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Well, twenty-two points is a bit of an improvement over last week. And no, no tweet of a halftime stunt gone awry. Just Brian Hoyer getting picked off on his first attempt of the game for a touchdown en route to a 23-22 loss to the Patriots.
Prior to that moment, the Bears' first unit did some pretty solid work overall. The Bears' first two drives of the game both ended in scores and combined for 123 total yards, Tracy Porter forced a fumble in a goal-to-go stand, and the defensive line stood strong on another goal-line stand to hold an 11-3 lead by the time Brian Hoyer entered the game. Unfortunately, the second units couldn't make that lead stand up, and the Bears fell to 0-2 halfway through the preseason.
The third unit, led by Connor Shaw, rallied back hard to score a touchdown and two-point conversion to close the game, and while the result didn't change, maybe some folks on that unit pushed themselves into consideration for some open backup jobs.
We'll have more breakdown of tonight's game in Notes and throughout the day tomorrow, but suffice to say - if you're into seeing what the starters do in preseason, there was a lot to like going forward. And if you like seeing what the backups have to offer, well, then you're probably singing a different tune. Consider this your weekly reminder that this is preseason, take from it what you will. Just remember - even the 0-16 Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason.
Quick Stats:
Chicago Bears:
Jay Cutler: 8/12, 83 yards - 86.5 passer rating
Jeremy Langford: 8 carries, 55 yards, TD; 1 reception, 8 yards
Jordan Howard: 7 carries, 28 yards
Alshon Jeffery: 2 receptions, 41 yards
Tony Moeaki: 4 receptions, 28 yards
New England Patriots:
Jimmy Garoppolo: 16/21, 181 yards, TD - 117.4 passer rating
LeGarrette Blount: 11 carries, 69 yards, TD
Tyler Gaffney: 10 carries, 27 yards
Martellus Bennett: 2 receptions, 26 yards
Chris Hogan: 4 receptions, 53 yards
AJ Derby: 6 receptions, 71 yards, TD