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Bears open season with 23-20 OT loss to Bills

By WTOP Staff

ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears couldn’t make enough stops and Jay Cutler committed some big mistakes.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

A revised defense came up short, Jay Cutler made some questionable decisions, and the Bears dropped the season opener to the Buffalo Bills 23-20 in overtime Sunday.

“The season’s going to start clicking off here pretty soon,” Cutler said. “Games will start rolling up, we’re going to get into a rhythm. We’ll watch this (Monday) and we’ll move on.”

This was not the sort of start the Bears had in mind after missing the playoffs six of the previous seven years.

They made big changes to a defense that ranked among the worst in franchise history last season, signing five-time Pro Bowl end Jared Allen and adding some other key players. They believe they have the stoppers to support a prolific offense that returned intact. But they’ll have to do better than this.

Fred Jackson set up Dan Carpenter’s field goal in overtime with a 38-yard run to the 1. The veteran ran for just 61 yards, but he came through with a big one at the end.

“I am old, but I can still play,” the 33-year-old Jackson said.

The Bears had just punted to open the extra period and Buffalo took over on its own 22 to start the winning possession. The Bills got the ball to the Chicago 39 when the 33-year-old Jackson turned toward the left side and broke off his big run, pushing safety Chris Conte out of the way twice inside the 10 before being knocked out of bounds at the 1.

Buffalo’s EJ Manuel backed up 3 yards and put the ball in the middle of the field. After a delay of game, Carpenter won it with a 27-yarder.

It was a good start for the Bills as they enter a new era following the death of founding father and Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson. They’re trying to end a 14-year playoff drought and they started by knocking off a team eyeing a run to the postseason.

“It’s so difficult to win on the road in this league, especially on opening day I think it’s even tougher,” Marrone said. “I’m proud of them. It was different, I’m not going to lie to you. It was different in that locker room before the game.”

Chicago got little pressure from a revamped defense despite the addition of Allen, and Cutler got picked off twice while throwing for 349 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bears trailed 17-7 at the half after Buffalo scored 17 unanswered points and came up short down the stretch after tying it.

The Bills looked like they might pull this one out in regulation with a 20-17 lead after Carpenter kicked a 33-yard field goal.

That came after Cutler threw across his body and tried to squeeze a pass to Martellus Bennett on a third-and-1 at the Buffalo 34. Kyle Williams came away with his first career interception instead.

But the Bears answered after the Bills grabbed the lead.

They drove from the 20 to the Buffalo 19, and Cutler threw an incomplete pass to Brandon Marshall in the end zone before Robbie Gould tied it with a 37-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in regulation.

“You guys are going to be as negative as possible,” a surly Cutler said. “But we’ve got a lot of games left, we did a lot of good things. Obviously we made mistakes today and we’ve got to clean them up and got to keep it going.”

Manuel completed 16 of 22 passes for 173 yards for Buffalo. He also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Robert Woods added 78 yards receiving.

Chicago’s Matt Forte ran for 82 yards and had 87 receiving. Brandon Marshall caught eight passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. Alshon Jeffery also had 71 yards receiving, although he spent most of the second half on the sideline because of a hamstring injury.

It wasn’t a great afternoon for a revamped defense, either. Allen, the star addition in the offseason overhaul, was a nonfactor. But coach Marc Trestman thought it was a good day overall for that group — Jackson’s long run aside.

“At the end of the day you keep them in the 17 to 20-point range, that should be enough for us to win,” he said. “And if we hang onto the football, take care of it, we would have been in a good position to do that.”

NOTES: Trestman thought Jeffery might return at some point in the second half, but that didn’t happen. … Slauson and Garza did not think they were seriously injured. … Bills LB Keith Rivers left the game because of a groin injury and S Aaron Williams was being evaluated for a concussion afterward. Buffalo also held out CB Stephon Gilmore because of a nagging groin injury.

___

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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