Facing the Indianapolis Colts this week is stirring memories for Chicago Bears WR Brandon Marshall.
Marshall set the NFL record Dec. 13, 2009 for most catches in a game when he made 21 against the Colts, breaking the mark of 20 that Terrell Owens set in 2000 against the Bears.
“We lost," Marshall recalled. "I hit blackjack, 21 catches, it was a record. That was pretty good. That was an exciting moment, actually.”
Marshall had 200 yards receiving in the game, also a career high. It happened with former Bear Kyle Orton as quarterback after he and Jay Cutler were involved in the same trade.
Bears CB Kelvin Hayden was among the defenders trying to stop Marshall then.
"I'll brag about this, out of those 21, only one was on me," Hayden said. "This time I hope he gets 23."
With defenses certain to shift toward Marshall's side of the field, in the long run it could mean fewer catches than Marshall would like. He encountered the same problem in Miami and made 81 and 86 catches the past two years, going over 1,000 yards each time.
"It is going to happen," Cutler said. "So, he’s going to have to be a decoy for us. He’s going to have to keep running his routes on the back side no matter if there is one guy or two guys on him. He understands that."
In preseason, Cutler targeted Marshall 14 times, and completed seven for 112 yards and a TD. He said whether a defense focuses on Marshall or not hasn't always meant stopping him.
"I told Brandon, ‘You might get two balls this game.’ I don’t know," Cutler said. "They might double-team him and play quarters on a side and make us throw it to Alshon Jeffery and Devin Hester and Earl Bennett and those guys. That’s what I would expect.
"But we’ve had game plans in the past (with Denver) and I didn’t think he was going to get a ball and he got 15."
Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLCHI.
