GAMEDAY Open Thread/Live Blog: Broncos vs. Bears | Week 2
Gameday is here once again. The Denver Broncos are aiming to get back to .500 as they play host to the 0-1 Chicago Bears.
It's the Broncos' home-opener and historically speaking, this team rarely loses such games dating back to 2001. The thin air of Mile High will be electric with the emotion and enthusiasm of Broncos Country.
Hopefully, that gives the team a boost.
But the fans aren't going to win this game for the Broncos. The coaches and players will have to design and execute well out there on the grid-iron vs. head coach Vic Fangio's former team.
Join us as we live-blog and discuss CHIvsDEN here in our weekly GAMEDAY Open Thread. Dive into the conversation — it's easy — by simply going to the top of the site and in the bottom righthand corner of the Mile High Huddle logo, click the follow button.
You can log in with Facebook or Google and either way, it's free. From there, sound off in the comment section and share your reactions and observations with our staff, subscribers and fellow members of the MHH community as we react to the game in real time.
Inactives
Analysis: Once again the Broncos will be without two starters — players we realized last week are extremely important to Fangio's defensive vision. Here's to hoping that Corey Nelson and Isaac Yiadom can execute at a higher level and that the coaches learned their lesson last week on how to buffer these two spot-starters schematically. It's interesting the team chose to sit Juwann Winfree, which means River Cracraft is active. I'm curious to the logic here, though I'm sure it has to do with special teams.
Analysis: Notably omitted from Chicago's inactives list is TE Trey Burton. Look for Chciago to try and exploit Denver's coverage holes with the TE. The Broncos have to be ready for it. The Bears are at full strength today.
First Quarter
Bears won toss, defer. Broncos receive to open.
Broncos offense looking sharp. Emmanuel Sanders with two grabs early for 23 yards.
Broncos stall. On third down, Joe Flacco holds onto the ball way to freaking long, almost getting sacked. 2.5-seconds and the ball HAS TO BE OUT. Silver lining? Flacco went 6-for-6 for 41 yards to open the game.
10 plays, 50 yards.
McManus kicks from 43. It's good.
Broncos lead 3-0.
Broncos defense stops the Bears run on first and second down.
On 3rd-&-9, Justin Simmons breaks up a deep shot to Tarik Cohen. Bears go three-and-out. Punt.
Unnecessary roughness called on Leonard Floyd after he body slams Noah Fant. Ridiculous ticky-tack call.
Three plays later, Broncos punt. Flacco still batting 1.000. 8-for-8 passing.
Bears driving. Broncos had chance to get off the field but Isaac Yiadom whiffs on a tackle on 3rd-&-long, allowing TE Adam Shaheen to move the chains.
Second Quarter
Broncos D finally gets off the field. Bears kicker puts it through from 40 yards out to tie the game at 3-3.
Terrible schematic decision by Scangrello to allow Noah Fant one-on-one pass pro on Khalil Mack. Mack sacks Flacco no sweat. Brings up 3rd-&-15.
Phillip Lindsay bails offense out by taking a quick dump-off 18 yards, moving the chains.
Broncos eventually stall as Chuck Pagano brings the blitz on third down and Flacco gets hit as he throws. Incomplete.
Colby Wadman's punt pins Bears on their own 10-yard line.
Bears drive 56 yards on 10 plays but stall. Pinerio pounds the FG through the Mile High thid air from 52 yards out.
Bears lead 6-3.
Garett Bolles negates a precious 19-yard pickup by Lindsay with a holding foul.
Bolles' flagged for second holding penalty. On the same drive.
Broncos get the Bears off the field but O'Donnell punts 75 yards, pinning Denver deep on their own 15-yard line with three timeouts and 52 seconds.
Third holding foul on Bolles.
Bears try to move the ball late, under one minute to go but run out of time.
Half.
Third Quarter
Bears open up with the ball, having deferred after winning the coin toss.
Wolfe penalized again on Chicago's first second-half drive.
Bears punt on opening drive. Diontae Spencer goes backwards on the return, gets tackled.
Broncos also penalized for holding on the return (Trey Marshall). Starting from their own 15-yard line.
Broncos cross the 50 after a nice throw to Sanders over the middle.
Broncos stall though. Bolles flagged for his fourth holding foul of the game on third down. Penalty declined since the throw was incomplete. Ugly, ugly, ugly.
Embarrassing.
Huge Cordarrelle Patterson play puts the Bears in business in the red zone.
Broncos stop Bears on third down. But Chris Harris penalized with defensive holding. New set of downs on the Broncos' 2-yard line.
Montgomery goes up and over for six on third down. Bears extend lead.
Bears lead 13-3.
Broncos offense with a couple of solid plays, including a 24-yard completion to Noah Fant. Threatening in Bears territory as third quarter ends.
Fourth quarter
Broncos start with a 2nd-&-3 on the Bears' 32-yard line.
Ron Leary called for holding on a 2nd-&-4 play. The third such penalty on Leary of the season.
Broncos drive, once again stall. McManus pounds through another FG.
Bears lead 13-6 with 13:37 to go in the fourth.
Broncos' defense does its job, forcing Bears off the field in three plays.
Can the offense put together a touchdown drive?
Broncos putting together a nice drive but keep shooting themselves in the foot. Leary with his second holding penalty of the day. That's a total of six holding fouls called on the Broncos' OL, four on Bolles, two on Leary. One of Bolles' wasn't enforced.
Flacco picked off on 3rd-&-goal from the 2-yard line. Kyle Fuller. A promising Broncos drive gets zero points.
Bears start with 4:45 to go and a 7-point lead.
Broncos call their first timeout with Bears at 2nd-&-8 and 3:52 to go on the Chicago 25-yard line.
Broncos get the Bears off the field. Flacco and co. will get one more opportunity with around three minutes to go and one timeout, along with the two-minute warning.
Diontae Spencer with a nifty 17-yard return. Trey Marshall shaken up on the return. Broncos start from their own 38-yard line.
Broncos convert 4th-&-3. Sutton with a big catch.
Flacco to Sanders, who gets his foot and knee down for a 7-yard TD.
Broncos narrow margin 13-12. Fangio decides to go for two.
Flacco gets delay of game, lets clock wind down. Broncos going for extra point now.
McManus misses the extra point.
Bears called for offsides. Broncos get another chance.
Broncos go for two finally and convert! Flacco to Sanders!
Broncos lead 14-13!
Trubisky manages to convert a MASSIVE 4th-&-15, leaving one second on the clock.
Pineiro punches through the game winner from 53 yards out.
16-14 Bears win.
Broncos fall to 0-2.
