After about a six minute stretch of opening commercials laid on top of the opening of the game, the first game action already showed the Chargers up 3-0 thanks to a Bears three-and-out early. But the Bears tied it up later in the quarter, and started putting on the points behind a strong day throwing the football by Jay Cutler, who outdueled his seeming "rival" Philip Rivers.
On defense, one week after stopping Calvin Johnson, the Bears struggled pretty mightily with Vincent Jackson, who pretty much ran roughshod over them. But the Bears were in Rivers' face for a good portion of the day; while they didn't record a sack, Rivers often threw an early pass or threw it away from all the pressure headed his way.
The Chargers clearly came to force Cutler to beat them, but utilizing his mobility against an inconsistent pass rush, he was able to make some plays in the passing game and picked up some decent yardage for a first down and a touchdown. Towards the end of the game, the Bears started running the ball with authority, and aided by a Lovie-esque timeout-then-challenge, were able to close out the win.
Quick, victorious numbers after the jump.
Jay Cutler: 18/31, 286 yards, 2 TD, INT - 97.0 Passer Rating; 5 carries, 11 yards, TD
Matt Forte: 21 carries, 59 yards; 4 receptions, 26 yards
Marion Barber: 6 carries, 23 yards, TD
Johnny Knox: 3 receptions, 97 yards, TD
Earl Bennett: 3 receptions, 75 yards
Roy Williams: 5 receptions, 62 yards
Philip Rivers: 21/31, 280 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT - 90.8 Passer Rating
Ryan Mathews: 13 carries, 37 yards; 2 receptions, 14 yards
Vincent Jackson: 7 receptions, 165 yards, TD
Antonio Gates: 4 receptions, 63 yards, TD
And another good number... No Sacks Allowed for the second time this year.