SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 10, 2013
Bears 27, Giants 21: Jay Cutler threw a pair of touchdown passes to Brandon Marshall and host Chicago handed winless New York its sixth consecutive defeat.
Cutler finished 24-of-36 for 262 yards and Marshall had nine receptions for 87 yards as the Bears (4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak to move a half-game ahead of Detroit atop the NFC North. Tim Jennings returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and Robbie Gould kicked field goals of 40 and 52 yards for Chicago.
Brandon Jacobs rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns for the Giants (0-6), who dropped their first six contests for the first time since a franchise-worst 0-9 start in 1976. Eli Manning threw for 239 yards and a touchdown but was picked off three times - the last one with 1:54 remaining - to give him a league-high 15 interceptions.
Jennings stepped in front of an errant Manning pass and raced untouched 48 yards to the end zone to put Chicago on top with 9:50 left in the opening quarter. Forced to start because of a neck injury to David Wilson, Jacobs capped an 80-yard drive by bulling in from the 4 to tie it at 7-7 as both offenses came alive.
Cutler sandwiched a pair of second-quarter scoring passes to Marshall around Manning's 37-yard strike to Rueben Randle before Gould nailed a 40-yard field goal with two seconds left in the half for a 24-14 edge. Gould extended the lead with a 52-yard boot on the opening drive of the second half, but the Giants closed the third quarter with a 91-yard march, capped by Jacobs' 1-yard run to make it 27-21.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Gould's 52-yard field goal in the third quarter was his 12th straight conversion of 50 yards or longer, tying the league record held by Minnesota's Blair Walsh. ... Manning's second interception was New York's 22nd turnover, surpassing the team's total from the entire 2012 season. ... Jennings' interception return gave Chicago a league-best 207 points off turnovers since the start of last season, 53 more than runner-up New Orleans.