Sunday, September 10, 2006
The rebuilding begins...
Anyone think that maybe Brett Favre should have retired and not endured this? I am starting to become a believer.
The Chicago Bears barely let Brett Favre touch the ball Sunday, shutting out the three-time MVP for the first time in his career in a 26-0 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Quarterback Rex Grossman found wide receiver Bernard Berrian for a 49-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive. It would be the Bears’ only offensive touchdown of the day, but Chicago continued to move the ball well enough to keep the game largely out of Favre’s hands.
And when the Packers did have the ball, they stuck to the running game.
Favre, who deliberated for several months before deciding to return to the Packers after a 4-12 season, threw only five passes in the first half — completing all five for only 70 yards.The Bears had 236 yards of total offense in the first half, compared to only 103 for the Packers.
Favre, back for his 16th season, and the Packers opened up the offense in the second half, but Favre couldn’t get the ball in the end zone and threw interceptions to Charles Tillman and Danieal Manning in the fourth quarter.
Favre, who threw a career-worst 29 interceptions last season, finished the game 15-of-29 for 170 yards.
Grossman has been limited by injuries to only seven regular-season starts in his previous three NFL seasons, but seems to have no problem outdueling Favre at Lambeau Field when healthy.
Grossman was 18-of-26 for 262 yards as he ran his career record to 3-0 at Lambeau Field.
On the Bears’ sixth play from scrimmage, Grossman reared back and heaved a deep pass to Berrian, who caught it in stride and turned it into a 49-yard touchdown.
After the Packers went three-and-out with three straight running plays to Ahman Green, Grossman threw an interception to linebacker Nick Barnett on the next series.
Green, who is returning from a torn quardriceps last season, carried 20 times for 110 yards.
Grossman and the Bears kept moving the ball with downfield passing plays — including five catches for 77 yards by tight end Desmond Clark — setting up kicker Robbie Gould for four field goals.
The Packers offense reached Bears territory only twice in the first half. They turned the ball over on a failed quarterback sneak by Favre early in the second quarter, and the half ended on a missed 53-yard field goal attempt by Dave Rayner.
The Packers’ final drive of the half was extended by a successful fake punt, as punter Jon Ryan threw to Noah Herron for 16 yards, one of the Packers’ few successful pass plays in the first half.
The Bears scored their second touchdown on an 84-yard punt return by Devin Hester, giving the Bears a 26-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.
It was the Bears’ first shutout since a victory at Detroit on Dec. 30, 2001. The loss ruined the debut of new Packers coach Mike McCarthy, hired after the team fired Mike Sherman.
It was the first time the Packers were shut out since a 10-0 victory by the Bears on Oct. 17, 1991 — a streak of 233 games. It was the fourth-longest such streak in league history and second-longest active streak. The Minnesota Vikings have not been shut out in 236 games.
On the bright side, the offensive line looked really good and Ahman Green looked like his old self. Safety Nick Collins continued where he left off last season, hitting people and in the mix of everything.
Labels: Sports
