We're taking a look at the top 10 plays that most shaped the Chicago Bears' season, which culminated in a disappointing 5-11 campaign and forced the organization to clean house.
Here's No. 7:
Date: Oct. 5, 2014.
Location: Bank of America Stadium.
Game: Week 5 matchup at Carolina.
The play: Teddy Williams' early hit on punt returner Philly Brown and Brown's subsequent scoop and score.
Why it mattered: The Panthers outscored Chicago 24-3 over the last 30:12 to capture a 31-24 victory, but Williams' miscue put Chicago in an early hole, and highlighted the club's myriad issues caused in part by Phil Emery's gutting of the special teams unit. As Brown awaited the first-quarter punt, Williams unleashed a vicious lick on the return man just before the ball arrived, and the loose ball hit Williams. In the ensuing scrum, Brown alertly scooped up the loose ball as the Bears stood around, and ran it in 79 yards for a touchdown to give Carolina a 7-0 lead after the extra point. For several years, special teams were a reason the Chicago Bears won games. In this case, the group contributed to the team's loss.
Quotable: "Is it frustrating? Sure it's frustrating. I'm just like everybody else. I wasn't happy when I saw that play,” said former special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis. “You have to get better from that play, and that's what we're trying to get the players to do every time. The sad thing is Teddy Williams was a millisecond from making an unbelievable play. You run 65 yards and you hit a guy in the open field, you make the tackle and cause a fumble. It's hard to do. So we've just got to keep working at it.”
Here's the list so far in reverse order:
No. 10: Quarterback Jay Cutler's interception to Kyle Williams.
No. 9: Brandon Marshall's one-handed touchdown catch against the 49ers.
No. 8: Cutler's interception to Sam Shields.
