The Chicago Bears did enough things well to win their matchup against the Chargers, 31-20. They made enough big plays in the second half to come through against a stalwart effort by San Diego. The Bears forced 3 turnovers, 1 forced fumble and two interceptions, and Jay Cutler threw for 2 TD's. Perhaps most importantly, the Bears held the ball for 14+ minutes in the fourth quarter to take the ball out of QB Philip Rivers hands. When he did have it, and threw for two interceptions, one in the end zone.
Matt Forte had some nice gains in the 4th quarter as the Bears went on a 7:10 minute drive. Cutler threw a great pass to Johnny Knox in the 3rd quarter to take a 2 touchdown lead, 31-17. San Diego answered with a FG. Then the Bears played keep-a-way with the Chargers offense, controlling the 4th quarter. It was a smart win, a good win. The patched up O line played pretty well. Guys who filled in did a solid job. Cutler had time to throw and when he does, he is terrific. He has a great arm, and showed it in the game. He hit Roy Williams with precision passes, and launched a long one to Knox to set up a TD, and later found Knox in the corner of the end zone with a perfect pass. Cutler has a lot of talent. So what if he doesn't have the charisma of a your "perfect QB." He provides plenty of leadership and his teammates know it.
The Bears are 7-3 and are in the race for the Wild Card. There are 6 games left and each game should be meaningful. This is good news for Bears' fans. Their team is relevant. They play two teams on the road in the AFC West and it won't be easy, but the Bears are in the hunt.
