Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams

Sunday, November 23, 2008

*Forte, Bears power past Rams*

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- For the fourth straight week, the St. Louis Rams basically had their fate sealed after the first two quarters.

This time it was the Chicago Bears who put together a half of dominance over the inept Rams, racing to a 21-point halftime lead en route to a 27-3 victory on Sunday.

Rookie Matt Forte ran for a season-high 132 yards and scored touchdowns in each of the first two quarters as Chicago took a 24-3 halftime lead.

The Bears' defense returned to form after receiving a beat-down last week at the hands of division rival Green Bay, limiting the Rams to just 14 yards on the ground.

Kyle Orton completed 18-of-29 passes for 139 yards and a 7-yard touchdown to Jason McKie as Chicago (6-5) avoided a three-game losing streak to remain tied atop the NFC North standings.

"We really wanted to open the playbook today and really not be afraid to call anything," Orton said. "We go into every game trying to start fast and finish strong and for the most part we did that today. We got up on the Rams and did several things right to start off the game and went from there."

Chicago dropped a 37-3 decision the Packers last week, missing out on a chance to gain control in the tightly contested division.

Orton and the Bears bounced back against the hapless Rams (2-9), who have been outscored, 123-13, in the opening 30 minutes over the last four weeks.

Forte got the Bears on the board quickly, scoring from 13 yards out just 1:50 into the opening quarter.

"I just run through the holes and they do the dirty work up front," Forte said. "That is where it starts in the passing and running game. Those guys move the big guys up front and I just try to run through the holes and make somebody miss."

St. Louis starting quarterback Marc Bulger was knocked out with a head injury in the opening drive and backup Trent Green struggled in his place, completing 16-of-30 passes for 219 yards and four interceptions.

"We just could not get anything going," Green said. "We had a lot of breakdowns and I would have to sit down with you and watch the film and go through it, but we had a lot of breakdowns in a lot of areas."

"I will do anything I can to help these guys be successful. Anything," Rams coach Jim Haslett said. "I'll put them in positions where they can succeed individually and as a team. But I can't tackle, I can't tackle anymore for them. I can't do it anymore. I can't take care of the football."

Orton and McKie connected to extend the lead to 14-0, and after a fake punt attempt by the Rams was stopped near midfield, Forte broke off a 47-yard run two plays later to open up a 21-point bulge.

The St. Louis rushing attack struggled again in the absence of Steven Jackson, who missed his fourth game in the last five while nursing a strained thigh.

A week after allowing 145 yards to Green Bay's Ryan Grant, the Bears took care of the shorthanded Rams' ground game with ease.

Josh Brown accounted for the only offense for St. Louis, connecting on a 43-yard field goal late in the second quarter.

"The penalties, the special teams put the offense into bad field position. But I don't know if the offense would have scored anyways as bad as they were playing," Haslett said. "We can emphasize it, we can work on it but if they are going to go out and hold and get pre-snap penalties, I can't help them. I'm helpless on the sideline. I will do anything I can for them."

Robbie Gould kicked a pair of field goals for Chicago, which has a key division matchup with Minnesota next Sunday night.

"It is crucial," Forte said. "It is another division game and we have to stay on top of these division games. We need a win up there on the road."

Chicago and Minnesota, which cruised past Jacksonville, 30-12, are tied for first in the NFC North, with Green Bay sitting at 5-5 and facing New Orleans on Monday night.