2008 Woodie Awards
Tillman heroics keep Bears in first place
Overtme win versus Detroit gves Bears a three game win streak
Mark Johnson
Issue date: 11/14/05 Section: Sports
Chicago Bears cornerback Charles "Peanut" Tillman waited until the last possible moment to respond to a challenge from teammate Jerry Azumah Sunday.
Tillman started the game with no touchdowns on the year. Azumah challenged him to get one score against the Detroit Lions. Tillman was quiet until the last 8:43 of the overtime quarter. The game was tied at 13-13, when he broke on a pass from Jeff Garcia. Tillman was able to pick off the play and returned the ball from the 22-yard line for a touchdown. This brought the Bears to a 19-13 win in the battle for first place in the NFC North.
This was the first time Chicago has won in four games at Ford Field. The first game played was similar to this game but the Bears failed to perform and took the loss. Both teams entered at 3-3, but the Bears have now beaten the Lions twice. This puts the Bears in control of their own fate of the Northern Division.
The Bears started off with another slow start offensively. Racking up just a total of 10 yards on offense in the first quarter, the Bears fell behind 3-0. After a few minutes, the offence was able to get going in the second quarter with rookie quarterback Kyle Orton at the helm. Orton followed through with a 99-yard drive that culminated in a 23-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad. Rookie kicker Robbie Gould added field goals from 38 and 20 yards out as Chicago went ahead 13-3 before the halftime.
After the half, the Lions chipped away at the Bears' lead in the second half. A 12-play, 85-yard drive by the Lions ate up much of the third quarter. The end of the quarter found Detroit halfback Kevin Jones scoring on a 6-yard run. A 30-yard field goal was kicked by Jason Hanson with 13:20 remaining. This tied the game for the two teams at 13-all.
Thomas Jones fumbled away the next Chicago drive. Garcia was then hit by Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and appeared to fumble the ball, which led to a pick and run by Hillenmeyer into the end zone. After challenges by both teams, Garcia was penalized for intentional grounding. Both teams punted away their opening possessions in overtime before Tillman struck with the winning play.
Orton had a career-best day passing the ball, completing 17-of-31 attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown. Muhammad finished with four catches for 49 yards. Rookie receiver Mark Bradley led the Bears with five catches for 88 yards before being carted off the field with a sprained right knee.
Jones was Chicago's leading rusher, piling up 72 yards on 22 carries. Rookie Cedric Benson displayed his best performance this year with a 25-yard run that led to a finish of 35 yards on three attempts. Urlacher had a team-best nine tackles, and Alex Brown and Tank Johnson had sacks.
Adding to the good news for Bears fans is the team's upcoming schedule. Chicago face the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers, both two-win teams, in the next two weeks, which leads to the possibilty of a 6-3 mark heading into games against Carolina and Tampa Bay.
Tillman started the game with no touchdowns on the year. Azumah challenged him to get one score against the Detroit Lions. Tillman was quiet until the last 8:43 of the overtime quarter. The game was tied at 13-13, when he broke on a pass from Jeff Garcia. Tillman was able to pick off the play and returned the ball from the 22-yard line for a touchdown. This brought the Bears to a 19-13 win in the battle for first place in the NFC North.
This was the first time Chicago has won in four games at Ford Field. The first game played was similar to this game but the Bears failed to perform and took the loss. Both teams entered at 3-3, but the Bears have now beaten the Lions twice. This puts the Bears in control of their own fate of the Northern Division.
The Bears started off with another slow start offensively. Racking up just a total of 10 yards on offense in the first quarter, the Bears fell behind 3-0. After a few minutes, the offence was able to get going in the second quarter with rookie quarterback Kyle Orton at the helm. Orton followed through with a 99-yard drive that culminated in a 23-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad. Rookie kicker Robbie Gould added field goals from 38 and 20 yards out as Chicago went ahead 13-3 before the halftime.
After the half, the Lions chipped away at the Bears' lead in the second half. A 12-play, 85-yard drive by the Lions ate up much of the third quarter. The end of the quarter found Detroit halfback Kevin Jones scoring on a 6-yard run. A 30-yard field goal was kicked by Jason Hanson with 13:20 remaining. This tied the game for the two teams at 13-all.
Thomas Jones fumbled away the next Chicago drive. Garcia was then hit by Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and appeared to fumble the ball, which led to a pick and run by Hillenmeyer into the end zone. After challenges by both teams, Garcia was penalized for intentional grounding. Both teams punted away their opening possessions in overtime before Tillman struck with the winning play.
Orton had a career-best day passing the ball, completing 17-of-31 attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown. Muhammad finished with four catches for 49 yards. Rookie receiver Mark Bradley led the Bears with five catches for 88 yards before being carted off the field with a sprained right knee.
Jones was Chicago's leading rusher, piling up 72 yards on 22 carries. Rookie Cedric Benson displayed his best performance this year with a 25-yard run that led to a finish of 35 yards on three attempts. Urlacher had a team-best nine tackles, and Alex Brown and Tank Johnson had sacks.
Adding to the good news for Bears fans is the team's upcoming schedule. Chicago face the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers, both two-win teams, in the next two weeks, which leads to the possibilty of a 6-3 mark heading into games against Carolina and Tampa Bay.
