It was another low-scoring game for the Chicago Bears in Week 2 of the 2019 season, but this time the result was a W at game’s end. The Bears beat the ill-fated Denver Broncos, 16-14, at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday.
Game Recap
It was a butt-ugly win, but it was a win. The positives for the Bears are that they still have a top-five defense (fourth in the NFL), and a clutch kicker in Eddy Pineiro. However, they also have the 30th-ranked offense in the league along with the 28th-ranked quarterback in struggling Mitchell Trubisky.
Those numbers do not bode well for the Bears’ hopes for the 2019 season.
Trubisky did not have stellar numbers in the matchup against the Broncos. In fact, one could describe his performance as a shade under mediocre. No touchdowns. No interceptions. Only 16 completions on 27 attempts for 120 yards.
However, when it mattered most, the Bears’ QB came through … big time. On the Bears’ final drive of the game, facing fourth-and-15 on their own 40-yard line with only with nine seconds left on the clock, Trubisky proved perhaps why the Bears chose him as their first-round draft pick in 2017. Trubisky stealthily avoided a heavy pass rush by the Broncos’ defense, stepped up in the pocket, and nailed a 25-yard pass, leaving only one second on the clock. This set up Pineiro’s game-winning field goal, his third field goal of the game.
The Bears’ offense during the game is hardly worth mentioning. They gained a total of 273 net yards total on offense and featured neither a running back rushing for over 100 yards nor a receiver receiving for over 100 yards.
Fortunately for the Bears, the Broncos’ offense was not much better. But they were marginally better … just not on the scoreboard. Joe Flacco threw 50 passes, completing 35 for 292 yards with one interception and one touchdown. The Broncos’ backfield combined for a total of 90 rushing yards. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders led the Broncos’ receiving corps with 11 receptions for 98 yards and the team’s sole touchdown. Kicker Brandon McManus was two-for-two on field goals.
Alas, the effort was not enough.
This is turning out to be a tough season so far for the Broncos who fall to 0-2 with Sunday’s loss.
The outcome came not only on the backs of a great Bears defense, which recorded 69 tackles including two sacks, and the leg of Pineiro in the waning second of the ball game, but it also came in a game that featured perhaps the worst NFL officiating we’ve seen so far this season.
Quote
“You could tell the second that ball left his foot yesterday, you could hear the thump and you knew that ball was going through.” – Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy (on Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro’s 53-yard game-winning field goal)
Game Highlights
This brutally violent act by the Bears’ Leonard Floyd on Broncos TE Noah Fant drew an unnecessary roughness penalty. There’s simply no room in the sport for such gruesome violence. Please do not allow small children to watch this video. https://t.co/5gNPm3zJLZ
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) September 15, 2019
THE BRONCOS GOT IT!
Denver cashes in on the 2-point conversion after the Bears penalty to take the lead! #CHIvsDEN pic.twitter.com/VnIVyiMKkB
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 15, 2019
Mack’s first sack (of many) this season…#11 of his career against the Broncos.
🎥: @chicagobears pic.twitter.com/3rk9X1HUEE
— Bears Talk (@NBCSBears) September 15, 2019
‼️CHICAGO’S NEW HERO‼️
Eddy Pineiro is drinking for free in Chicago, as the Bears (-150) come back in stunning fashion to beat the Broncos!pic.twitter.com/CTsnawuvE0
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) September 15, 2019
