|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Michael Jordan may be in Washington, but the Chicago Bears are providing more than enough thrills for the Windy City. Safety Mike Brown played the role of overtime hero for the second straight week, returning an interception 16 yards for a touchdown as the Bears rallied for a dramatic 27-21 victory over the Cleveland Browns. "I don't know what you'd call it -- a higher power, destiny. Yeh, destiny that's the word," Brown said. Brown's play came 2:50 into overtime after the Bears scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 28 seconds of regulation, thanks to a successful onside kick and a "Hail Mary" catch in the end zone by running back James Allen. Brown scored on a 33-yard interception return 16 seconds into overtime last week against San Francisco, setting off a wild celebration here at Soldier Field. In that game, the Bears rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit. But on Sunday, they had an even more improbable comeback. After Shane Matthews hit Marty Booker with a nine-yard touchdown pass to pull Chicago within 21-14 with 28 seconds left, the Bears perfectly executed an onside kick. Paul Edinger kicked to his left and the ball took a high bounce. Cleveland's Percy Ellsworth got a hand on it, but Chicago's Jerry Azumah knocked it away and Bobbie Howard recovered for the Bears at the Cleveland 47. With one timeout and 24 seconds left, Matthews hit Allen with passes of four and nine yards to the Cleveland 34. After calling a timeout with eight seconds left, Matthews set up in the shotgun and lofted a pass to the right side of the end zone. Ellsworth leaped with a teammate and a pair of Chicago receivers and batted the ball up instead of down. Allen came flying into the end zone and made a diving catch off the carom, hurdling Booker to tie the game at 21-21 and sending the fans into a frenzy. "Shane threw the ball where it was supposed to go but you have to have the stars lined up," Bears coach Dick Jauron said. "James made a tremendous play. The onside kick was executed as well as we could do it. It was unbelievable." Chicago won the coin flip in overtime and elected to receive. After a three-and-out, the Bears punted and Cleveland took over at its 12. After Tim Couch threw a 16-yard pass to Kevin Johnson, linebacker Rosevelt Colvin sacked Couch for a five-yard loss. On the next play, defensive end Bryan Robinson batted up a pass by Couch and Brown was there for the interception and raced untouched into the end zone. "We had an option route underneath with (running back) Jamel White and the ball just got tipped," Couch said. "Mike Brown was in the right place at the right time." It was the sixth straight win for the surprising Bears (6-1), who are tied with St. Louis for the best record in the NFL. Chicago won five games all of last season. The Browns (4-3) appeared to be on the brink of moving into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh in the AFC Central, but instead fell into third place. "It hurts a lot," Browns coach Butch Davis said. "It doesn't mean anything to you if it doesn't hurt or break your heart. We had a winning effort, but we didn't win the game. We didn't finish the game and that's something a young team has to learn to do." Matthews threw for a career-high 357 yards, marking his first 300-yard game, but was intercepted three times. He completed 30-of-50 passes. "We kept fighting and guys just kept making plays," Matthews said. "Who would have thought it would end like that with Mike Brown." Dez White had seven catches for 92 yards and Booker caught seven passes for 85 yards. Rookie Anthony Thomas rushed for 96 yards on 31 carries and caught six passes for 71 yards. The Bears committed four turnovers, one of which was a 25-yard fumble return for a touchdown by defensive end Courtney Brown 55 seconds into the game. Making his season debut after missing the first six games of the season with a sprained knee, Brown made an immediate impact, compiling three sacks, seven tackles and a forced fumble along with the touchdown. "I felt good out there, but the loss leaves us with an empty feeling," said Brown, the first overall pick in the 2000 draft. Couch was 14-of-23 for 211 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Chicago's first three possessions resulted in a fumble and two interceptions. Linebacker Wali Rainer hit Matthews on a blitz, forcing the fumble which Brown recovered and scored. After dominating statistically, the Bears finally tied the game on a three-yard touchdown run by Thomas with 20 seconds left in the half. Thomas caught passes of 18 and 23 yards to highlight the drive. Cleveland opened the second half with a seven-play, 57-yard drive. Couch hit rookie Quincy Morgan with a 28-yard pass on a 4th-and-1 play before connecting with Mike Sellers on a three-yard touchdown. Cleveland took a 21-7 lead on a 55-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Johnson which deflected off the hand of Mike Brown with 3:08 left in the third quarter.
|
