Cutler, Chicago Catapult to Conference Contest

Solider Field will host the NFC Conference Championship next week, pitting one of football’s oldest rivalries against each other for a chance to go to the Superbowl. The Bears will play division rival Green Bay on Sunday for the first time in an NFC Conference title game after walloping the Cinderella Seahawks 35-24 yesterday afternoon. Jay Cutler’s playoff debut went splendidly as the Bears built a 28-0 lead and never looked back. Cutler accounted for four touchdowns, including a pair of rushing touchdowns as the home team made easy work of stumbling Seattle.
Cutler connected with Greg Olsen for a 58 yard touchdown strike three minutes into the contest and Chester Taylor’s one yard run made it 14-0 in favor of Chicago after one quarter. Olsen finished with 113 yards, while Matt Forte rushed 80 yards on 25 carries. Chicago dominated both sides of the ball as the Seahawks couldn’t snap their eight game road playoff losing streak at a snowy Solider Field. Cutler continued to shred the Seattle defense by breaking tackles and finishing with 43 yards rushing on eight tries. The quarterback gave the Bears a three touchdown edge with a six yard hustle into the end zone in the second quarter. Cutler picked up where he left off after the break, scoring on a nine yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. The 70 yard scoring drive made it 28-0.
Seattle finally etched the scoreboard with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Seahawks scored ten straight points to cut into the Chicago lead. Olindo Mare knocked home a 30 yard field goal in the third quarter and Mike Williams provided Seattle with their first touchdown in the fourth. Seahawk signalcaller, Matt Hasselbeck, tossed two Williams for the two yard touchdown reception following a Bears’ turnover. It was one of three touchdown passes by Hasselbeck on Sunday. Chicago recoverd an onside kick with eleven minutes left in the game and needed just three plays to reach the end zone again. Cutler and Kellen Davis made it a 35-10 contest after hooking up for a 39 yard touchdown with 4:40 remaining. Seattle capped off a 74 yard, seven play drive with another Williams’ touchdown and drove the field for another 55 yards culminating in a Brandon Stokley nine yard touchdown catch. Twenty seven second remained on the clock, however, with Chicago still in the driver’s seat, ahead by 11. Chicago piled up 437 yards in the win and now face the Packers for the NFC title. Green Bay is on a roll, having knocked off the Eagles and Falcons. Winning on the road is clearly not a problem for the Packers.

Parting Points: Monday’s tune- “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by the Offspring

Bears Blanking & Blitzing

The Bears defense harassed Dolphins’ third-string quarterback, Tyler Thigpen, in Thursday’s shutout in Miami and improved to 7-3 on the season. Chicago swarmed Thigpen in the 16-0 victory in their first trip back to Miami since losing Superbowl 41. Julius Peppers led the defense with three of the six sacks, and Robbie Gould kicked three field goals to provide the majority of the offense. Chicago quarterback, Jay Cutler, completed 16-of-25 passes for 156 yards and was just impressive enough in the win. Matt Forte ran for 97 yards and finished the Bears’ scoring with a two yard touchdown plunge late in the third quarter. The Bears moved one-half game ahead of the Packers in the NFC North after winning their third straight contest. The Dolphins fell to 5-5 after a miserable home loss in which they did essentially nothing right and couldn’t catch any breaks.
Gould’s 46 yard field goal with 3:48 remaining in the opening quarter gave the visitors a 3-0 edge. Cameron Wake’s sack of Cutler forced the Bears to settle for three during the drive. The Chicago kicker planted a 24 yard field goal through the uprights midway through the second quarter to increase the Bears advantage to six. That was all the scoring in the first half. Chicago’s defense cracked down with tight coverage and Thigpen was ineffective in communicating with his receivers. The Dolphins running attack was non-existent against the league’s best team against the rush. Now their playoff chances are almost non-existent too. Miami failed to put up any points on the board for the second time in 40 seasons. For Chicago, it was the first shutout in four years.
Thigpen worked the ground with 27 rushing yards to lead all Dolphins, but the former Coastal Carolina player couldn’t keep the chains moving. Brian Hartline managed five receptions for 70 yards to lead all Miami receivers and Brandon Marshall caught three passes before leaving the game with an injury. Marshall was tagged for a taunting penalty after throwing the ball at Cutler when he was heading out of bounds. Cutler, Marshall’s former Denver teammate, pinpointed Johnny Knox as his favorite target on Thursday. Knox hauled in five receptions for 55 yards. The Bears scored twice after halftime on Gould’s third field goal and Forte’s scramble into the end zone. The Dolphins defense couldn’t get off the field as Chicago controlled the time of possession and was more efficient on third downs. Miami converted just one third down in eleven tries and Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown combined for 11 rushing yards. Cutler was intercepted by Benny Sapp and Charles Tillman recorded a pick for the Bears. The Dolphins finally got inside the Bears’ 35 yard line on the game’s final play, but for the most part was un-bearable to watch.

Parting Points: Congrats to Felix Hernandez and Roy Halladay on winning this year’s CY Young awards.

Hawaii is heading to the Mountain West Conference.

Notre Dame vs. Army at Yankee Stadium this Saturday.

“People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.”- Vince Lombardi