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Chalk Talk: Was Fuller's knee down?

Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.

It didn't look like Kyle Fuller's knee touched the ground on his interception against the Broncos and he should have been allowed to return the pick for a touchdown. They didn't really show a good replay of the play on the television broadcast. Was he down?
Greg F.
Saratoga Springs, New York

I watched the TV copy and you're correct about them not running a replay that showed whether Kyle Fuller's knee was down. But I slowed down video of the play itself and took a screen shot I've included below that shows Fuller's knee was in fact down on the ground while he was being contacted by a Broncos receiver. So it appears that the officials made the correct call.

chalktalk_091919

When was the last time the Bears faced Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in their first two games of the season like they did this year?
Paul K.
Oak Forest, Illinois

You have to go all the way back to … last year. Yes, the Bears have opened each of the last two seasons with back-to-back games against Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks. Last year it was the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and the Seahawks' Russell Wilson; this year it was Rodgers and the Broncos' Joe Flacco, who won the Super Bowl with the Ravens. In both cases, the Bears lost to Rodgers in the opener and rebounded with a Week 2 win. It appears that their rematch against the Packers Dec. 15 in Green Bay will be the Bears' only other game this season versus a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. The Bears are scheduled to host the Saints Oct. 20, but Drew Brees likely will still be sidelined following thumb surgery. They will also host the Giants Nov. 24 and veteran Eli Manning has been replaced by rookie first-round pick Daniel Jones.

On the final catch by Allen Robinson before the game winning field goal, it looked like he intentionally dove at the legs of a Denver Broncos defender which appears to be an extremely heads up veteran move to ensure he is down by contact immediately. Can you confirm if that was intentional by Allen Robinson?
Jose C.
Orlando, Florida

It may have looked like Bears receiver Allen Robinson II dove at the Broncos defender to draw immediate contact, but I spoke with Robinson about the play and he said that that wasn't the case. If a player gives himself up by going down to the ground, the play is over and a timeout can be called immediately, even if he is not touched by a defender. That's exactly what Robinson did, an extremely heads-up move that gave Eddy Piñeiro a chance to win the game with a 53-yard field goal, which you probably know by now is exactly what happened.

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