Play of the game
The biggest moment of the game came early. On the Broncos’ fourth play from scrimmage, Osweiler found Demaryius Thomas over the middle of the field, wide open. The giant receiver proceeded to stiff-arm a defender and streak down the right sideline. He beat another Bears defender to the pylon for a 48-yard touchdown and the early lead.
“At any time when you can start a football game like we did with the first drive it’s huge. It gives you some momentum on the road which is key. It kind of takes the crowd out of the game. That’s something that our offensive staff preaches, starting games fast. That was something that we were able to do today,” Osweiler said of the early touchdown.
There were plenty of big plays in the game, but the touchdown to Thomas not only gave the Broncos a lead that they would not relinquish the entire game, but it also gave Osweiler the cushion he needed in order to deal with the pressure of his first start in the NFL.
Honorable mention:
If the first score of the game was the best of the day, a close second was the Bears final offensive play of the game. With just :29 left in the game, the Bears trailed 17-15 and needed a two-point conversion to tie the contest. Cutler lined up in shotgun with Jeremy Langford to his right. Just one play after they ran the ball in for a touchdown in a power formation the Bears attempted to tie the game on a shotgun draw to Langford. Several Broncos were in on the gang tackle, stopping the Bears short and consequently winning the game.
