Madison’s injury opens floodgates

By Paul Eide  |   Monday, November 13, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
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For over 28 minutes this past Sunday, every situation that needed to be avoided in order for the Chicago Bears to win seemed to happen at once. When Rex Grossman threw an interception on his second pass of the game, Chicago fans were abruptly confronted with a harsh reality: had the Bears really been playing over their heads all along? And for a moment, it looked like seven wins in the first eight games was going to be the crowning achievement for the season.

But with 1:30 remaining in the first half, the Bears trailing 13-3 and facing a third-and-22 from their own 28, Thomas Jones, who, at that point, had lost a fumble and gained only nine yards on his first seven carries, took the handoff on a draw play and scampered 26 yards for the first down. Three plays later, Grossman found wide receiver Mark Bradley for a 29-yard touchdown and Chicago was suddenly back in the game.

The touchdown was a huge momentum boost, but on that same play an even bigger development took place that led to the Bears dominating the second half and ultimately winning the game, 38-20.

The New York Giants lost starting cornerback Sam Madison to a hamstring injury that kept him on the sidelines for the rest of game, giving the Bears an unexpected break. The injury seemed minor and almost irrelevant at the time but by the end of the game, it was obvious how important it was.

Prior to the touchdown pass to Bradley and the ensuing injury to Madison on the same play, Grossman completed just 8 of 18 passes for 78 yards, with an interception and a fumble. After the touchdown and Madison's departure, Grossman got hot, completing nine out of 11 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.

The Bears' offensive staff did a great job exploiting Madison's inexperienced replacement, second-year player Corey Webster, and threw to his side of the field almost exclusively. When the smoke cleared, Webster had been toasted, surrendering six receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown in the second half alone.

Madison's injury finally exposed the Giants' depleted defense and made it look like what it was: a bunch of second- and third-stringers forced into action because of injuries. Without Madison, New York was forced to abandon the blitzing attack that was so successful in first half, switching to a zone defense to protect its lack of depth in the secondary.

Once the Bears had forced the Giants to respect the passing game, it created enough space for Thomas Jones to operate and he responded by rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown in the second half. His ability to run kept the clock moving and the Giants' potent offense off the field.

While the Giants took a step back in the game, the Bears undoubtedly took a huge step forward. They proved yet again that they are never out of any game no matter how dire the circumstances. In addition, they started off their three-game road trip with an emphatic win over what was largely considered their closest competition for the NFC crown.

FInd out which Chicago Bears team shows up this Sunday at RealFootball365.com
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