Zach Miller made a one-handed grab of a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jay Cutler with 3 minutes, 19 seconds to go as the Chicago Bears beat the San Diego Chargers 22-19 on Monday night.
Cutler, who overcame an interception return for a touchdown and a fumble to throw for 345 yards, calmly led the Bears on the winning 10-play, 80-yard drive after the Chargers opened a 19-14 lead on rookie Josh Lambo’s 22-yard field goal.
Miller made a leaping grab with his right hand and scored. Rookie Jeremy Langford, subbing for the injured Matt Forte, ran in the two-point conversion.
Photo: AFP
It was the first lead for Chicago, who scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Cutler’s two touchdown passes broke a franchise record, giving him 139 with the Bears. He had been tied with Hall of Famer Sid Luckman.
The Bears (3-5) ended a two-game losing streak. San Diego (2-7) lost their fifth straight.
Cutler never wavered in another tight game for Chicago. He continually attacked San Diego’s depleted secondary, completing 27 of 40 passes.
Two plays before the touchdown throw to Miller, Cutler was hit and still completed a 12-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery on third-and-six.
San Diego’s Philip Rivers was 26-of-42 for 280 yards. It was the first time in six games that he did not throw for more than 300 yards.
The Bears had a rough first half, but the Chargers could not put them away.
Cutler lost a fumble on a sack and then made an off-the-mark throw to Jeffery, which second-year cornerback Jason Verrett intercepted and returned 68 yards to give the Chargers a 13-0 lead.
However, the Chargers suffered even more injuries.
Verrett hurt his groin one play after his pick-six and came out, but remained on the sideline.
Cornerback Patrick Robinson left with a neck injury.
Wide receiver Malcom Floyd, who is playing his last season, injured his left shoulder while diving trying to make a catch.
Eight days earlier, San Diego’s Keenan Allen, one of the NFL’s leading receivers, suffered a season-ending lacerated kidney when he landed hard at the end of a spectacular touchdown catch in a loss in Baltimore.
Cutler broke the franchise record for touchdown passes when he found Martellus Bennett for a one-yard score midway through the second quarter.
Cutler had been tied with Luckman with 137 for the Bears.
Langford scored on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter to start Chicago’s comeback.
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