This was not the start Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was looking for in his third NFL season.
Dalton’s second pass of the 2013 campaign was intercepted by Bears cornerback Charles Tillman, who got in front of Bengals star wideout A.J. Green, giving Chicago the ball on the Cincinnati 36.
Seven plays later, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler found tight end Martellus Bennett for an eight-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone, giving Chicago a 7-0 lead a little more than five minutes into the game.
The interception was Tillman’s 34th in regular-season play in an NFL career defined by his ability to cause turnovers. That knack has helped Chicago quite a bit over the years, and it gave Marc Trestman’s club an early lead on Sunday.