Chalk Talk: Was interception deflected?

[Staley Da Bear]

Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.


It seemed to me that Ha Ha Clinton-Dix tipped the pass that Kyle Fuller intercepted against the Broncos. Did you see the same thing I did?
Ryan F.
Chicago


I did notice that, so I asked several players and coaches about it, including Ha Ha Clinton-Dix himself, and no one was 100 percent sure. The consensus was that Clinton-Dix might have tipped the ball but that he altered the trajectory either way by putting his arm up as Joe Flacco was in his throwing motion.


I really enjoyed seeing the photo gallery of your top 10 fantastic finishes in Bears history. As a long-time fan, I remember most if not all of them. I was wondering, though, after such big wins, how did the Bears do the following week?
Roger A.
Midlothian, Illinois


Thanks for the compliment, Roger, I enjoyed putting together the list. Obviously a lot of good memories! Your question is an interesting one; basically you’re asking whether the emotion involved in pulling off a dramatic win affected how the Bears played in their next game. In researching the fantastic finishes (not counting last week’s against the Broncos because the next game has not yet been played), the Bears went 4-5 the following week. Interestingly, they lost after all four of the top finishes I ranked and won following four of the final five in my top 10. Their comeback win over the Chiefs in 1977 was the first of six straight victories that ultimately earned them a wild-card berth. And they followed a fantastic finish on Thanksgiving 1980 in Detroit by pummeling the Packers 61-7 at Soldier Field.


In the second quarter of last Sunday’s game, the Broncos were called for holding on offense. The next play was second-and-nine. How is that possible when holding is a 10-yard penalty?
Keith C.


If the offense commits a penalty beyond the line of scrimmage, it is assessed from the spot of the foul. The play you referred to occurred midway through the second quarter. On second-and-two from the Broncos’ 33, tackle Garret Bolles was flagged for holding at the 36 on Phillip Lindsay’s 20-yard run. (The length of the run doesn’t matter.) The 10-yard penalty was assessed at the 36, which resulted in second-and-nine at the 26.