In Sunday's 48-23 loss to the Cardinals, the Bears failed to take advantage of golden opportunities to get in the end zone for the second straight week.
Things looked bleak late in the first half when the Bears lost starting quarterback Jay Cutler to a hamstring injury and fell behind 28-14 on the same play—safety Tony Jefferson's 26-yard interception return touchdown.
But the Bears produced two takeaways in the final 1:15 of the half, as Jacquizz Rodgers recovered a muffed punt at the Arizona 22 and Jared Allen deflected and intercepted a Carson Palmer pass at the Arizona 12.
But instead of touchdowns that could have tied the game, the Bears settled for Robbie Gould field goals both times, trimming the deficit to 28-20.
"We have to take advantage of those opportunities," said coach John Fox. "We talked about this last week. In an area that is short, you have to execute even better. It's something that we can learn from and grow from."
In last Sunday's season-opening loss to the Packers, the Bears settled for a field goal after reaching the Green Bay 8 and later turned the ball over on downs as Cutler threw three straight incompletions from the 2.
A week later against the Cardinals, Gould's field goals came after Clausen threw three consecutive incomplete passes from the 22 and Kyle Long was thrown for a two-yard loss on a sweep to the left on third-and-one from the 3.
"We were saying we needed two big plays and we got them," said right tackle Kyle Long. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to put the ball in the end zone."
Pick six: Allen's interception was the sixth of his 12-year NFL career and the first since the 2011 season opener when he played for the Minnesota Vikings.
"We knew they liked screen balls," Allen said. "Our scouting report was right on this week; hats off to the coaches and everything they gave us. Just tried to make a play on the ball and was fortunate. Obviously one play isn't enough. We have to capitalize. We need to get off the field on third down."
Aches and pains: Bears players who missed Sunday's game with injuries were receiver Alshon Jeffery (hamstring), cornerback Tracy Porter (hamstring), linebacker Jonathan Bostic (ankle) and defensive lineman Ego Ferguson (knee).
Other Bears inactives were running back Ka'Deem Carey, center Hroniss Grasu and tackle Tayo Fabuluje.
News and notes: After rushing for 141 yards on 24 carries against the Packers, Forte was limited to 61 yards on 15 attempts with a long rush of 27 yards. … The Bears have lost their first two games of the season at home for the first time since 1973. … The Bears tied a franchise record with 170 penalty yards, matching their total from Nov. 26, 1944 in a 28-7 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia. … David Johnson's 108-yard kickoff return touchdown was the longest play by an opponent in Bears history. … The Bears have lost seven straight games for the first time since 2002 when they dropped eight in a row. … Palmer is now 4-0 against the Bears in his career with 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions.
