Something special
Special teams pushed the Bears to victory, with Johnny Knox’s 102-yard kickoff return — the second longest in Bears history — breaking a tie and shifting the momentum. The Bears compiled 277 total return yards. Robbie Gould had a career-long 52-yard field goal to help pad the lead. And punter Brad Maynard continues to pin opponents deep, placing all four punts inside the 20.
Back in the running
Questions about the listless running game were quickly answered by Matt Forte’s 61-yard run on the second offensive play. Forte added a 37-yard touchdown run and finished with a season-high 121 yards on 12 carries. The offensive line cleared some nice holes, and Forte made a few jaw-dropping cutbacks. Garrett Wolfe threw in a 2-yard touchdown run late. Even quarterback Jay Cutler got into the act, sacrificing his body on a 5-yard TD run.
Shoulder- ing the load
It’s never a good sign when a player can’t finish a game due to injury, and Devin Hester was nowhere to be found after taking a blow to the shoulder. Hester got sandwiched between William James and Louis Delmas after a 2-yard catch in the second quarter. Although the Bears managed without Hester, any long-term injury — and this doesn’t appear to be one — could cripple the receiving corps and return game. Good thing the Bears are off Sunday to help Hester and others get healthy.
Rush to it
With Bears assistant head coach Rod Marinelli facing the team that fired him, it seemed appropriate for his defensive line to have an impact. After a slow start, the Bears responded with a season-high five sacks, half of those by Adewale Ogunleye. Mark Anderson pressured Lions rookie Matthew Stafford into a hurried throw, and Tommie Harris picked off the errant pass. Defensive linemen accounted for four of the five sacks, with linebacker Nick Roach recording the other.
