Grossman, 'D' leads Bears to comeback win over Raiders 17-6

OAKLAND, Calif. -- With the Bears' season on the verge of slipping away, it was rescued on one play by Rex Grossman, the favorite whipping boy of frustrated fans and callers to sports-talk radio.

Playing in relief of starter Brian Griese, who suffered a shoulder injury when he was sacked by Kirk Morrison late in the second quarter, Grossman promptly fumbled the first snap he had taken since being benched after three games. He managed to recover the bobble.

Of his first 13 passes, Grossman completed just 6 for 83 yards and guided the Bears to zero points in 29 minutes.

But his 14th throw was a long, high arc that dropped perfectly into the hands of Bernard Berrian, who caught it on the dead run and sprinted into the end zone for a 59-yard touchdown with 3:11 remaining.

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It gave the Bears a 10-6 lead just 53 seconds after Sebastian Janikowski's 53-yard field goal put the Raiders up 6-3 and awakened all who had dozed off during a 33-minute and 40-second scoreless drought by two offensively challenged teams with a combined 5 victories.

"It's a great feeling to come in and pull one out," said the embattled Grossman, who dismissed any talk of personal vindication. "It was a tough game. Just coming in off the bench, being able to help your team win, it's a great feeling."

Just after the two-minute warning, defensive end Adewale Ogunleye sacked Raiders quarterback Josh McCown for the third time and stripped him of the ball, which was recovered by Israel Idonije at the Raiders' 3-yard line.

Cedric Benson's TD run completed the 17-6 victory, raised the Bears' record to 4-5, and just like that inserted them into contention for a playoff position. Five of the NFC teams ahead of the Bears in the wild-card chase lost Sunday, leaving them just 2 games shy of the final postseason berth.

The Bears gave no details of Griese's injury beyond coach Lovie Smith's admission that the 10-year veteran "went out with a shoulder injury. That's about all we know right now. Hopefully it's not anything too serious."

No matter the extent of the injury, Griese is unlikely to return for Sunday's game at Seattle against the Seahawks, and possibly for much longer than that.

"We don't make decisions like that around here, at this time," Smith said when asked who would start this week. "Let us enjoy this win."

There was plenty to enjoy, especially for a defense that played by far its best game of the season and for the first time resembled the unit that terrorized opponents for much of last season.

The Bears allowed just 193 total yards, 70 fewer than their next-best effort this season and less than half their average yield over the previous four games (395.5 average). Even more important, the defense rediscovered its knack for takeaways, forcing 3 turnovers after getting just 1 in the previous three games.

The Bears' minus-10 turnover differential was second worst in the league after nine weeks. After taking the ball away a league-best 44 times last season, they forced just 13 turnovers in their first eight games.

"Defensively we had an excellent week of practice (during the bye week), and I thought we had corrected some things," Smith said. "It was good to see it out there on the field."

Knowing the Raiders' offense had little more than a solid run game, the Bears held Justin Fargas to 81 yards on 23 carries (3.5-yard average), sacked McCown four times and had an interception by safety Danieal Manning, his team-best second of the season.

The Raiders' longest completion of the day was just 14 yards as McCown completed 14 of 27 for 108 yards and a dismal passer rating of 46.5. He also was subjected to frequent booing from fans eager for top draft pick JaMarcus Russell to take over.

But for much of the game, the Bears were no better than the Raiders (2-7). The Bears' sputtering offense coughed and wheezed its way 49 yards in 12 plays to set up Robbie Gould's 32-yard field goal with 6:51 left in the half, which tied the game at 3-3.

The offense, which still hasn't scored a first-quarter touchdown since last Dec. 17, has its typical putrid beginning. On 15 first-quarter plays the Bears totaled 37 yards. They picked up 12 yards on 8 runs against the NFL's 30th-ranked run defense.

But under Grossman, who finished with a 109.8 passer rating, the Bears managed a respectable 173 yards in the second half.

His 59-yard toss to Berrian was the second-longest play from scrimmage of the season, and he also connected on a 33-yard toss to Muhsin Muhammad, who had a season-best 87 yards on 4 catches.

In Grossman's first three starts, he didn't have a passer rating higher than 56.0, was intercepted six times while throwing just 1 TD pass, and was verbally abused far and wide.

But his teammates say they never lost faith in the quarterback who helped them reach Super Bowl XLI.

"We have faith in Rex," center Olin Kreutz said. "He stuck with us, even after being demoted. He's always been a pro. He takes the criticism, he gets demoted, he just stays and works.

"We knew he would be ready to play if he had to play. He didn't just say, 'You know what? The way this city treats me, (forget) it.' He didn't say that. He just came to work, kept working, and I hope people appreciate that.

"After all he has taken, he didn't shut it down."

Grading the Bears

Game ball

On a defense that was all over the field against the Raiders, no one was more active than defensive end Adewale Ogunleye, who finished with 3 sacks. His last one included a strip of the ball, which led to a fumble recovery, which led to an eventual touchdown, which led to the Bears getting out of Dodge with an ugly win.

Offense

Quarterback 2#189; balls

Brian Griese got off to a rough start, fumbling the game's first snap. Old friend Rex Grossman came in late in the half after Griese went down with a shoulder injury and followed suit by fumbling the first snap he took. It was that kind of a day. Only Grossman's 59-yard TD pass to Bernard Berrian made the QB play palatable.

Running backs 2 balls

It's not "Groundhog Day," it only seems like it watching Cedric Benson this season. Again the former first-round pick had a few good flashes, but spent most of the day running into the line and falling forward for a short gain.

Receivers 2#189; balls

Muhsin Muhammad (87 yards) was quite solid -- especially in the first half. His 24-yard catch on third down led to a field goal, but take away points for his illegal block later in the drive. Bernard Berrian was awfully quiet until his long TD catch in the final minutes. BTW: Where the heck was Greg Olsen?

Offensive line 2 balls

Not much of a running game. Not much of a passing game, either. Not much of a day for these guys.

Defense

Defensive line 4 balls

After a slow start, the line proved a handful for the overmatched Raiders' O-line. The star was Adewale Ogunleye with 3 sacks and 6 solo tackles.

Linebackers 4 balls

Lance Briggs was all over the field in the first half, and Hunter Hillenmeyer was a presence as well. Brian Urlacher? Not sure. He tied for the team lead with 8 tackles, but he didn't seem to be a difference-maker.

Secondary 4#189; balls

They get a half-ball just for Danieal Manning's thwack of Justin Fargas late in the second quarter. It was a microcosm of the kind of day the entire unit had as they limited Oakland to 108 passing yards.

Special teams 3 balls

Oakland surprised many by deciding to kick to Devin Hester. Good decision. Hester looked lost much of the day. His one good return was called back due to a penalty. Corey Graham was an absolute force on coverage teams.

Coaching 3 balls

No concrete reason other than the defense played well and they got a win in a do-or-die situation.