The Cutler Coaster: An Up and Down Chicago Bears Experience

The Bears escaped with a 19-14 Week 1 victory against the Detroit Lions last week, winning by the letter of the law.

And while experts suggested it would take a little more than luck to upend the Dallas Cowboys, the Bears silenced critics with a solid 27-20 victory to send the 'Boys to their first 0-2 start since 2001.

In our inaugural Monday Morning Watercooler column, we follow sports writer Luis Medina on a blow-by-blow journey of how the Bears improved their record to 2-0.

11:50 a.m.: FOX Sports pregame show hosts Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long and Michael Strahan all pick the Cowboys to beat the Bears. Conventional thinking says the Bears win in a runaway, right? Or is that thinking considered unconventional?

11:55 a.m.: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are the broadcast crew for FOX this afternoon. If Buck thought he saw questionable time management with Andy Reid and the Eagles last week, just wait until he gets a good look at Lovie Smith.

12:02 p.m.: Bears get the opening kick. I used to look forward to Devin Hester returning kicks. Now, not so much.

12:05 p.m.: Jay Cutler sacked for the first time and the officials miss a blatant facemask infraction. Fan: "Ah, the Bears got away with one last week." Me: "NFL rules say otherwise. And unless they repealed the facemask penalty rule, then the refs really missed one there." You've got to love in-house disagreements.

12:12 p.m.: Interception by defensive back D.J. Moore. Tony Romo's impersonation of Cutler was spot on.

12:17 p.m.: Robbie Gould puts the Bears up 3-0 with 7:31 left in the first quarter. Bears could have saved Cutler a few bruises had they just gone for the field goal after getting the interception.

12:32 p.m.: Punt return touchdown by Dez Bryant. Don't care how good he thinks he can be, I'm not sure he's deserving enough to wear the No. 88 once worn proudly by Hall of Famer Michael Irvin.

12:38 p.m.: Hester matches his total output from last week with a catch with 1:26 to go in the first quarter.

12:39 p.m.: Touchdown Bears as Cutler connects with Greg Olsen on a 39-yard pass. Dallas' man-to-man coverage forgot to cover a man.

12:42 p.m.: Bears 10, Cowboys 7, end of 1st Quarter.

12:52 p.m.: Does anybody remember the last time Lovie Smith won a challenge?

12:57 p.m.: Chris Gronkowski. Sounds like a name fitting for a fullback. Cowboys lead Bears 14-10 after a Romo touchdown pass.

1:10 p.m.: Hester catches the ball with one hand and puts down two feet. And who says concentration is a problem for No. 23? Bears lead 17-14.

1:22 p.m.: Romo has thrown two interceptions, Cutler has thrown two touchdowns. It's like the Bears and Cowboys are living in alternate universes.

1:29 p.m.: Gould tacks three more points onto the Bears' lead as Chicago has a 20-14 advantage. Had the Bears not gone for the fourth-and-inches, Cowboys would have had about :50 to go the length of the field. Now, Bears defense has to hold for only :20.

1:33 p.m.: Bears go into the locker room with a 20-14 lead. I head to the kitchen for a halftime snack.

1:46 p.m.: If you're wondering what's burning, it's not my halftime snack. It's Zach Bowman getting burned — again. This time, Dez Bryant does the honors.

1:52 p.m.: Dallas draws closer with a field goal. Bears lead 20-17, and if you're a Chicago fan, you're wondering what the defense is still doing in the locker room.

2:22 p.m.: "I slept through the third quarter — what did I miss?" Just three points and a whole lot of nothing. Bears 20, Cowboys 17 going into the fourth quarter.

2:39 p.m.: David Buehler is wide left. Last week he was wide right. Prediction: Next attempt will be right down the middle.

2:49 p.m.: Hester takes a three-yard pass and turns it into a 37-yard completion. Looks like the Hester who returned punts once upon a time.

2:51 p.m.: And who said Matt Forte can't be a factor at the goal line? Bears lead Cowboys 27-17 after Cutler's touchdown pass to Forte.

2:54 p.m.: D.J. Moore is having a great game, with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Waiting for Roy Williams to signal Bears ball after showboating and signaling first down earlier.

3:01 p.m.: Two-minute warning with the Bears leading 27-17. But the way Dallas is moving it, Lovie Smith might want to get the "hands team" prepped for an onside kick.

3:03 p.m.: Buehler connects on a long field goal to cut the Bears lead to 27-20.

3:08 p.m.: And with two kneel-downs, the Bears improve to 2-0. Cowboys fall to 0-2. Who saw that coming?

The Bears' 2-0 start makes next week's game against the 2-0 Green Bay Packers that much more interesting.