Bears Win Big Over St. Louis

In an impressive showcase of what Chicago is capable of, the Bears beat the Rams 27-3 in St. Louis this afternoon. Every part of the team stepped up in the win.

The Bears defense smothered the Rams at every opportunity. In a key display of their ability to stop St. Louis, one of Adewale Ogunleye's two sacks moved the Rams into impossible field goal territory. The kick proved to be impossible as Josh Brown missed the attempt. Tommie Harris was also back in his top pass-rushing form, as he also got two sacks. The Bears recorded five sacks on the game.

They were also effective in forcing takeaways. Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher helped each other out, each tipping a pass for the other to get the interception. Briggs then got a solo interception, but that was negated by a Jason McKie fumble.

In the second quarter, Matt Forte had the first fumble of his career and left the field dejected. Lovie Smith challenged the call, though it was clearly fumbled. Perhaps, Smith wanted to show his confidence in the rookie running back. If that was his plan, it worked, as Forte broke out for 47-yard run in the very next series. Forte finished the day with 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Devin Hester improved greatly as a wide receiver today, with five catches for 57 yards, and two rushes that added up to 32 yards. His kick returning troubles continued, though, as he didn't gain any yards as a returner. His problems, also pointed out by Gale Sayers this week, were magnified by Danieal Manning's 50-yd return to set up the first score of the game.

The Rams did a good job at making the Bears look like contenders, because St. Louis was anemic when trying to score. Quarterback Marc Bulger was knocked out of the game early after sustaining a hit to the head from one of Ogunleye's sacks. Trent Green took his place and didn't fare very well, as he threw four interceptions and only completed 16/30 passes.

Still, this game was all about the Bears winning in a must-win situation. Next, they will travel to Minneapolis for a game against the Vikings that could decide the winner of the NFC North.

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