Photo caption: Chicago Bears running back Michael Bush (29) leaps over as Houston Texans safeties Glover Quin (29) and Danieal Manning (38) as they attempt to tackle during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Bears suffered a tough loss Sunday night in soggy conditions against the Houston Texans, being defeated13-6 and losing quarterback Jay Cutler in the first half to a concussion.
The team will now travel to San Francisco for a Monday Night Football game against the 49ers, which will be another test for the Bears, who are now 7-2 after the Texans snapped the team’s six-game winning streak. The 49ers are coming off a rare 24-24 tie game against the St. Louis Rams, which brought the team to a 6-2-1 record.
The game against the Texans was expected to be low scoring, considering the unfavorable weather conditions, which resulted in a sloppy game on both sides of the ball.
Before being knocked out the game after a brutal hit to the helmet from Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins, Jay Cutler completed 7 of 14 passes for 40 yards, sputtering into halftime with a disappointing performance from the offense. Cutler remained in the game following the hit, but did not return after halftime, handing the ball over to Jason Campbell to lead the team in the second half.
“It was tough,” Campbell said. “Tonight was my first reps since the season started. If I have to play (next week at San Francisco), then of course, during the week, I’ll get those practice reps and get the guys used to (having) me as the quarterback.”
The team went into halftime down 10-3 and never recovered to put together a serious drive down the stretch. Six turnovers were forced in the first half by the teams, but injuries hampered the Bears’ progress, as rookie defensive end Shea McClellin was also ruled out early in the first quarter because of a concussion.
“You can’t make the mistakes we did early on,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “We had a minus-2 turnover differential, and you can’t have that. But we got beat by a very good football team tonight. You have to give Houston credit.”
The Bears were close to coming a point away from the Texans in the 4th quarter, but Robbie Gould missed a 48-yard field goal attempt that went off the left upright with 11:40 left in the period.
Bears running back Matt Forte rushed 16 times, racking up 39 yards, while Michael Bush rushed for 34 yards on three rushes. One bright spot on the offense was the play of Brandon Marshall who caught 8 passes for 107 yards, but it wasn’t enough to make significant contributions to the final score.
“We’re disappointed with the loss right now, but we have to get back up as soon as we can.”
Cornerback Tim Jennings added to his statistics for the season, making two interceptions off passes from Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, who only threw for 95 yards on 14 of 26 passing.
Official word on the severity on Jay Cutler and Shea McClellin’s injuries weren’t immediately available after the game, but neither is expected to miss an extended period of time.
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