For a long time Sunday night, it appeared as if the Bears wouldn’t have to worry about outright trying for a loss, or even hoping for one. It just seems to come so naturally for them.
But against a team that somehow managed to win four games this season, they couldn’t help themselves.
Four Rams turnovers in the final 16 1/2 minutes gave the Bears a 13-10 victory in spite of themselves, and wouldn’t you know it, their third victory in the last four weeks.
For their trouble, the Bears fell to sixth in the NFL’s draft order with one week remaining in the season. And the explanation is as unrewarding as Sunday’s result.
Rick Mirer, as promised, relieved Erik Kramer on the second possession of the second half and promptly had his first pass knocked backward at midfield.
It did not get much better from there.
An 8-yard pass to Chris Penn was the highlight of a quarter that also included an interception zipped directly into the arms of Rams cornerback Todd Lyght at the Rams’ 19-yard-line. This followed the first of two interceptions by cornerback Walt Harris, giving the Bears the ball at the Rams’ 48.
But a comedy of errors assured that neither team would take control until late in the game, when two Jeff Jaeger field goals–the second with 2 minutes 52 seconds left to play–and an interception by Tom Carter in the end zone with 1:39 remaining sealed the Bears’ victory.
Following the Mirer interception, Bears defensive end Mark Thomas recovered a fumble by Jerald Moore, giving the Bears the ball at midfield, where Mirer, 1-for-7 passing for 8 yards, began the majority of his drives. That momentum, however, lasted approximately as long as it took coach Dave Wannstedt to readjust his headset.
It was gone just minutes later when, following a failed attempt at drawing the home team offside in a very loud domed stadium, the Bears badly botched a fake punt attempt.
For the third time in the game, long snapper Harper Le Bel played the culprit with a high snap to John Mangum, who fumbled it away after it hit him in the helmet.
One play later, Harris made his second interception, then fumbled it away to the Rams again–the sixth change of possession in roughly six minutes.
This time, however, by the grace of a power higher than anyone in uniform, a team actually capitalized on its opponent’s mistake with the Rams eking out a 28-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins to take a 10-7 lead.
Mirer, who began drives, in order, from the Bears’ 29-yard line, the Bears’ 48, the Bears’ 47, the Rams’ 48, the Bears’ 47 and the Rams’ 33, finally put his team on the scoreboard, thanks in large part to his own 20-yard scramble, which brought the Bears to the Rams’ 7-yard line. But the Bears had to settle for Jaeger’s 27-yard field goal, which tied the game at 10-10.
Mirer still has yet to lead the Bears to a touchdown this season.
The go-ahead score came through the work of the Bears’ defense, when Bryan Cox forced a Tony Banks fumble and Jim Flanigan returned it to the Rams’ 7-yard line. Four plays later, Jaeger’s 20-yard field goal gave the Bears their final 13-10 margin.
It was the Bears’ first regular-season December road victory since 1987.
The Bears got off to a quick start, with 15- and 13-yard pass plays from Erik Kramer to Curtis Conway and Penn respectively, and even getting lucky with a deflected pass and apparent interception bouncing into the hands of Conway on the Rams’ 25.
The Bears’ drive stalled, however, and with fourth and 2 at the 4, Jaeger’s attempt at a 22-yard field goal was blocked by end Kevin Carter, who broke through the middle of the line. Cornerback Ryan McNeil scooped up the loose ball and slanted 66 yards downfield before getting knocked out of bounds by holder Todd Sauerbrun at the Bears’ 5-yard line.
Three plays later, Moore found an open path to the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run and an early Rams lead.
McNeil struck again early in the second quarter with an interception of a Kramer pass to Penn on the Bears’ 39-yard line, but the Rams failed on a 40-yard field goal try by Wilkins.
The Bears tied it up on one of the few highlights of the night–and the season, for that matter–on a 55-yard hookup from Kramer to Conway. Conway, interfered with by Taje Allen, turned back upfield for the reflex grab, got back to his feet and fought off Allen to the end zone.
Conway saved what could have been an ailing offensive effort without starting tailback Raymont Harris, catching seven passes for 109 yards in the first half alone.
The Bears actually had little trouble moving the ball in the first half, but as has been the case all season, simply couldn’t sustain their drives mostly because of avoidable errors. On their final possession of the half, for example, a high snap by Le Bel eluded Sauerbrun on what would have been a 40-yard attempt by Jaeger, to squelch an otherwise impressive 60-yard drive and leave the scored tied 7-7 at the intermission.
