LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Back to the run, back to
the win column for the Chicago Bears.
Question is: Do they stay with it?
Matt Forte ran for a career-high 205 yards, and the
Bears escaped with a 34-29 victory over Carolina on Sunday to end a two-game
skid.
The Bears (2-2) didn't run much in losses to New
Orleans and Green Bay, but it was a different story against the Panthers.
They went from calling a combined 95 pass plays and
20 runs the previous two weeks to going with 31 runs and 17 passes Sunday. The
result was 224 yards rushing after being held to 13 by the Packers.
"We knew as an offense that we can run the
ball, we just had to establish that first," Forte said.
Forte, also the Bears' leading receiver, didn't get
many chances to run the first three weeks.
The lack of balance on offense and the struggles on
the offensive line, were reminders of last season's struggles.
Back then, quarterback Jay Cutler was taking a
pounding with no protection and no balance. The Bears eventually committed to
the run, and with improved protection, won the NFC North and advanced to the
conference championship game.
There are still some glaring issues after a defense
expected to be the team's strength gave up 543 yards and got picked apart by
Cam Newton after struggling with Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.
Also the offense still has work to do. The wide
receivers remain a question mark. So does the offensive line.
Against New Orleans in Week 2, pass protection was
an issue, with Cutler getting sacked six times. So was the play-calling.
Coach Lovie Smith was seething after the Bears
called 52 passes and 11 runs against the Saints and made it clear he wanted more
balance.
A week later, Cutler had enough time but the
balance again wasn't there, with Chicago calling 43 pass plays and nine runs.
Forte finished with 2 yards on nine attempts, but
Smith had no issue with the play-calling against the Packers. There simply was
no room to run, but there was plenty on Sunday even though the Bears were
juggling their line.
Already missing right tackle Gabe Carimi (knee),
the Bears played most of the first half without right guard Chris Spencer after
he suffered a small fracture in his right hand.
Lance Louis filled in for him and then replaced
Frank Omiyale at right tackle when Spencer returned in the second half.
Even with those moves, the Bears were able to open
holes.
Forte had almost as many attempts (25) against the
Panthers as he had in the first three games combined (35).
Add in the fact that Carolina came in ranked 25th
against the run, and it was no surprise that the Bears tried to establish it.
"We felt like we could run the football
against them," Smith said Monday. "As you could see by our commitment
to it early on, we thought we could get a little bit from it. It always helps
when you have early success to give everybody confidence that you can."
The Bears didn't even attempt a pass on their lone
first-quarter possession.
Forte broke off a 46-yard run on their second play
from scrimmage, and Chicago handed the ball off seven times before Cutler got
stopped at the 2 on a 2-yard draw, leading to a 20-yard field goal by Robbie
Gould.
"We saw some things on tape that we took
advantage of," said Roy Williams, who caught Chicago's first pass early in
the second quarter.
"(Offensive coordinator Mike) Martz did a
great job of calling the plays. The offensive line did a heck of a job
executing and we blocked pretty good on the outside as well."
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
