CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (Ticker) -- After starting the season
with high hopes, the Chicago Bears have been reduced to
playing spoilers. They played that role to perfection against
the New York Jets.
Rookie cornerback Roosevelt Williams recovered Wayne
Chrebet's fumble deep in Chicago territory with 79 seconds
left as the Bears dealt a virtual death blow to the Jets'
playoff hopes with a 20-13 victory.
The Jets (7-7) were at the Chicago 37 and driving for the
potential tying score when Chrebet caught a second-down pass
and ran it down to the 20, where he fumbled trying to vault a
handful of defenders.
Williams, starting for the injured R.W. McQuarters, came up
with the fumble at the 14-yard line.
"I'm not going to tell guys not to jump, not to run the
ball this way when there's eight guys trying to take your head
off," Jets coach Herman Edwards said. "If he jumps and he
lands on his feet and he scores, then no one says he's trying
to do too much. Then he's made a great play."
Former Jet Leon Johnson and rookie Adrian Peterson rushed
for scores for the Bears (4-10), who took a 10-0 lead at
halftime and did not have a turnover.
"He (Williams) will end up getting an award for his first
NFL fumble recovery," said Bears coach Dick Jauron, who also
pointed out that it was Williams' man who got loose over the
middle. "We can say the same thing about Adrian, and his first
NFL touchdown."
"We just couldn't execute," Edwards said. We could't get
anything going, offensively."
Curtis Martin rushed for 127 yards in a losing effort for
New York, which fell two games behind first-place Miami in the
AFC East.
Chris Chandler was accurate in the Bears' short-passing
game, completing 23-of-28 attempts for 177 yards.
"We knew they were a very disciplined zone defense. There
were some holes in the zone if you had the time and vision,"
Chandler said. "We were very disciplined in our routes and
protection, which allowed us to be successful all day."
Johnson carried 15 times for 56 yards and Peterson seven
for 39, but it was the injury-riddled Chicago defense that
carried the day.
Trailing 17-10 four minutes into the fourth quarter, New
York drove from its own 7 to the Chicago 14, where a pass
interference penalty on cornerback Travis Coleman resulted in
a first down.
Two rushes by Martin netted four yards, and after an
incomplete pass by a pressured Chad Pennington, the Jets
settled for a 28-yard field goal by John Hall.
Pennington, who came into the game as the highest-rated
passer in the AFC, hit on 17-of-25 attempts for 146 yards and
a touchdown.
The Bears answered with a 12-play drive that resulted in a
48-yard field goal by Paul Edinger, who in the second quarter
opened the scoring with a 53-yarder.
The Jets' final drive started at their own 24 with 2:38 to
play and progressed slowly.
Faced with a 4th-and-two, Pennington found running back
Richie Anderson for 15 yards to the Bears 42, then completed a
five-yard pass to Chad Morton before the 23-yard strike to
Chrebet that resulted in the receiver's second lost fumble of
the season.
"You know, it's the kind of thing where you don't really
think out there, you just react, and that was my reaction,"
Chrebet said. "You try to make a play. I had a good head of
steam going and I could see the end zone."
"Well, that play didn't lose the game for us," Pennington
said. "There were numerous plays that I could have made to
give us some spark."
The Bears notched just their second victory since starting
the season 2-0.
Leading 3-0 with 1:36 left in the first half, Chicago
scored the game's first touchdown when Peterson capped an
11-play, 67-yard drive with a five-yard TD run.
Peterson entered the game with 11 yards on three carries
this season, but will get playing time down the stretch with
starter Anthony Thomas out for the rest of the season with a
broken finger.
The Jets came in flat despite knowing they needed to win to
have any realistic shot at their second straight postseason.
They got on the board 4:05 into the third quarter after
Pennington found Chrebet for a five-yard score.
"I really can't explain it, I don't know why weren't up for
it," Jets defensive tackle Jason Ferguson said. "I don't know
why we couldn't get up for the game, I really don't."
Chicago regained its 10-point advantage 3:36 later when
Johnson took it in from the 2 for a 17-7 lead. The drive was
kept alive by a roughing-the-passer call against Ferguson on
3rd-and-7 from the Jets' 40.
"It was a dumb play, I should know better," Ferguson
said.