After Joselio Hanson was exploited once again by Jay Cutler for a touchdown to Johnnie Knox, the Eagles found themselves in a two-score hole, 14-3, at the end of the first quarter. The Bears defense had neutralized Michael Vick by pushing their safeties way back to give the cornerbacks a lot of padding on the dynamic Eagles wideouts. This creates a huge space between the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense, something Vick and the Eagles can capitalize on by sending receivers on 10-15 yard routes and finessing the ball up the field. They’re defending against the big play and Vick needs to take what they’re giving them.
This drive, Vick used receivers Clay Harbor, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, and Jason Avant to get down to the Bears 8 on a first-and-goal. Two incomplete passes later, Vick hit Jeremy Maclin in the middle of the field for Maclin’s team-leading 8th receiving touchdown of the season. The offense did a great job of using what the Bears were doing to their advantage, orchestrating a long touchdown drive that involved 5 different receivers and the entire field.
14-10 Bears.