EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Tarik Cohen once again showed his dynamic versatility and playmaking ability in Sunday's 30-27 overtime loss to the New York Giants.
The second-year pro set career highs with 12 receptions for 156 yards, rushed for 30 yards on eight carries, returned a punt 15 yards and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass as time expired in regulation to force overtime.
In the process, Cohen joined Hall of Famer Jerry Rice as the only two players in NFL history to catch at least 12 passes for 150 yards and throw for a touchdown in a game.
Cohen's second career TD pass—he connected with Zach Miller last year in Baltimore—came on a play that started with :03 left in the fourth quarter and the Bears trailing 27-20.
Chase Daniel handed the ball to Trey Burton, who pitched it to Cohen. Rolling to his right, Cohen looked to Daniel, his first option, but the quarterback was covered. So, Cohen threw to his second option, Anthony Miller, who made a diving TD catch.
The play was similar to one the Bears ran in the 2016 season finale against the Vikings that the Eagles copied and dubbed "The Philly Special" in last year's Super Bowl. That pass was thrown by Burton to quarterback Nick Foles for a 2-yard touchdown.
"We've had that in now for a while," said coach Matt Nagy. "That wasn't a hard choice for us in that situation. They did a good job of covering Chase up, and Tarik and Anthony, that's a play that's all about the players, and they made a great play."
Cohen set up key scores on the Bears' final two possessions in regulation with receptions of 32 yards and 23 yards on fourth-and-three—both on wheel routes.
Ode to the Fridge: On a play dubbed "Freezer Left" in honor of William "Refrigerator" Perry, 332-pound defensive tackle Akiem Hicks scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal, giving the Bears a 14-7 lead late in the first half.
"We've had that play in for weeks and we've been practicing it," Nagy said. "The rain was coming down. There were some times down there on the field when the ball was slick. In that situation, that was the time that we felt like, No. 1, let's get the snap under center, let's give him a chance. He's hard to stop down there getting that ball full steam ahead."
Hicks became the first Bears defensive lineman to rush for a touchdown since Perry scored from the 1-yard line in Super Bowl XX.
On defense, Hicks recorded six tackles, one sack, one tackle-for-loss, two quarterback hits and one pass breakup.
Backup plan: Daniel completed 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown. But he also threw two interceptions—one of which was returned for a touchdown—fumbled four times and was sacked five times.
"We weren't really in rhythm, we weren't getting first downs," Nagy said. "Starting the game with a pick-six is not how you want to start it. But to his credit and to the rest of the guys' credit, they figured out a way to give us a chance at the end of the game.
"As hard as it felt throughout the game, he did everything we asked him to do. I appreciate how Chase has been through this whole time. It's who we are as a team and I'll never put a win or loss on one guy."
Slow motion: Daniel Brown's recovery of Cody Parkey's onside kick late in Sunday's game was the first by the Bears since Nov. 27, 2016 when Adrian Amos Jr. recovered a Connor Barth onside kick against the Titans.
"It does kind of feel like slow motion there," Brown said. "Watch the ball off the tee the whole time. Cody put it in a soft spot., Once it crosses 10 yards, it's anybody's ball. You've just got to hop on it."
Statistically speaking: Jordan Howard rushed for a team-high 76 yards on 16 carries with a long run of 25 yards. … Giants running back Saquon Barkley ran for 125 yards on 24 carries. … The Bears held the Giants to 103 yards in the first half but yielded 235 yards in the second half and overtime. … The Bears had a negative turnover differential for the first time this season. … The Bears converted just 2-of-15 third-down opportunities (13 percent) but were 4-of-5 on fourth down (80 percent).
