Bears Defense Shines in Win Over Rams

Two minutes. That’s how long it took the Chicago Bears to jump out to a lead over the St. Louis Rams. That lead was never relinquished or even close to being in question for the rest of the afternoon, as the Bears pounded the Rams 27-3. Fans of the Bears had a relaxing afternoon as their team took apart one of the worst in football. Don’t jump off the Super Bowl cliff though, this was only the Rams.  

Matt Forte could do no wrong on Sunday. Even after a fumble early in the second quarter, it was still his time to shine. Forte broke through on the Bears’ opening possession for 13 yards and a touchdown on what was a four play, 49-yard drive to the end zone set up by a 50-yard Danieal Manning kick return. Forte racked up 136 yards and two touchdowns on the day, giving him new personal highs for his short career. He added an impressive 47-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He was the center point of a Bear offense that put up 24 points in the first half on Sunday, putting the Rams away early. The surprise out of the running game was Lovie Smith’s choice to spell Forte during the game. Adrian Peterson, known for his special teams work, filled in on multiple plays and carried the ball 5 times for a solid 35 yards. Garrett Wolfe even found carries during garbage time in the fourth quarter. Heck, even Devin Hester and Rashied Davis ran the ball off of reverses. With everyone getting in on the ground, it was a shock to never see running back Kevin Jones on the field. Jones has apparently not impressed his coaches enough to get playing time over the forgotten Peterson or the small, shifty Wolfe. It’s a safe bet to think that Jones won’t be in Chicago after this season.  

Someone who will be around next season is Kyle Orton. Orton dropped back to pass more than he probably would have liked to on his bad ankle, but he had another solid game under center. The key to his success has been the way he protects the football. He set a Bears record on Sunday for most consecutive passes thrown without an interception with 185. Devin Hester and Desmond Clark led all Bear receivers with 5 catches each, taking the bulk of Orton’s 18 completions on a day that predominantly featured the running game. It was also an offensive showing that feature some new looks from Ron Turner’s offense. The “wildcat” formation that’s run rampant throughout the league was utilized, with Devin Hester taking the snaps. Add that to the aforementioned reverse plays of Davis and Hester and you’ve created a fresh game plan for a team that was sorely lacking in the creativity department. What could be a worry is the lack of production in the second half. The Bears talked a lot about “finishing strong,” but their only second half score was a field goal in the third quarter. Against a porous Rams defense, that should be a concern. 

What really came through on Sunday was the defense. Keep in mind however, that this was against the Rams. (Just making sure you understand, almost everyone does this to the Rams.) Jim Haslett’s team was missing its top offensive weapon in Steven Jackson and their Hall of Fame left tackle Orlando Pace, so the Bears already had it easy. To make things worse, on St. Louis’ fifth play from scrimmage Adawale Ogunleye came from his defensive end position and sacked Rams QB Marc Bulger for an 8 yard loss. Bulger left the game due to a “blow to the head.” Veteran Trent Green replaced him and was sacked four times and picked off four times by the Bear defense. Lance Briggs snagged two interceptions, and Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman each added with one of their own. St. Louis only ran the ball for 14 total yards on 19 carries, so the defense did its job on both fronts. No one should be pounding their chests over thumping a two-win team though. 

Unfortunately the Bears did not emerge from this contest entirely unscathed. Safety Mike Brown left in the first half with a leg injury, Desmond Clark came off the field in the third with a knee injury, followed in the same quarter by corner Nathan Vasher. Keeping everyone healthy was a close second on Lovie Smith’s priority list, right behind winning. No specifics are known of the injuries at this time, but hopefully they aren’t too serious, as these players are integral to Chicago’s continued success. 

Now I enjoyed this game as much as the next fan. It was fun, relaxing, and a good showing by my favorite team ever. It’s just good to remember that the Bears were supposed to win this game and win it big. For a team that’s been wildly inconsistent on the defensive side of the ball, it was a good confidence builder. Pressure was put on the quarterback, and Chicago was able to establish the run. That formula will get the Bears to the playoffs. Without it, they don’t have a chance.