Reviewing Saturday's action at Soldier Field: Chicago Bears 33, Washington Redskins 31 Preseason record: 1-1
Of interest: On an overall positive night for the Bears, three players encountered injuries worth monitoring. Punter
Adam Podlesh suffered a hip flexor while trying to catch Redskins returner Brian Banks and will have an MRI on Sunday. Safety
Chris Conte left the stadium with his right arm in a sling after suffering a shoulder injury, and rookie safety
Brandon Hardin was carted off the field because of an apparent neck injury. Hardin was able to move his arms and legs and never lost consciousness. … Quarterback
Jay Cutler's first action was productive. He completed four of his first five passes, including a 41-yarder to receiver
Brandon Marshall on their first live play together in five years. … Rookie receiver
Alshon Jeffery continues to suggest he'll be ready to contribute right away, turning a throw over the middle from
Jason Campbell into a 34-yard gain and catching a team-high three passes. …
Michael Bush's pair of red-zone touchdowns further strengthened the idea that he will be the Bears' red zone and short-yardage back. … Defensive end
Israel Idonije had 2.5 sacks, including a forced fumble against the Redskins' Robert Griffin III. … It was a wild night on special teams. The Bears gave up a 91-yard scoring return to Banks, but
Lorenzo Booker had a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and
Eric Weems also had a 48-yard return. Place-kicker
Robbie Gould hit a 57-yard field goal with 31 seconds remaining to account for the winning margin.
Local coverage: Podlesh thinks he'll be ready for the start of the season, according to
Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times. … Coach Lovie Smith didn't think that Conte's injury was too serious, and the Bears are crossing their fingers on Hardin.
Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune has more. … The Bears can live with how their offensive line played Saturday night, according to
Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune. … It appears Jeffery has earned the trust of the Bears' quarterbacks, writes
Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com. …
Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com: "This is a different Jay Cutler, with a different offensive coordinator and a different Bears team around him. ... Cutler and his new receivers showed the first glimpse of a passing offense that will be able to stand up to the better defensive backs while finally taking its place in a new NFL that isn't all that new anymore." … The Bears took a hard look not only at left tackle, between
J'Marcus Webb and
Chris Williams, but also at left guard between
Chris Spencer and
Chilo Rachal, according to
Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com.
Up next: Friday at
New York Giants 
