CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears have no intention
of being overlooked in the NFC this season.
Brian Urlacher had an interception and returned a
fumble for a touchdown, Jay Cutler threw for 312 yards and two scores and the
Bears pounded Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons 30-12.
"Big for us," receiver Roy Williams said.
"Big confidence booster for us as a football team. We knew what we can do
offensively. We knew what we can do defensively. But to put it together,
especially against a good football team in Atlanta, shows what kind of football
team we have."
In a matchup between reigning division champions,
it was no contest.
"Disappointed, not discouraged," Atlanta
coach Mike Smith said. "It's a long season, it's Week 1. We will work to
get this fixed and we will get it fixed."
A lunging Urlacher picked off Ryan's pass to set up
an early 56-yard touchdown catch and run by Matt Forte. In the third quarter,
the linebacker picked up a fumble by Ryan and scored from 12 yards to make it
30-6.
The fumble came on one of two sacks by Julius
Peppers. Henry Melton also had two sacks and the Bears totaled five for the
day.
Cutler completed 22 of 32 passes and was
intercepted once in his first game at Soldier Field since the Bears' loss to
Green Bay in the NFC championship. He left that game with a knee injury and was
roundly criticized.
He was sacked five times Sunday, but had a 107.8
quarterback rating as the defending NFC North champions passed a big test.
The schedule doesn't get easier with games against
the past two Super Bowl champions coming up — at New Orleans next week and then
Green Bay at home — but Chicago certainly looked strong in this one.
"It's a good start," Urlacher said.
"We've got a ways to go. We made some mistakes, me included. Our offense
played great today. I know they're going to say they didn't do this and that,
but they kept us on the sideline for the most part."
Forte, seeking a contract extension, turned a short
screen into a long TD in the first quarter, and caught five passes in all for
90 yards. He also carried 16 times for 68 yards.
Williams caught four passes for 55 yards in his
Bears debut before leaving with a groin injury in the fourth quarter.
"We still have to play up to the defense's
level," Cutler said. "They're still carrying us."
Ryan completed 31 of 47 passes for 319 yards for
Atlanta, but he also had those two costly turnovers.
Michael Turner ran for 100 yards, including a 53-yarder,
but the defending NFC South champions never established any kind of rhythm. It
was certainly not the sort of performance they had in mind, coming off a 13-win
season that ended with a blowout loss to the Packers in the playoffs.
On the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks,
there were large 9/11 ribbons at the 25-yard lines. The coin used for the
pregame toss had the same ribbon on one side with a Bears "C'' on the
other.
There was a video narrated by Robert DeNiro, a live
simulcast of the trumpeter performing "Taps" in Shanksville, Pa., and
a moment of silence. A loud "USA! USA!" chant broke out as a flag
stretching from goal line to goal line was unfurled.
Urlacher's lunging interception at the Chicago 29
on a pass intended for Tony Gonzalez and Forte's big touchdown three plays
later — when he caught the screen pass and bounced off Atlanta's Sean
Weatherspoon — were two of the early highlights as the Bears built a 16-3
halftime lead.
Urlacher said he was surprised Ryan threw that
pass.
Ryan said he should have thrown it away, and on the
fumble, he just didn't protect the ball.
"Brian made a good play, full extension,"
he said. "He made a nice catch. I probably shouldn't have thrown it there.
I definitely shouldn't have thrown it there. But that's one of those situations
where you need to throw the football away. You have to make a good decision and
get the ball out of your hands with somebody in your face. Just a poor decision
there, and on the fumble, you just got to protect the football better in the
pocket, that's as simple as it is."
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
