Cohen's punt-return TD gave fans rare glimpse of excitement
On Tarik Cohen's breathtaking 61-yard punt-return touchdown, he actually ran 127 yards, providing fans at Soldier Field more excitement than an offense that totaled just 147 yards in a 15-14 defeat.
Cohen fielded the ball at his own 39-yard line, saw a wall of tacklers, retreated back to his 25-yard line and then sprinted through a big gap untouched to the end zone.
"I wouldn't necessarily say we drew it up like that," the rookie running back said. "It was designed for me to get to the left somehow. My job is to set the defense up, and they were really coming aggressive. So I had to take it that far back to finally turn around and get back to the left side. Then I had all my teammates there and all my blocking to escort me into the end zone."
The 5-foot-6, 181-pound Cohen also led an anemic Bears offense with 4 catches and 39 receiving yards and carried the ball twice for 5 yards.
Cohen is the first NFL rookie to score touchdowns rushing, receiving, passing and by punt return in a single season since Gale Sayers did it in 1965.
"That's great to be in company with Gale Sayers, one of the greatest running backs not only in Chicago but in the NFL," Cohen said. "It's wonderful."
Cohen also became the sixth Bears rookie to return a punt for a touchdown, and it was the team's first punt-return TD since Eddie Royal had a 65-yard score on Sept. 19, 2016.
Getting mixed signals:
It was difficult to tell if Sunday's game helped the development of rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
In his eighth start, the second overall draft pick had his highest passer rating: 117.2. He completed 80 percent of his passes but threw just 15 times, completing 12 for 102 yards and a TD.
Nice stats, but Trubisky had a shell-shocked look on his face as he sat at his locker after the game. He led a Bears offense that scored just 7 points, giving it a two-game total of 10. He was sacked twice on Sunday and fumbled twice but recovered both. It was the Bears' fifth straight loss, and they are now 2-6 in Trubisky's starts.
"Winning is the No. 1 priority," Trubisky said. "Getting better every day is the second priority. We put all the work in, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't come out on Sundays and get the win. Getting better every day is an emphasis, but winning is everything."
Adding injuries to insult:
The Bears came into the game already short-handed at outside linebacker,
Then, in the first quarter, starter Pernell McPhee went out with a shoulder injury and didn't return. It forced Lamarr Houston into the lineup. Houston was a Bear for three years (2014-16), but he was waived in the preseason and only re-signed last Wednesday after being waived by the Houston Texans.
He had 1 of the Bears' 2 sacks of Jimmy Garoppolo and 3 tackles. Ironically, the last time Houston sacked Garoppolo, back on Oct. 26, 2014, he suffered a torn ACL celebrating late in a game the Bears were losing 51-23.
Starting defensive end Mitch Unrein suffered a knee injury and did not return, and right guard Kyle Long did not return from a second-quarter shoulder injury. He was replaced by Tom Compton.
Punter Pat O'Donnell handled kickoffs because of kicker Cairo Santos' groin injury that limited him to short FG attempts.
Silver linings:
Cornerback Kyle Fuller's interception was the first of Jimmy Garoppolo's pro career and came on the Arlington Heights native's 104th pass.
Fuller pried the ball from the hands of 49ers wide receiver Louis Murphy at the Bears' 41, setting up the offense's only points. Fuller also had 6 tackles, including a couple that shook up 49ers receivers.
Inside linebacker Christian Jones had a game-best 13 tackles, which tied his career high, in addition to his second sack of the season.
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