INDIANAPOLIS –
First Quarter Recap
The Bears won the toss and elected to receive.
The Indianapolis defense forced an early three-and-out, behind tremendous run defense by Erik Walden. On a third-and-seven, Walden also drew an illegal hands to the face penalty, which led to the eventual punt.
Frank Gore's Colts debut came with a five-yard run to start the Colts offense. After that, the Colts had to punt with Bears outside linebacker Pernell McPhee beating right tackle Jack Mewhort for a sack.
The Bears took advantage of nice field position on their second drive. A 50-yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould gave the Bears a 3-0 lead, with 8:07 left in the opening quarter.
A second Colts drive saw more from Gore, before the Bears pass rush caused more pressure. A Pat McAfee punt placed the Bears on their own 25-yard line with 5:48 remaining in the first.
The first quarter came to a close with the Bears marching in Colts territory.
At the end of the first quarter, the Bears led the Colts 3-0.Second Quarter Recap
A 38-yard field goal from Robbie Gould pushed the Bears lead to 6-0. Despite not having field position in their favor, the Colts run defense has looked solid tonight (Matt Forte has eight carries for 24 yards).
With the bulk of the Colts starters still in the game, the offense put together its best drive of the night. A 45-yard pass to T.Y. Hilton sparked the nine-play, 89-yard touchdown drive. Andrew Luck's five-yard touchdown run was followed by a two-point conversion to Andre Johnson. The Colts took an 8-6 lead with just under 11 minutes left in the first half.
The Colts defensive starters began to trickle out on their fourth possession of the night. Chicago's starters (minus Matt Forte) added another scoring drive. Robbie Gould banged one home from 25 yards out for this third field goal. The Bears led 9-8 with 5:31 remaining in the second quarter.
Andrew Luck's night was over after three drives. Luck was 5-of-9 for 71 yards and had a rushing touchdown. With Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback, the Colts had just three offensive starters still playing. A deep throw from Hasselbeck was picked off by Bears cornerback Terrance Mitchell on the Chicago 22-yard line.
The Bears would turn it right back over three plays later. A blitzing Clayton Geathers forced Bears quarterback Jimmy Clausen to rush his throw. Colts cornerback Sheldon Price was waiting for the pick.
The Colts took advantage with a 25-yard Adam Vinatieri at the halftime gun.
At halftime, the Colts led the Bears 11-9.Third Quarter Recap
The Colts had the ball to start the second half but couldn't muster anything of substance.
Chicago's opening drive of the third quarter chewed up plenty of yardage on the ground. A 46-yard run by rookie Jeremy Langford set the Bears up well into Colts territory. A few plays later, Jimmy Clausen found wide receiver Joshua Bellamy for a 12-yard score. The Bears now led the Colts 16-11 with 6:26 left in the third quarter.
An opportune Bears defense got after Matt Hasselbeck once again. Sam Acho stripped Hasselbeck and rookie Eddie Goldman recovered the fumble in Colts territory.
Chicago took full advantage of the turnover. It was Langford bouncing off a tackle for a loss and scoring from two yards out. The Bears now led 23-11 with 2:00 remaining in the third.
Undrafted rookie Bryan Bennett took over for Hasselbeck at quarterback but couldn't offer much more success. The Colts settled for a punt on their final offensive drive of the third quarter.
At the end of the third quarter, the Bears led the Colts 23-11.Fourth Quarter Recap
Chicago would give the ball back to the Colts with a punt to open up the final 15 minutes.
Josh Robinson had another nice outing on Saturday night (11 carries for 50 yards). He continued to be a second-half bright spot, despite the offense having to settle for punts.
A slow start to the fourth quarter continued with the Bears punting on their second drive of the period.
The teams would then trade punts for the rest of the game.
The final score on Saturday night was 23-11, in favor of the Bears.
Week Three of the preseason will take the Colts to St. Louis for an 8:00 p.m. EST kickoff next Saturday.
In-Game Injury Updates
CB-Greg Toler (neck strain)
WR-Phillip Dorsett (knee, probable to return)
Colts Players Not Expected To Play
5-Quan Bray (WR)
25-Jalil Brown (CB)
55-Nate Irving (ILB)
69-Hugh Thornton (G)
80-Coby Fleener (TE)
Colts Pre-Game Notes
-The Colts preseason home opener will come this evening with Indianapolis donning white jerseys against the Bears.
Weather Update
-It's a gorgeous Saturday in the Indiana state capitol. The roof/window at Lucas Oil Stadium will be open tonight.
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