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Bears get early breaks, hold on to beat Jets 27-19

By WTOP Staff

DENNIS WASZAK Jr.
AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears needed to claw back from a big deficit last week.

On Monday night, they had to hang on against the New York Jets.

“It was quite a game,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said after a 27-19 victory that wasn’t sealed until the final moments.

Even after spotting the Bears a 14-0 lead with early mistakes, the Jets had one last opportunity to tie, getting into Bears territory on Geno Smith’s 51-yard pass to Greg Salas. But Jeremy Kerley came down out of bounds in the back of the end zone after making a leaping grab of Smith’s desperation fourth-down heave from the Bears 9.

Cutler then took a knee three times to seal the victory for the Bears (2-1).

“We just have to ride this momentum,” Cutler said.

Last weekend, the Bears rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the 49ers in Green Bay. They never trailed in this one, but they had a hard time putting away the Jets (1-2).

“It’s not so much that teams are beating us,” Jets linebacker Demario Davis said. “We’re beating ourselves, and you can’t do that in this league.”

New York was coming off a disappointing 31-24 loss at Green Bay in which it blew an 18-point lead. Smith was 26 of 43 for 316 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions — and nearly had a few others in this one. Kerley finished with seven catches for 81 yards, and almost came up with a diving grab off a tipped pass in the end zone on the final drive.

“There were some plays you wish you could have back,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said.

The Jets also scored just one touchdown in six trips into the red zone.

Cutler threw two touchdown passes to Martellus Bennett and Ryan Mundy returned an interception 45 yards for a score. Cutler finished 23 of 38 for 225 yards and Alshon Jeffery caught eight passes for 105 yards for the Bears, who got a 45-yard field goal from Robbie Gould to make it an eight-point game with 3:10 remaining.

Here are some other things to know from the Bears’ victory over the Jets:

QUICK START: The Bears wasted no time getting on the scoreboard.

On New York’s second play from scrimmage, Smith didn’t see Mundy lurking in the flat as he floated a screen pass to Chris Johnson. Mundy stepped in front of the toss and ran it back for a touchdown.

After the Jets stopped the Bears on three plays on their first offensive series, rookie Jalen Saunders dropped Patrick O’Donnell’s punt at his 40 and it was recovered by the Bears’ Ahmad Dixon. Cutler threw deep down the right sideline to Jeffery one play later, and cornerback Darrin Walls was called for pass interference to put the ball at the Jets 7.

Three plays later, Cutler rolled right and found Bennett in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0 — and get the MetLife Stadium crowd booing.

GENO WATCH: The calls for Michael Vick might start to intensify — even though it’s just three games into the season.

Smith passed for the second-most yards of his career, but he’s got five turnovers in three games.

“I’ve got to do a better job to give us a chance to win games,” Smith said.

UNDERRATED BENNETT?: While most of the attention is on Chicago’s big wide receivers in Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, Bennett has also become a major factor in the Bears’ offense.

He leads the team with 20 catches and is tied with Marshall with four TDs — and came in with a little extra motivation.

“I felt a little disrespected,” Bennett said, adding that he watched a video in which Ryan praised the Bears receivers and referred to him simply as “a big dude.”

INJURIES: The Jets lost wide receiver Eric Decker in the first half to a hamstring injury; he was questionable for the game with tightness in the hamstring. Decker said he pulled himself out when he couldn’t get it loosened up.

Defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson also left with an injured right knee, but Ryan didn’t think it was serious.

Bears fullback Tony Fiammetta injured a hamstring and safety Chris Conte hurt his left shoulder. Neither returned. Marshall left in the second quarter after injuring his right ankle, but returned in the second half.

UPSET WITH REFS: After an ill-timed timeout call last week, the Jets took issue with two more incidents involving referees.

A video review reversed a call late in the half on which the Jets might have taken the lead. Cutler was sacked by David Harris and lost the ball, but was declared down by contact. A review showed Cutler had fumbled, but Davis’ return to the end zone was negated because the whistle had blown.

“It could’ve been a game-changing play, but the referee blew the whistle,” Harris said. “What can you do? What else is new? It seems like we’re playing against two teams out there sometimes.”

The Jets were also unhappy with a pass interference call on Darrin Walls that helped set up the Bears’ second touchdown.

“I thought I had perfect coverage,” Walls said. “If anything, I thought it was offensive pass interference.”

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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