NFL: Bears make NFL history, overwhelm Jaguars 41-3

Sports

October 8, 2012

NFL: Bears make NFL history, overwhelm Jaguars 41-3

ASSOCIATED PRESS Associated Press Mon Oct 08, 2012, 12:06 PM CDT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs have been Chicago Bears teammates for a decade, watching each other grow from talented rookies to entrenched starters to savvy veterans.

If they weren't forever linked before, they surely are now.

Tillman and Briggs made NFL history Sunday by becoming the first teammates to return interceptions for touchdowns in consecutive weeks. Tillman's score was pivotal in a 41-3 victory at Jacksonville.

"We're still going strong 10 years later,'' Tillman said.

The Bears (4-1) scored 38 unanswered points in the second half to win their third consecutive game. The streak has everything to do with defense. Chicago has returned five interceptions for touchdowns in those games.

Tillman and Briggs returned two of the team's five INTs for scores in Monday night's 34-18 victory at Dallas. Major Wright returned one the previous week against St. Louis.

Tillman's second of the season - a 36-yarder in the third quarter Sunday - proved to be the decisive play in a game that saw as many punts (six) as points in the first half.

"This one was an easier catch,'' Tillman said, recalling his juggling pick of Tony Romo's pass six days earlier. "Last week, it was, `Is he really throwing me the ball?' This week was normal. This one was easier. It came at a good time. We needed a lift, and that score got us rolling to the point the offense started putting up points after that.''

The Bears finished with 501 yards of offense, 309 in the second half, and held Jacksonville to 45 yards after the break. The Jaguars ran just four plays in the third quarter.

"It's been the same thing for five years,'' Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew said. "Obviously, we're not working hard enough. I don't know. We're just not playing well right now. We have to figure something out. No one here is going to save us. We got to look man to man at each other and figure out what we're going to do.''

The Jaguars (1-4) never recovered from Tillman's touchdown and played the final quarter amid a chorus of boos. Jacksonville now heads into its bye week with serious questions about what direction the team is headed under general manager Gene Smith, quarterback Blaine Gabbert and maybe even first-year coach Mike Mularkey.

With Smith assembling the roster, the Jaguars have lost 18 of their last 24 games.

They have been downright pathetic in three home games this season. They managed 117 yards in the home opener against Houston, 212 last week against Cincinnati and 189 Sunday.

"I can talk up here all night about what we did, but that's not going to cure anything,'' Gabbert said. "We've got to come out in the second half and play better football. It starts with me. When you throw two Pick 6's in a half, that's awful. I've got to find a way to fix that and get this offense going a little bit.''

Gabbert completed 17 of 33 passes for 142 yards, with two interceptions and a lost fumble. The Bears stacked the line of scrimmage, clearly wanting to shut down Jones-Drew. It worked, as Jones-Drew finished with 56 yards on 12 carries.

Following Tillman's score, the Jaguars allowed consecutive touchdown drives after playing stout defense in the first half.

Jay Cutler hooked up with rookie Alshon Jeffery for a 10-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter and then found Brandon Marshall for a 24-yarder with 8:37 remaining in the game.

Briggs' score came after that, a 36-yard return that made it 34-3.

"The defense put up some points again,'' said Cutler, who completed 23 of 39 passes for 292 yards. "We're never really out of a game with those guys on defense.''

Marshall caught 12 passes for 144 yards. Matt Forte, who has one touchdown this season, ran 22 times for 107 yards.

Few outsiders gave the Jaguars a chance before the game. The only thing that seemingly was in Jacksonville's favor was catching Chicago on a short week. The Bears got home from Dallas early Tuesday and were back on a plane Saturday.

That may have contributed to Chicago's slow start. But it mattered little in the second half - thanks mostly to the interceptions.

"I know they know how important it is to take the ball away,'' Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "There is an emphasis on it. And after a while, you see one guy doing it, you want to join in on that action. It's discouraging to the offense. We normally win when we score one time, and it's probably safe to say we haven't lost when we score a couple times on the defensive side.''

Text Only

Sports

Verdigris’ Hanslovan commits to ORU
One of the biggest decisions of her upcoming senior year is finally behind Verdigris High School soccer standout Caitlyn Hanslovan.
The four-year letterwinner and three-time Class 4A state champion forward announced Tuesday that she will commit to playing NCAA Division I soccer at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

May 22, 2013 2 Photos
RSU's Loy earns third-straight Academic All American honor
Rogers State senior outfielder Katrina Loy was named to the Capital One Academic All-America College Division Softball Third Team as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

May 22, 2013 1 Photo
Area players earn All-Region baseball awards
The awards keep piling up for Verdigris High School graduate Blake Battenfield.
After being named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Large East team earlier this week, Battenfield and numerous other players from Rogers County earned OCA All-Region accolades.
Battenfield was joined by his teammate, Ryan Hurd, who was a senior outfielder/shortstop for the three-time Class 3A state champion Verdigris Cardinals.

May 22, 2013 1 Photo
NAIA WORLD SERIES: No. 10 Hillcats fall to Lewis-Clark State, 6-1
The 10th-seeded Rogers State baseball team struggled offensively in its first game at the Avista-NAIA World Series as the Hillcats fell to the host Lewis-Clark State 6-1 on Friday night at Harris Field.

May 25, 2013
NAIA WORLD SERIES: No. 9 Missouri Baptist whips No. 8 Sterling, 8-3
No. 9 Missouri Baptist blew the game open with a six-run third inning to win game one of the 2013 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series 8-3 over No. 8 Sterling (Kan.) Friday at Harris Field. The victory is the first-ever at the World Series for the Spartans.

May 25, 2013
NAIA WORLD SERIES: The Master's outduels Northwood, 4-3
Golden State Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year A.J. Work picked up his 13th win of the season, as No. 5 The Master’s (Calif.) held off a late surge by No. 4 Northwood (Texas) to earn a 4-3 win in the second game of the 2013 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series Friday afternoon at Harris Field.

May 25, 2013
NAIA WORLD SERIES: No. 3 Embry-Riddle drops No. 6 York, 8-3
No. 3 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) snapped a four-game World Series losing streak with an 8-3 win over No. 6 York (Neb.) in game three of the 2013 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series Friday at Harris Field.

May 25, 2013
NAIA WORLD SERIES: Northwood's Faulkner no-hits No. 8 Sterling
Cody Faulkner tossed the fourth no-hitter in the 57-year history of the Avista-NAIA World Series, as No. 4 Northwood (Texas) eliminated No. 8 Sterling (Kan.), 1-0, Saturday morning at Harris Field. The no-hit bid is the first since 1992 when Rick Riddle of Wilmington (Del.) held Mount Olive (N.C.) hitless in 1992. The victory is the first-ever for Northwood at the World Series.

May 25, 2013
NBA: Memphis 'Believes'
The towels are showing up all around Memphis. They hang over neighborhood signs and even at a door to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The sentiment? Believe Memphis.

May 25, 2013
BIG 12 TOURNEY: Sooners keep Red Raiders off the board
Oklahoma has made a complete turnaround in the last two days. The squad that looked dominant early in the season has re-emerged at the Big 12 tournament. The Sooners (38-19) rolled to their second straight tournament victory, thumping Texas Tech (25-30), 8-0, Friday, and improving to 2-0 in the event.

May 25, 2013
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

NFL: Bears make NFL history, overwhelm Jaguars 41-3

Over the past two weeks the price of a gallon of gas has jumped more than 20 cents. As of Wednesday, it cost 3.64. What do you attribute the sudden rise in cost?

Site Map

Contact Us