chas Henry bounced a pass to a wide-open Colt Anderson and Chicago took over.
Henry spent a lot of time throwing passes to long snapper Jon Dorenbos on the sideline in the second quarter, presumably warming up for the fake punt. He got his chance and badly underthrew a pass.
The Bears took advantage. A pass interference penalty on Nnamdi Asomugha at the Eagles 7 prolonged the drive. The defense stiffened and Gould hit a 22-yarder to extend the lead to 30-24.
Trent Cole knocked the ball loose from Forte after a 6-yard run midway through the thirdr, and Mike Patterson recovered at the Bears 41. Forte originally was ruled down, but the play was overturned when the Eagles challenged.
Two plays later, McCoy sprinted down the left side and into the end zone to score for the eighth consecutive game, tying Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren's club record.
In a matchup featuring two of the game's best running backs, Forte outplayed McCoy except for the two fumbles.
McCoy had 71 yards rushing.
The Eagles tied it at 17-17 on Ronnie Brown's 4-yard touchdown run that capped an 80-yard second-half opening drive. The touchdown was Brown's first since joining the Eagles. Brown was one of six former Pro Bowl players acquired by Philadelphia in the offseason. He hadn't made much of a contribution and was traded to Detroit last month only to have the deal voided because Jerome Harrison didn't pass a physical.
The Bears took a 17-10 halftime lead on Marion Barber's 2-yard touchdown run after a costly fumble by DeSean Jackson.
Jackson, a Pro Bowl punt returner, was stripped by Corey Graham and the Bears recovered at the Eagles 9 with a minute left in the second.
A roughing-the-passer penalty on Jason Babin gave Chicago a first down at the Eagles 2 after Cutler threw an incomplete pass on third down. Barber then ran in from the 2.
Cutler threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Matt Spaeth and Gould kicked a 51-yard field goal to help the Bears build an early 10-0 advantage.
First Published November 8, 2011 12:55 am
