CHICAGO – Brandon Marshall said it over and over again, more than a dozen times in all. The loss to Miami, Chicago’s home record, the Bears’ sputtering start to the season — all unacceptable to the Pro Bowl wide receiver.
The Bears showed more fight in the postgame locker room than they did on the field during a 27-14 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. Matt Forte scored two second-half touchdowns, but Chicago’s rally fizzled in the fourth quarter as its winless start at home reached three games.
“It’s unacceptable. We’re 3-4. It’s halfways into the season,” Marshall said. “It’s unacceptable. Want me to say it again? Unacceptable.”
The Bears had just 224 yards of offense in their fifth loss in their last seven games at Soldier Field, dating to last year. Jeremiah Ratliff had a career-best 3 1/2 sacks, but Chicago was unable to stop Ryan Tannehill in an efficient performance for the third-year quarterback.
“This was a very, very disappointing loss to our football team,” coach Marc Trestman said.
That frustration was evident in the postgame locker room, where there was some sort of shouting match before the media were allowed into the room. It was unclear who was involved, but the raised voices could be heard in the concrete corridors of Chicago’s longtime home.
“Disappointed, and I’m pretty sure everyone in the locker room is,” Ratliff said.
Jay Cutler threw an interception and lost a fumble as Chicago (3-4) dropped to 0-4 when he throws at least one pick. He was 21 for 34 for 190 yards after he threw for 381 yards in last Sunday’s 27-13 victory at Atlanta.
Tannehill connected on his first 14 passes and was 25 of 32 overall, helping Miami bounce back from a brutal 27-24 loss to Green Bay. It looked as if the Dolphins were on their way to a big win over the Packers before Aaron Rodgers threw a 4-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds.
Tannehill finished with 277 yards and two touchdowns through the air, to go along with 48 yards on six carries.
“We were making plays on offense. I think the guys were getting open, and we were able to hit them,” he said. “That’s the name of the game is to have protection, the guys get open and me make the throw. We were able to put it together today as an offense.”
Lamar Miller also had a 2-yard touchdown run for the Dolphins (3-3), who had lost three of four since an opening victory over New England.
The Bears trailed 14-0 before Cutler passed to a wide-open Forte for a 10-yard touchdown on their first possession of the second half.
Miami responded with a 13-play, 81-yard drive that ended with Miller’s fourth rushing touchdown in the last three games. Tannehill set up the key score with a 30-yard run on fourth-and-1.
Forte added a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth, but that was it for the Bears. Cameron Wake had a strip sack and fumble recovery, and Caleb Sturgis kicked two field goals to help the Dolphins put it away.
“Coming off a really tough loss last week, we had to turn the page,” Wake said. “We had a great week of practice, great week of preparation, I think the confidence just ran the locker room as a whole.”
Miami got off to an inauspicious start when Tannehill was sacked by Ratliff on its first play from scrimmage. But the Dolphins quickly made up for lost time.
Tannehill threw for 176 yards in the first half, picking apart Chicago’s defense with ease. He found tight end Charles Clay for 13-yard score, and then had a 10-yard TD pass to Mike Wallace in the back of the end zone.
Meanwhile, the Bears looked listless and out of sorts. Linebacker Shea McClellin, back after being sidelined since Week 2 by a hand injury, slipped in coverage on Clay’s TD, and the offense was hurt by curious play calling and Cutler’s seventh interception.
NOTES: The Bears lost rookie CB Kyle Fuller to a hip injury in the third quarter. He was first announced as questionable to return, but the Bears announced in the fourth that he would miss the rest of the game. … Miami improved to 4-1 at Chicago. The Dolphins also won in their previous trip to Soldier Field, 31-13 on Nov. 5, 2006.
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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