Photo courtesy of AP Photos
Dec. 14, 2010 delivered driving snow and 40 mile per hour winds to Soldier Field in Chicago but couldn’t keep Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (11-2) from clinching their eighth playoff berth in ten years, with a 36-7 win over the Chicago Bears (9-4).
It marked the fifth straight win for the Patriots, and their second straight rout of a top opponent, following the 45-3 crushing of the New York Jets the previous week. The win all but locked up the number one seed in the AFC for the Patriots, as the win put them a game clear of the Pittsburgh Steelers, over whom they also hold a tiebreaker, with just three games to play.
The Patriots, however, said that they aren’t satisfied with their success so far.
“There’s a long way to go,” said Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, in a press release. “I don’t think anything has been accomplished.”
Brady continued his recent dominance over the competition throwing for 369 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed his eighth consecutive game without throwing an interception.
Patriot’s wide receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch combined for 16 receptions and 266 yards to lead New England’s receiving corp.
The emphatic beat-down left the Bears expressing feelings of defeat, but not of brokenness.
“The reality is we got our butts kicked,” said Bears Pro Bowl linebacker, Brian Urlacher. “They came in here, our field, our weather and pounded us … but we’re still in first place in the NFC North, and that’s where we wanted to be when the season began…”
Unlike Brady, Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler, struggled throughout. Cutler went 12 of 26 with no touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. His quarterback rating was a dismal 32.9.
The Bears explained that they need to get past this game, and want to quickly shift their focus to their Dec. 20th matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
“We’ve got to get ready to play Minnesota,” Cutler said in a press release. “We’ve got to get to playing good football again.”
The Patriots also expressed their desire to move on to their next game.
“It doesn’t stop here,” explained Patriots defensive lineman, Vince Wilfork. “Good teams find a way to win in December.”
