Bears Defeat Dreadful Rams 17-9
Published by Jake Perper on December 7, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Bears won an ugly one yesterday against the pathetic St. Louis Rams and snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Bears rushed the ball 38 times, with Matt Forte averaging 3.8 ypc on 24 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown. Kahlil Bell added 35 yards on 11 carries. Earl Bennett and Devin Hester both had huge catches early in this game, Bennett with a 71-yard catch and run and Hester with a 48-yard catch and run.
Some Other Stuff That Happened:
Johnny Knox was super on kick returns. Jamar Williams had 18 tackles filling in for the injured Lance Briggs, Hunter Hillenmeyer had an interception, and Al Afalava had a big fumble return.
Anthony Adams, Israel Idonije, and Adewale Ogunleye all had sacks. Devin Hester left with a calf injury, but should play next week. Gaines Adams was a healthy scratch, which was weird because you’d think the Bears would want to see him play some more, but Jarron Gilbert got the edge over him.
Kevin Payne started at strong safety and Al Afalava moved to free safety, while Danieal Manning played strictly nickelback. The defense was much improved, only allowing St. Louis to convert two of their 14 third downs.
Good News and Bad News:
The Bears won their first game since defeating Cleveland Nov. 1. They move to 5-7 and still have a slim shot at the playoffs. I know yesterday’s game showed us nothing to start believing that this Bears team can win four more games and improve to 9-7, but you have to believe.
The running game was improved and that was a plus, as it took the pressure off of Jay Cutler. The Bears have games against Green Bay, Baltimore, Minnesota, and Detroit coming up.
The Bears are 5-3 during the day, 0-4 during the night, 4-2 at home, and 1-5 on the road. They haven’t beaten a team with a winning record. Pittsburgh, Seattle, Detroit, Cleveland and St. Louis are a combined 15-45. That is not impressive at all, but if the Bears could have pulled out a win in one of their close games they could be right in the playoff hunt, instead they have to win the next four to have a chance, but no one believes that is remotely possible.
Lets see what the 2009 Bears can do with the rest of the season.
Jake Perper is the creator of www.BearsBacker.com and also covers the Bears for www.NFLTouchdown.com and www.MVN.com.
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