2. How Do You Respond To Multi-Score Deficits? Turnovers Of Course!
Despite the issues that were apparent for the team (more on the biggest one later), the score was still within reach for much of the second half. On their second drive of the second half, Chicago capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive with a rushing touchdown by Trubisky. With the score, the Bears then led comfortably, 19-7.
Time-wise, this game was far from over though. Cincinnati got the ball back with nearly five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Down 12, they would need two touchdowns to regain the lead, but there was plenty of opportunity left to do so.
It only took three plays to screw up any plans for a comeback. Two plays to Giovani Bernard left the Bengals with a third-and-7 at their own 36-yard-line. Here, Andy Dalton dropped back for a pass, looking for (who else but) A.J. Green. He released, but Green ended up screwing up the catch attempt, tipping the ball up for an eventual Chicago interception.
The turnover there was bad enough, but Cincinnati would allow another Chicago touchdown on defense. That put the Bengals down 26-7 a few seconds into the fourth quarter. A comeback wasn’t likely, but as we see surprisingly often, a 19-point deficit isn’t a death knell with this much time remaining.
It may have well been one for these Bengals, though. With an A.J. Green catch and a Chicago penalty, they quickly reached Chicago territory, but would move no further. Two incompletions left them with a third-and-10, and while Dalton would again find Green for a deep completion, the result would be the opposite of their hopes. You see, while Green did catch it, when he went to try getting out of bounds, he was spun around and somehow stripped of the ball by Chicago’s Eddie Jackson.
You’ve gotta see it for yourself; it’s one of the more ridiculously timely plays I’ve seen a defender manage to complete. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if I ever see another like it.
It’s crazy how often Green has seemed to be at the center of these turnover issues for Cincinnati this year, and due to the problems cropping up on consecutive drives in this game, he’s at the crux of the failed comeback. These turnovers caused by their best player killed them in a game they had a razor-thin margin for error to begin with. Somehow, that isn’t the biggest reason for the loss however…