Bears Keep Playoff Hopes Alive Against Cards
By: Peter Fleischer
Updated: December 23, 2012
Bears keep playoff hopes alive in beating Cardinals 28-13.
The Bear have taken themselves to the brink of another lost season, but their playoff hopes are still alive.
It was defense and a power running game that gave the Bears an early advantage. Linebacker Zack Bowman fell on a Beanie Wells fumble near the Cardinal goal line in the 1st quarter to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.
Matt Forte took over in the 2nd quarter, putting Chicago up 14-3 with a touchdown run. Forte only had 12 carries, but ran for 88 yards, good for 7.3 yards per carry.
Despite struggling early, Jay Cutler had 146 yards passing and a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.
The Bears playoff hopes actually improved dramatically on Sunday. With both the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys losing their games, the Bears moved a game ahead of both. Had the Bears been tied with either the Giants or Cowboys at season's end, they would lose to both in tie-breaking scenarios.
The Minnesota Vikings upset the Houston Texans to remain tied with the Bears with 9-6 records. However, the Vikings own the tiebreaker over the Bears because they have a better record in the NFC North.
If the Bears beat the Lions in Detroit and the Vikings lose in their game against Green Bay, the Bears would make the playoffs with a 10-6 record.
The Bear have taken themselves to the brink of another lost season, but their playoff hopes are still alive.
It was defense and a power running game that gave the Bears an early advantage. Linebacker Zack Bowman fell on a Beanie Wells fumble near the Cardinal goal line in the 1st quarter to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.
Matt Forte took over in the 2nd quarter, putting Chicago up 14-3 with a touchdown run. Forte only had 12 carries, but ran for 88 yards, good for 7.3 yards per carry.
Despite struggling early, Jay Cutler had 146 yards passing and a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall.
The Bears playoff hopes actually improved dramatically on Sunday. With both the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys losing their games, the Bears moved a game ahead of both. Had the Bears been tied with either the Giants or Cowboys at season's end, they would lose to both in tie-breaking scenarios.
The Minnesota Vikings upset the Houston Texans to remain tied with the Bears with 9-6 records. However, the Vikings own the tiebreaker over the Bears because they have a better record in the NFC North.
If the Bears beat the Lions in Detroit and the Vikings lose in their game against Green Bay, the Bears would make the playoffs with a 10-6 record.
