Rex Grossman threw three interceptions, while the Bears defense did little to slow down the Cowboys. A quarter-by-quarter look at the Sunday night game that most Bears fans wish they hadn’t stayed up for:
FIRST QUARTER
NEED TO KNOW: The offense starts off smoothly, with Rex Grossman completing six of his first 10 passes, and wisely throwing the ball out of the end zone on third-and-goal with Muhsin Muhammad blanketed. Cedric Benson gains 18 yards on the first two plays from scrimmage. And rookie Greg Olsen catches his first NFL pass for seven yards.
T.O. WATCH: The Cowboys’ boisterous wide receiver is conspicuously absent for most of the quarter. Owens catches one pass for 17 yards, two yards short of converting on third down.
SCORE: Bears 3, Cowboys 0
SECOND QUARTER
NEED TO KNOW: Hello, Bad Rex. First play of the second quarter, Grossman leads Muhammad a bit too much and is intercepted by Anthony Henry. Grossman also underthrows a couple of passes in the period. Here’s how much fear the Bears’ offense has put into the Dallas sideline: With the threat of giving the Bears the ball back at the Chicago 39, the Cowboys go for it on fourth-and-three, and they make it. But the gamble doesn’t pay off as the Bears block Nick Folk’s 23-yard attempt, Chicago’s third field-goal block of the season.
T.O. WATCH: With the Cowboys risking a fourth-down play, there were few trustworthy options other than Owens, who cradled a 12-yard pass from Tony Romo. He also was penalized for offensive pass interference.
SCORE: Bears 3, Cowboys 3
THIRD QUARTER
NEED TO KNOW: Hello, Good Rex. Grossman preserves a drive by scrambling for the first down on third-and-10. Finally, Bears fans see the potential the Bears offense has with two top tight ends as Grossman connects with Desmond Clark on a 52-yard play, and Olsen snags a 21-yard pass. Benson scores his first touchdown of the season, but he’s averaging just 2.9 yards per carry at this point of the game. Benson also fumbles the ball near the end of the period. Is fatigue setting in for the Bears defense? The ‘Boys marched 91 yards to the end zone on a drive that lasted 5:56.
T.O. WATCH: Owens and Romo hook up on a 35-yard catch on third-and-11. The drive ends with a scoring pass to Marion Barber III. It’s starting to look like T.O.’s streak of games with a TD catch might end with six.
SCORE: Cowboys 17, Bears 10
FOURTH QUARTER
NEED TO KNOW: “Griese! Griese! Griese!” Chants for Brian Griese are mixed in with boos for Grossman as the beleaguered QB throws into double coverage and is picked off again by Henry, who returns it 28 yards for a touchdown. Barber gashes the Bears D for 78 yards on eight straight running plays, including a one-yard touchdown plunge. On the next offensive play, Grossman throws his third interception of the night. Coach Lovie Smith said he wouldn’t make any changes until reviewing game film, but added, “Rex is our quarterback. … I know he’s going take a lot of the blame. We all will take a lot of the blame.”
T.O. WATCH: The streak is over, but Owens was all smiles like the rest of the ‘Boys. Besides, 145 yards on eight catches is not a bad night’s work. [
