Thursday Night Football: Chicago Bears Shut Out Miami Dolphins, 16-0

Bears fans at SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron have one thing on their minds:

Check out Windy City Gridiron to see more of what Bears fans are saying about the season.

SB Nation’s The Phinsider points this out as one of the biggest problems for the Dolphins.

Tyler Thigpen is the third string QB so you can’t realistically expect him to put the team on his shoulders when the running game is non-existent. Add into that Brandon Marshall left the game injured and Thigpen was left with little chance.

It’s 9-0 Bears in the third quarter of this scintillating Thursday Night Football match-up.

With the Dolphins trying to play their way out of a 6-0 deficit in the middle of the second quarter, star receiver Brandon Marshall hasn’t been doing his team any favors.

On one drive, Marshall dropped a pass. A few plays later, Marshall hauled one in, broke a tackle and ran out of bounds for a first down along the Bears’ sideline. After heading out of bounds, Marshall flung the ball at quarterback and former teammate Jay Cutler, drawing a 15-yard taunting penalty.

The Bears got the ball back near midfield after Dolphins quarterback Tyler Thigpen badly overthrew his receiver and the pass was intercepted by Charles Tillman.

Though the Bears started the drive at the Dolphins’ 46, Chicago still ran 13 plays and 6:50 off the clock before being forced to kick a second Robbie Gould field goal. The Bears, typically ineffective on third downs this season, converted their first three third downs on the drive. The third of which was an impressive 16-yard scramble.

On the second play of the Bears’ first offensive possession, Jay Cutler dropped back to pass, backpedaled into his own end zone and flipped the ball out to his left in the flat.

The problem with that, of course, was that Cutler was still in the pocket and there was no receiver anywhere close to where his pass landed. Tight end Greg Olsen was listed as the intended receiver, but as you can see from the above photo, he’s not even in the frame when the ball lands near the line of scrimmage.

The Dolphins got off to what seemed to be an auspicious start when rookie returner Nolan Carroll took the opening kickoff to the Bears’ 47. Miami added another first down with a quick out route throw to Brandon Marshall and a run up the gut by Ronnie Brown.

From there, things began to unravel. On the following first down from the Bears’ 35, the Dolphins attempted an end around run with receiver Brian Hartline, but Hartline collided with quarterback Tyler Thigpen and the handoff was fumbled. Hartline fell on it, but Miami suffered an eight yard loss on the play.

So that’s what this comes down. If the Dolphins can run it effectively, then that takes some pressure off of Thigpen. If they can’t, then that puts the pressure back on Thigpen and, with one win in 11 career starts, you can’t expect him to put the team on his shoulders.

Check out The Phinsider for more on the Dolphins and their matchups against the Bears.

Thigpen was inaccurate but also exciting taking a Chiefs team that had little talent and keeping them in most games they played. It makes sense with a third string QB that you would want to limit their responsibility and slow down the offense.

SB Nation’s The Phinsider says that shouldn’t be the case with Thigpen.