Click here to see all recaps on a single page
| Other Week 1 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at SF | CAR at SD | CHI at IND | CIN at BAL | DAL at CLE | DEN at OAK | DET at ATL | HOU at PIT |
| JAX at TEN | KC at NE | MIN at GB | NYJ at MIA | SEA at BUF | STL at PHI | TB at NO | WAS at NYG |
Week 1 Game Recap: Chicago Bears 29, Indianapolis Colts 13
What you need to know
| Chicago Bears |
Kyle Orton was not spectacular in this game, but his play at quarterback was good enough to help the Chicago Bears to a surprising win over the Indianapolis Colts. Orton completed 13 of his 21 passes for 150 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions as he led the Chicago offense on four scoring drives (two touchdowns and two field goals.) The Bears converted on ten of their 16 third down conversations and finished the night with 17 first downs and 319 yards of total offense
Rookie RB Matt Forte made the first start of his professional career and had a game to remember. Forte finished the night with 123 yards on 23 carries and got things going for the Bears in the first quarter when he scored on a 50 yard run that gave Chicago a 7--3 lead. In addition to his success running the ball, the rookie also added 18 yards on three receptions. The Chicago defense came up big in this contest as it held the Indianapolis offense to only 13 points and 293 yards of total offense. In addition to shutting down the Colts, the Bears' defense scored eight points in this game on a safety by DE Adewale Ogunleye and a fumble return for a touchdown by LB Lance Briggs.
| Indianapolis Colts |
Peyton Manning seemed early on to show the effects of missing all of the Colts' preseason games as he recovered from knee surgery. After a mediocre start in the first half, Manning picked it up in the second half and finished the game completing over 61% of his passes for 257 yards and a six yard touchdown pass that went to WR Reggie Wayne. Despite solid numbers from Manning, the Colts offense struggled to establish sustainable rhythm on offense as they were only able to muster 13 points in this contest.
The Colts running backs had a tough time picking up yards on the ground against the stingy Chicago defense. Joseph Addai and Dominick Rhodes combined to gain 46 yards on 14 runs for an average of 3.3 yards per rush. The running back duo did contribute in the passing game by combining to catch five passes for 33 yards.
The Indianapolis wide receivers were targeted a total of 38 times in this game and combined to catch 23 balls for 210 yards. Reggie Wayne had the best game of all of the Colts' pass catchers as he made ten grabs for 86 yards and had the team's only touchdown. Marvin Harrison finished with eight catches for 76 yards, but his fumble in the third quarter was returned 21 yards for a touchdown by the Chicago defense and gave the Bears a 22--13 lead.
Dallas Clark left the game with what was reported as a knee injury. Clark was later shown standing on the sidelines in street clothes. Joseph Addai was also shaken up with what was called a head injury. Addai did not return after suffering the injury, which occurred near the beginning of the fourth quarter.
What you ought to know
| QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 13 - 21 - 150 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 1 - 10 - 0 |
With the Bears playing ahead for most of this game, Orton wasn't forced to make a lot of plays on offense and instead was able to take what the Colts' defense was giving him. Completing passes to seven different receivers, the Chicago quarterback was effective in helping the offense move the chains. Twice he hooked up with a tight end on a big third down play that allowed Chicago to put points on the board. The first of those completions came with 24 seconds left in the second quarter on a third and 15 play when Orton hooked up with Greg Olson on a 29 yard pass that took the ball down to the Indianapolis seven yard line. Two plays later, Robbie Gould kicked a 25 yard field goal as the half ended that pushed the Bears' lead to 15-6. Orton's second big third down completion came in the fourth quarter when a 26 yard pass to Desmond Clark put the ball at the Colts' one yard line. A couple of plays later, a one yard touchdown run by RB Jason McKie put Chicago up 29--13.
| RB Matt Forte, Rush: 23 - 123 - 1, Rec: 3 - 18 - 0 (3 targets) |
Forte got off to a quick start when on his fourth rush of the game, he took a third down hand off 50 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 7--3 lead. On the play Forte hit the hole hard, made one cut, and outraced the Indianapolis defense to the end zone. Despite Forte's big game, it could have been even better. The rookie running back received a rush in the fourth quarter with the ball on the one yard line but was stopped for no gain. On the very next play, RB Jason McKie punched the ball into the end zone.
| RB Kevin Jones, Rush: 13 - 45 - 0 |
Jones' first carry came in the second quarter on the Bears' fourth series after Matt Forte left the game following a hard hit. Of his 45 yards on the ground, 27 of them came on seven consecutive carries in the fourth quarter as Chicago attempted to run out the clock.
| RB Jason McKie, Rush: 2 - 5 - 1 (1 targets) |
McKie only got two carries in this game, but his second rush went for a one yard touchdown that put the Bears up 29--13.
| WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (2 targets) |
Targeted only twice in this contest, Davis' first grab came near the start of the second quarter. His only other catch of the came with 13:01 left in the game.
| WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 2 - 26 - 0 (4 targets) |
Lloyd's first grab came on a second and 18 play that went for a gain of 18 yards. His only other catch came in the third quarter and went for a gain of eight.
| WR Marty Booker, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (1 targets) |
Booker's only catch of the game came in the second quarter and moved the chains on a drive that resulted in field goal.
| WR Devin Hester, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) |
Hester's only catch came near the end of the first quarter. He returned three kickoffs for an average of 18.3 yards and returned one punt 25 yards.
| TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 2 - 36 - 0 (2 targets) |
Both of Olsen's grabs came on third down plays. His first helped set up a field goal near the end of the second half when his 29 yard catch took the ball down to the Indianapolis seven yard line with only 24 seconds left on the clock. Olsen's only other target went for a six yard gain on a third and two play in the third quarter.
| TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 2 - 46 - 0 (6 targets) |
Clark had the most receiving yards for the Bears despite only totaling 46 yards on two receptions. Both of his grabs came on third down plays, and his second one went for 26 yards on a third and one play that set up Chicago's final touchdown of the game.
| PK Robbie Gould 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points |
Gould made his first field goal attempt from 41 yards and then connected on his second field goal from 25 yards out. He also converted on all three of his extra point attempts.
| CHI Rush Defense |
The Chicago defense held Indianapolis to only 53 rushing yards on 15 attempts. A tackle of Joseph Addai by DE Adewale Ogunleye went for a safety that put Chicago up 12--6. On another important play of the game, the Bears' defense stuffed Dominick Rhodes in the fourth quarter on a fourth and one play that gave Chicago the ball on the Indianapolis 48 yard line while leading 22--13.
| CHI Pass Defense |
Despite surrendering 240 passing yards through the air, the Bears were able to apply pressure to Peyton Manning and kept the Colts offense from establishing any sustainable rhythm. DT Marcus Brown and DE Alex Brown both recorded sacks that went for a total loss of 17 yards. CB Charles Tillman forced a fumble by Marvin Harrison that was returned by LB Lance Briggs 21 yards for a touchdown that gave the Bears a 22-13 lead.
| QB Peyton Manning, Pass: 30 - 49 - 257 - 1 TD / 0 INT |
Seeing his first game action of the year, Manning looked a little rusty over the first two quarters as he finished the first half ten of 20 for 119 yards. On the Colts' first drive of the second half it appeared as if Manning was starting to get into a rhythm. On that series, the Colt's quarterback finished five for six for 40 yards with a six yard touchdown pass that went to WR Reggie Wayne. Despite the optimistic start to the second half, Manning's final 15 completions only averaged 6.5 yards as he failed to lead the Colts offense to any more points.
| RB Joseph Addai, Rush: 12 - 44 - 0, Rec: 1 - 3 - 0 (1 targets) |
Addai averaged less than 3.7 yards on his 14 rushing attempts and only had one catch for three yards in the passing game. His long rush of 13 yards came midway through the first quarter and after that run, Addai would go on to pickup only 24 more yards on the ground. Early on in the fourth quarter, he was hit hard by LB Lance Briggs on a pass reception. Addai walked off the field with the training staff under his own power and it was later reported that he had suffered a head injury. Following the injury, he did not return to the game.
| RB Dominic Rhodes, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0, Rec: 4 - 30 - 0 (6 targets) |
Rhodes' first carry of the contest came on the Colts' fourth series in the second quarter. Four of his six touches came after RB Joseph Addai left the game for good with what was reported as a head injury.
| RB Mike Hart, Rush: 1 - 7 - 0 |
Hart's only touch of the game came on the second to last play of the game.
| WR Reggie Wayne, Rec: 10 - 86 - 1 (17 targets) |
Despite not making his first catch until early in the second quarter, Wayne led all Indianapolis receivers in targets, catches, and yards. On the drive that led to the Colts' only touchdown, he had four catches for 30 yards and hauled in the six yard scoring strike from QB Peyton Manning. Wayne had what would have been about a 22 yard touchdown pass deflect off his hands as he made a diving attempt into the end zone. He also had a longer pass reception nullified when he was unable to get both feet in bounds.
| WR Marvin Harrison, Rec: 8 - 76 - 0 (13 targets) |
Harrison's first catch of the game came in the first quarter and went for a first down on a six yard pickup. On the very next play he hauled in his longest reception of the game when he connected with QB Peyton Manning on a 19 yard reception. Targeted six times in the third quarter, Harrison was only able to catch three of those passes for a total of 23 yards. It was in that third quarter that Harrison fumbled a short reception that the Bears were able to return for a TD. His final catch came with 8:22 left in the fourth quarter and went for eight yards.
| WR Anthony Gonzalez, Rec: 5 - 48 - 0 (8 targets) |
Gonzalez was QB Peyton Manning's favorite target early on in this contest. Targeted five times in the first quarter alone, he was able to grab two of those passes for a total of 22 yards. Gonzalez's long reception of the game came in the second quarter when he used a nice spin move to turn a short pass into a 20 yard gain. His final two catches came in the fourth quarter and went for a total of six yards.
| WR Courtney Roby |
Though not involved in the offense, Roby did average 20.2 yards on five kickoff returns.
| TE Jacob Tamme, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (3 targets) |
Tamme's only catch of the game came in the fourth quarter and went for a first down.
| TE Dallas Clark, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (2 targets) |
Clark's only catch of the game came on the Colts' third offensive series. He would leave the game with what was reported as a right knee injury. According to the report, Clark jogged off to locker room under own power and his return was listed as questionable. Later in the fourth quarter Clark was shown in civilian clothes on the sideline.
| TE Gijon Robinson (2 targets) |
Both of the passing attempts that went Robinson's way fell incomplete.
| PK Adam Vinatieri 2 - 2 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 7 points |
Vinatieri made his first field goal attempt of the game from 39 yards and then connected on his second attempt from 34 yards out. He also converted on his only extra point attempt.
| IND Rush Defense |
The Indianapolis rush defense surrendered 183 yards on 39 rushing attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Chicago RB Matt Forte scored on a 50 yard touchdown run in the first quarter while RB Jason McKie scored on a one yard rush in the fourth quarter.
| IND Pass Defense |
The Colts allowed QB Kyle Orton to complete almost 62% of his passes for 150 yards. Calvin Hayden had an Orton pass hit him the arms, but was unable to hang on for the interception. A sack late in the second quarter by DE Dwight Freeney went for a loss of eight yards while a sack by DE Robert Mathis in the third quarter went for a loss of six yards.