CHICAGO -- Six thousand four hundred seventy-two no-show fans missed the game of the year at Soldier Field.
Well, not counting thatChicago Blackhawksoutdoor game last March, that rugby game the other week, and all those games of flip cup in the Bears tailgates atop the Waldron Deck.
In any event, the Chicago Bears' 21-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday was, for once, a real crowd-pleaser.
The victory ended a three-game Bears losing streak that lasted more than a month, a season-long home losing streak -- which also concluded at three games -- and the Bears' modern era-record two-game streak of giving up more than 50 points.
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Matt Marton/USA TODAY SportsBrandon Marshall (left) and Jay Cutler (right) connected for two touchdowns against the Vikings, including a 44-yarder.
So, save your throaty protestations, angry Bears fan, because quarterbackJay Cutler isn't getting benched anytime soon. Coach Marc Trestman isn't getting fired this week, and neither is defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. General manager Phil Emery can keep grinding tape of disruptors and playmakers at Halas Hall.
While I'm sure this team, which now sits at 4-6, will cower in the face of adversity again this season, on this night, the Bears go to sleep winners.
Now, the special teams still stink, the Bears commit too many penalties, the offense struggles to convert yardage into points, and the clocks -- not to mention Trestman's clock management -- don't work so well at Soldier Field.
But there was improvement everywhere you looked Sunday. Even the turf was green.
Next week, old friends Lovie Smith and Josh McCown come calling in a grudge match. Did they flex that game to Sunday night yet?
On a day that started with ESPN's own Adam Schefter floating the positive salary-cap benefits to an offseason trade of Cutler, the always-popular quarterback responded by throwing for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
Cutler made the kind of throws that have earned him big bucks, and he also made a couple that have earned him the enmity of a league, namely his two interceptions. But the Vikings were unable to convert either turnover into points, which is really how the Bears were able to win, despite scoring a measly 21 points.
Cutler has taken a beating lately, both nationally and locally, and one game won't change his reputation.
"There's always pressure, there's always responsibility," Cutler said. "You can't let that affect the way you play on Sunday."
While the organization should be embarrassed by the continual malfunctions of the Soldier Field scoreboard clocks, which resulted in the referees keeping time on the field, at least the defense didn't do anything to sully the proud tradition of the Bears franchise.
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Of course, after dealing with the likes of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers the past two weeks, facing rookie Teddy Bridgewater was a welcome relief.
While you can't discredit the benefits of playing a middling, young quarterback who is on the road, you also have to credit the Bears' defense. To a man, the defense flew around the field, pressuring Bridgewater and shutting down the Vikings' run game for most of the game. Safety Ryan Mundy sealed the game with an easy interception in the end zone on the Vikings' last drive.
"You can only get beat up so many times before you fight back," Bears defensive end Jared Allen said. "People questioned the character of this locker room. We know what we have. Now we have to take it week by week, and this is playoff football right now. We've got to stockpile wins right now and see where we are at the end of the year."
I'm guessing they'll find themselves at 6-10 or 7-9, but hey, you can't blame Allen for being positive. This was his first-ever win at Soldier Field.
Remember when this passing game, replete with "weapons," was going to dominate? For the first time since the Falcons game, the Bears looked in sync offensively.
Much of that production came from the coverage they saw from the Vikings' defense. Cutler said he saw a lot of three-deep coverage, which amounted to a lot of one-on-one coverage for the Bears' receivers once they stretched the field. That gave the Bears' wideouts the advantage they needed, especially against 5-foot-10 cornerback Josh Robinson, who was getting picked on by Cutler. All three touchdowns were scored on the corner.
"We wanted to go at 21," Cutler said of Robinson's jersey number.
Alshon Jeffery had 11 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown, while Brandon Marshall had seven catches for 90 yards and two scores, including a 44-yard bomb from Cutler.
After Marshall's second score, a 4-yard catch, lineman Kyle Long started boxing with him to make light of this week's controversy when Marshall challenged a mouthy, offensive Twitter follower to a boxing match for charity, promising him $25,000 if he won. That didn't go over so well at Halas Hall, but Long said Marshall "can take some lumps."
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"I might be looking for a check in the mail from Brandon next week, I'm not sure," Long said with a smile.
That wasn't the Bears' only celebration. Allen did his sack dance twice against his old team -- only one tackle was a sack, though -- and Willie Young did an ice-fishing celebration after his sack. Neither player was injured in the process of celebrating, like Lamarr Houston in New England.
Marshall's Twitter antics were brought up as a sideshow "distraction" after a 55-13 thumping in Green Bay, but there was little need to worry, even after an early 10-0 hole made possible by a Vikings fake-punt conversion, because Minnesota just isn't very good.
Bridgewater's rookie struggles show why the Bears had to commit to Cutler last offseason. If you want to win, as the Bears presumably wanted to do entering this season, you can't trust a rookie quarterback. I know several have had success in recent years, but that was an anomaly. Bridgewater is more of the norm.
Warts and all, Cutler gives you a chance to win. He gives you a chance to lose, too. That's just his nature.
Cutler, and the rest of the Bears' locker room, was happy and relieved after the win.
"The questions get a little bit easier after a win," Cutler said. "Everyone can relax a little bit. We have a long season."
Last week, that sounded like a threat. This Sunday, it sounded hopeful.
Jon Greenberg is a columnist for ESPNChicago.com. He has lived and worked in Chicago since 2003, and is a graduate of Ohio University and the University of Chicago.
Source: http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/11888171/jay-cutler-chicago-bears-show-signs-improvement-win-minnesota-vikings
