Bears vs. Giants is usually a bruising battle. Just ask Jay Cutler, who suffers an NFL-record nine sacks in the first half alone and a concussion. Then the Giants offense comes alive to secure a victory.

EAST RUTHERFORD—Back to reality? Was the Bears offense brought back to Earth? Well people have been saying since Training Camp that the Bears offensive line was going to “get Jay Cutler killed”. Well not quite yet, but they did get him sacked only two times less than he attempted passes.The Giants were barely better,but they handed the Bears their first loss of the season 17-3. And it was much uglier than any score can indicate.And a nice effort by the Bears defense went to waste.The Bears offensive line was a no show in the first half,and so as a result was the Bears offense.Cutler was sacked 9 times, and as a result,the Visitors only managed 2 first downs(the Giants had just 4) in the first thirty minutes of play.Amazingly,the Giants could do little with their chances and only led 3-0 at the break. The first half was as bad as having lots of teeth pulled without Novocain.It was absolutely BRUTAL! Daniel Manning returned the opening kickoff 29 yards to the 39,but the Bears started with a false start on Patrick Mannelly.That set the series back,and after Cutler was sacked on third down, Brad Maynard’s punt was muffed but then recovered by Darius Reynaud at the NYG 16. On a third and three,Ahmad Bradshaw was stopped just short of a first down by D.J.Moore. The snap to Punter Matt Dodge was a bad one,but he rolled to his right and got the kickoff where it fair caught at the Bears 32,but an ineligible man down field started the Bears at their 37.But after the Bears picked up a first down, Cutler was sacked and again Maynard had to punt-which he did into the end zone for a touch back.The Giants moved down field with Eli Manning’s passing and Bradshaw running.The key plays were a 20 yard run by Bradshaw and a 10 yard pass from Manning to Hakeem Nicks, which a holding call against the Giants was overturned as they picked up the flag. The Momentum continued from there.On a third and seven,Manning found a wide open Nicks for 23 yards to the Bears 12.On third down,Manning hit Steve Smith but he was stopped at the four by Moore,so Lawrence Tynes converted a 22 yard chip shot to cap the drive with 3:29 left in the quarter.The Bears started their third possession on their own 21.On a third and five,Cutler launched one into double coverage and Terrell Thomas picked it off at the Bears 28,but the Bears,despite a neutral zone infraction,were able to hold and force Tynes try a 38 yard field goal which he blew it wide left.The Bears dodged a bullet,and took over at their 28.After yet another false start on the Bears,the listless first quarter ended 3-0 NYG.The Bears faced a third and six,Cutler was hit by Osi Umenyiora as he rolled right,the ball popped out,but right to Olin Kruetz.Maynard then punted the Giants to their own 30.On first down, Manning was sacked on first down by Isreal Idonije for a ten yard loss.That in effect killed the NYG drive and Dodge punted to Devin Hester who returned the 37 yard kick 6 yards to the Bears 35 where he was forced out of bounds.On first down,Cutler was sacked for a fourth time,but Hester recovered for a 7 yard loss,plus five more where the ball was recovered at the 23.On third down,Umenyiora got to Cutler and knocked the ball free, Deon Grant recovered for the Giants at the Bears 29.But the Bears again held,and forced a punt,which went into the end zone. After an 8 yard run by Matt Forte, Greg Olsen jumped for the Bears third false start of the first half. Cutler then ran under pressure and was sacked for a yard loss,then sacked again on third down.Maynard punted from his end zone,and shanked it out of bounds at the Bears 47.On a second down, Julius Peppers got to Manning from behind and knocked the ball free. Idonije fell on it at the Bears 48. Giants Coach Tom Coughlin threw the challenge flag,claiming that Manning hand was going forward,but the ruling on the field held up.Cutler was sacked yet again on first down to kill that opportunity,and on a third and 18,Cutler was flushed from the pocket and threw it out of bounds.After another Maynard punt,the Giants took over at their 27.Again,the Bears defense did the job,forcing a three and out,but after a nice return by Hester on the punt,a clipping penalty forced the Bears to start at their own five with 1:41 left in the half.Following a Cutler to Olsen pass and a Chester Taylor run got them a first down to the 19, Cutler was(you guess it)sacked for the 9th time in the half for a seven yard loss.He suffered a concussion. The half mercifully came to an end.

The Giants were held ‘three and out’ to begin the third quarter,and Dodge punted out of bounds at the Bears 29. Todd Collins started the third quarter for the Bears,handed off three times,and the result,another punt which resulted in the Giants starting on their 16 but did nothing,and when Dodge’s punt went out at the Bears 43,a huge creshendo of boos when off. This time Collins threw one pass-to Hester for 7,but they still were stopped and the busy Maynard kicked out of bounds at the 19,but a holding penalty of the Giants pushed it back to the ten.But they finally got to the Bears worn down defense and with the running of Bradshaw and two key passes from Manning to Smith for six yards and to Nicks for 21, they went 90 yards in just eight plays.Bradshaw had a huge 25 yard left end run to the Bears 3,and then he took several tacklers with him into the end zone on the next play to make it 10-0 with 2:48 left in the third.Two possessions later,the Bears got their 3rd first down of the game on a Hester 11 yard run as the third quarter ended.Their 4th fresh set of downs came as a result of a late hit penalty on Jonathan Goff on the first play of the fourth period.Collins then hit Olsen for to the Giants 35. But two plays later,Collins overthrew Olsen and Grant picked it off at the 8. The Giants Brandon Jacobs ran the ball to the 29,but fumbled it and is was recovered by Chris Harris at the Giants 29,giving the Bears their deepest penetration,but the failed on a third and three so Robbie Gould kicked a 40 yard field goal to get the Bears on the board with 10:58 left.It appeared as though Bradshaw was about to ice the game when he broke free for 30 yards,but Zach Bowman knocked the ball away at the Bears 6 and recovered it at the 1,but of course the Bears did nothing and Maynard’s punt was returned to the Bears 32. Manning hit Nicks at the Bears two and Jacobs took it in on the next play to put this one completely out of reach. Collins was shaken up after completing a pass to Earl Bennett. He walked off on his own,but third QB Caleb Hanie entered and promptly hit Johnny Knox on his first snap for 26 yards to the Giants 42,but a false start moved them back five yards.On a third down,Hanie became the third Bears QB to be sacked(by Justin Tuck).He hit Bennett next about 11 yards short of a first down, thus turning the ball over on downs.The Giants got inside the Bears five,but showed mercy by having Manning take a knee twice to run out the clock and end this fiasco.

NOTES—The Giants introduced their Ring Of Honor at halftime…..Of course the Bears ae now 1-1 in prime time games this season, 1-1 on the road.

LES