CHICAGO — Leave it to the New England Patriots to turn regular guys into future residents of Canton.
Shane Matthews, who is on the record as wanting out of Chicago this year, completed a Bears record 15 consecutive passes, hit on 22 of 27 passes, and fired two touchdown passes. Eddie Kennison caught eight passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. James Allen went over the 1,000-yard mark this season with 97 yards on 37 carries.
This was more than enough for the 3-10 Bears to overtake the woebegone Patriots, as they pulled off a 24-17 win before over 24,000 no-shows at cold and dank Soldier Field in Chicago. The Patriots played listlessly for most of the game, and stood there and watched the game end with ten seconds left after an illegal motion penalty.
In the abstract, it was two teams going nowhere, and the team that did the most to lose the game succeeded.
The Patriots kicked their no-huddle offense in for some of the game, and it produced two touchdown drives. Terry Glenn hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to make it 7-3 Pats, culminating a 12-play, 83-yard drive. Then in the fourth quarter, the Pats drove 73 yards in 12 plays, and Troy Brown made a nifty, diving touchdown grab from seven yards out to close Chicago’s lead to 24-17.
But in between scoring drives, the Patriots abandoned their no-huddle plan. Result: no first downs between scoring drives, period.
During this offensive shutdown, Matthews and Allen were busy at work. Matthews broke Steve Walsh’s 1994 record of 14 straight completions with a 12-yard pass to Kennison in the fourth quarter. One of Allen’s 37 carries went for a touchdown, a 16-yard run in the second quarter. Allen also caught a six-yard scoring toss in the third stanza.
Penalties also crippled the Patriots today, as they were flagged 7 times for 60 yards. Three such penalties wiped out Drew Bledsoe passes of ten or more yards.
The last penalty was quite strange, and put an appropriate capper on another dreadful game for the Patriots.
With no time outs and 1:54 to play, the Patriots had the ball at their own 38. They drove to the Bear 40 with 30 seconds to play. After a Bledsoe spike on first down, Bledsoe hit Curtis Jackson over the middle for nine yards (Over the middle? Can you say Elvis Grbac?). With the clock ticking, the Patriots desperately tried to set up the next play. With ten seconds left, Bledsoe found Jermaine Wiggins for eleven yards to the Bear 20. Again, over the middle.
But it didn’t matter. With ten seconds left, the clock was stopped. Jackson didn’t get set on the line of scrimmage in time and was flagged for illegal motion. By rule, ten seconds had to be run off the clock, and the game thus ended.
The Patriots fall to 4-10, and head to Buffalo next week.
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Covering Boston Sports since 1997. Native of Worcester, Mass. Attended UMass and Univ of Michigan. Lives in California. Just recently retired after 40 years of public school teaching. Podcasts on YouTube at @thepic4139
