Bears steal one from Matt Leinart and the Cardinals
NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
In an incredible 4th quarter, Urlacher and the Bears take the ball away from the Cards to win 24 to 23. Matt Leinart is 24 of 42 for 232 yards and two touchdown passes. It is not enough.
The scene is set. There is 5:11 left in the game and Arizona leads 23 to 10. The game is in the bag. Then Urlacher, the uber-linebacker, strips Edgerrin James, and Tillman runs it back for a touchdown.
Still it is 23 to 17. Arizona just needs to run the clock down and punt. Leinart is superb in the face of a fierce rush. Urlacher is everywhere. Lance Briggs has… 13 tackles at this point. (Squibster full disclosure - Briggs, of the hated Bears, is on my Fantasy Football team) Leinart is skillfully passing left and right. The Bears are shutting down James at the line of scrimmage. Finally, the Cards have to punt.
The Cardinals had it won. They had led the whole game. The Cards punt the ball and Devin Hester catches it at the 17 yard line and then returns the punt 83 yards for a touchdown. The Bears take a 1 point lead. At that point, Kurt Warner goes over to Matt Leinart and says “It’s all on you. It’s what you do. It’s what you do.”
Leinart was great, moving them up the field for Neil Rackers to take a crack at a field goal with 53 seconds left. It would be the perfect story book ending with the prize rookie quarterback looking fear right in the eyes and not flinching. Everything was perfect, but someone forgot to tell Rackers. He missed the 41 yard field goal attempt to the left and the Bears had the victory 24 to 23.
Three defensive touchdowns for the Bears. Starting with 2 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. They recovered a fumble by Leinart and took it in for a 3 yard touchdown. An impossible victory for the Bears.
Dennis Green was furious in the post game interview. When asked a question about the Bears, he shouted out, “The Bears are who we thought they were. If you want to crown them, you crown their a**. They are who we thought they were and we let them off the hook.” Then Dennis stormed away from the podium.
NFL Football Fan Question The Bears stole one tonight from a young quarterback. We all know the Bears are for real, but are you now a believer in Matt Leinart?
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6 opinions for Bears steal one from Matt Leinart and the Cardinals
Mike (The Armchair QB)
Oct 17, 2006 at 12:37 pm
I think Leinart has real potential. He’s fairly accurate (which you have to be if you don’t have a cannon)and he has the ability to make quick reads and look the safety off while making a throw. But I’m not buying into blaming the offensive line for all of Edgerrin James troubles. He doesn’t hit the holes quick enough. When he had Payton Manning he could dance and wait for blocks because defenses were respecting the pass. Right now he doesn’t have that. Maybe with Leinart’s progression that will come. We’ll see.
Mike
Oct 17, 2006 at 7:15 pm
It was actually 2 defensive touchdowns, not three. the third was special teams
James
Oct 17, 2006 at 10:51 pm
Should the ref have blown his whistle on the James fumble? What is the rule on that?
James
Oct 17, 2006 at 10:52 pm
oops, you are right. tend to think of the punt return team as Defense, but it is not!
jamaal06
Oct 24, 2006 at 4:21 pm
leinart will be the truth the cards can turn this around
James
Oct 24, 2006 at 5:40 pm
you can”t know how jealous that makes me, as my Lions passed on Leinart in the draft.
Matt still needs an offensive line.
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