By Jeremy Gonzalez, Sports Editor
CHICAGO
Chicago Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro, the hero who made the game-winning field goal back in Week 2, became the most hated man on the Bears roster as he missed the game-winning 41-yard field goal as time expired and the Los Angeles Chargers hung on to beat the Bears 17-16 last Sunday.
The Bears (3-4) had a chance to win it all after they had the game’s final possession with 1:33 remaining on the clock. Chicago started at their own 35 and marched downfield to the Chargers 21-yard line where Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky elected to take a knee with about 40 seconds left instead of running the ball to get closer to the goal line. Pineiro, who had missed a 33-yard attempt earlier in the game, hooked the final field goal attempt wide left as time ran out.
The missed field goal allowed the Chargers (3-5) to get their first win in almost a month and helped them avoid a total sweep in October. The narrow victory allowed the Chargers to snap a three-game losing streak while the Bears dropped their third in a row.
Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers threw the go-ahead touchdown to running back Austin Ekeler in the fourth quarter with just over eight minutes left after defensive end Melvin Ingram recovered a fumble by Trubisky in Chicago territory.
Rivers completed 19 of 29 passes for 201 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Melvin Gordon was able to get a score as well. Joey Bosa wreaked havoc on the defensive side, sacking Trubisky twice.
The Bears leaned on their rushing attack against the Chargers with rookie David Montgomery rushing for a career-high 135 yards and one touchdown. This was a different strategy from the previous week when the Bears had a franchise-low seven rushing attempts in their matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
Trubisky completed 23 of 35 passes for 253 yards and an interception. In five trips to the red zone, the Bears were only able to come away with one touchdown and three field goals.
UP NEXT
Chargers: The Chargers have a date with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (7-1) in Week 9. Rodgers and the Packers are in red-hot form as they have won four in a row and defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. With Rodgers playing at an MVP-level, next week’s matchup will be a tough task for the Chargers.
Bears: The Bears will travel to Philadelphia to face Carson Wentz and the Eagles (4-4). Philly is coming off a convincing 31-13 road win over the Buffalo Bills. They return home to host the Bears after a three-game road trip. The Eagles dominated the last time they played at home.
