Bills 2010 Film Review: Week 9 vs. Chicago (First Half)

To this point in our Buffalo Bills re-watch, we've taken a look back at three separate games - a Week 5 loss to Jacksonville, a Week 7 loss to Baltimore and a Week 8 loss to Kansas City. Now, we'll embark on our fourth game (a quarter of the regular season) by starting to take a look at the team's Week 9 loss to the Chicago Bears in Toronto. As always, we'll start with notes, and then break down a play later this afternoon.

Week 9, first half: Bills, Bears tied 7-7 at halftime - NOTES

• Reggie Torbor hits Matt Forte three yards into the Bears' backfield, but can't wrap up. Forte squirms back to the line of scrimmage for no gain.
• Paul Posluszny lines up in the A gap, directly over the center, then run blitzes off left guard (B gap). He goes untouched and makes a tackle for a loss to force a Bears punt.

Week 9, first half: Bills, Bears tied 7-7 at halftime - NOTES (cont.)

• Cordaro Howard can't get to the second level, leaving Lance Briggs uncovered to stop Fred Jackson for no gain.
• Andy Levitre can't get to the second level, leaving Briggs uncovered to stop Jackson for no gain.
• Julius Peppers gets inside on Demetrius Bell, avoids a Jackson chip block, and hits Ryan Fitzpatrick to force an incompletion and end a drive.
• Donte Whitner beats a Kellen Davis block cleanly on a run blitz, tackling Forte for minimal gain.
• Bryan Scott registers a huge open-field tackle on Forte. Reggie Corner blitzed from the slot on the play, and the Bears had the perfect play call in. Without Scott's tackle, it's a big gain.
• Corner registers a pretty pass break-up on a throw intended for Devin Hester. A catch would've yielded a first down.
• Roscoe Parrish burns D.J. Moore in man coverage. Parrish is very quick and explosive in and out of his breaks.
• Eric Wood whiffs on a pull, but Jackson is able to juke Brian Urlacher and maneuver upfield for seven yards.
• David Martin and Bell throw beautiful second-level blocks on a bubble screen to Parrish. First down. Bell's block was on Urlacher.
• Another bubble screen to Parrish. This time, the only blocker out in front of two Bears defenders is Johnson. Parrish moves backward to try to create, and is tackled for a loss.
• Wood dominated at the point of attack, Jackson stuck with no running lane again. Bills getting very little push in the running game.
• Howard flagged for a false start, turning 3rd & 11 into 3rd & 16.
• Chris Kelsay and Posluszny perfectly defend a toss sweep, limiting Forte to no gain.
• Jay Cutler gets outside of a four-man rush, then outlets Kelsay for first-down yardage on a scramble.
• Torbor again misses a tackle in the backfield, this time allowing Chester Taylor to turn a loss of three yards into no gain.
• Corner comes free on a blitz, but Cutler hits his hot route. Earl Bennett makes an acrobatic catch on an errant throw.
• Torbor makes a nice read and stop on a good-looking screen set up for Forte.
• Posluszny held by a Bears blocker on a blitz, goes uncalled. Cutler hits Johnny Knox (who beat Corner) for a long gain.
• Kelsay sucked in on an end-around to Hester, but Drayton Florence plays it extremely well and stops Hester for no gain.
• Arthur Moats perfectly defends a slip screen. Takes on a tackle in a pass rush, drops, slips the block and tackles Taylor from behind. However, a holding penalty on Corner negates Moats' effort and gives the Bears a first down.
• Posluszny kept clean at the line of scrimmage, smacks Taylor for a one-yard gain.
• Leodis McKelvin misses a tackle on a swing pass to Taylor, who gets down inside the Bills' five-yard line. That's a tackle McKelvin has to make.
• Kelsay makes a nice read and tackle on a shovel pass to Forte.
• Greg Olsen beats Whitner for an easy touchdown. Whitner looked like he was expecting help on the play. He didn't get it.
• Geoff Hangartner destroyed at the point of attack by Matt Toeaina; may have tripped over Levitre. Negates a long dump-off screen turned in by C.J. Spiller.
• Fitzpatrick throws a dart to Martin, who was covered like a blanket by Urlacher.
• Jackson stonewalls Peppers on a chip, allowing Fitzpatrick to hit David Nelson for a first down.
• Mansfield Wrotto whiffs on Urlacher at the second level. A sustained block gives Spiller a lot of daylight.
• Lee Evans makes a nice catch on a pass thrown slightly behind him for first down yardage. Throwing lane opened as Briggs squats on a Spiller dig route.
• Martin whiffs trying to block down on Peppers. Spiller tackled for a loss.
• Peppers again powers inside against Bell. Pressure on Fitzpatrick forces Fitzpatrick to overthrow an open Evans.
• Posluszny points at Knox pre-snap, trying to get a defensive back down on him. Cutler snaps the ball and fires to Knox for a first down as Posluszny chases.
• Kelsay speed rushes past J'Marcus Webb and Brandon Manumaleuna. Cutler flushed forward into the pocket, but he's still able to hit Bennett on a nice out pattern (in front of McKelvin) for a first down.
• Moats held as Cutler is flushed from the pocket. Cutler again gets a first down, again to Knox.
• Torbor records a pass break-up on a wheel route to Forte. A good Cutler throw is probably a touchdown, but Torbor catches up with the underthrow.
• Wide Bills blitz doesn't get home, and Cutler runs right up the middle for big first-down yardage.
• Bills blitzes have been largely terrible. Not getting home, open lanes wasted. Only positive: Bears have had some procedure penalties. Cutler is in the zone.
• Cutler forces a pass to Forte down the seam. Scott gets a hand on it to force fourth down. Kelsay got pressure in a three-man rush, roasting Webb.
• Robbie Gould misses a field goal wide right. Still 7-0 Bears.
• Charles Tillman lowers his shoulder gently into a scrambling Fitzpatrick as he goes out of bounds. 15-yard roughing penalty called.
• Evans drops a short throw behind him. Almost seems as if he did it on purpose to keep the clock from running.
• Fitzpatrick throws an absolutely perfect ball over Urlacher as he gets lit up by a blitzing safety. Evans drops the ball.
• Another Bears blitzer comes free and levels Fitzpatrick, who is able to get a short throw out to Johnson for minimal yardage.
• Nelson converts a 4th & 2 to sustain the drive. Fitzpatrick looks for him on every key down. Great throw by Fitzpatrick here.
• Evans gets wide open in the end zone, but Fitzpatrick throws behind him. Ball is nearly intercepted.
• Fitzpatrick forces a pass to Nelson in quadruple (yes, quadruple) coverage. Somebody else had to be open, right?
• Fitzpatrick throws a dart to Parrish for a touchdown. Terrific read and throw by Fitzpatrick. Parrish rolls over a Bears defender into the end zone. Tie game heading into the break.