Ankle injury knocks Benson out of game

Peterson for Benson.

With 12:20 left in the first half, that became the tradeoff at running back: Adrian Peterson for Cedric Benson

That's when Benson suffered a left-ankle injury at the end of a 21-yard run, was carted off to the locker room, and did not return.

Coach Lovie Smith didn't provide much information on the injury, but he didn't seem very hopeful.

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"Whenever you don't finish the game, of course that's not good," Smith said. "He has a pretty good ankle injury."

Benson left on crutches with his injured ankle in a protective walking boot, finishing with 47 yards on 8 carries and a 5.9-yard average.

After a slow start, in which he averaged just 3.0 yards per carry through the first nine games, Benson picked up 136 yards on 19 carries in the past two games for a 7.1 average.

Peterson replaced Benson and managed just 45 yards on 17 carries despite some inspired running in close quarters.

"We have confidence in him," Smith said. "He's a good football player. Whenever we've called on him, whether it was injury or whatever, he's always stepped up to the plate.

"We feel very comfortable with him, as we do Garrett Wolfe. Garrett gives you a different dimension, so we feel good about both guys."

Peterson also added a team-high 5 catches for 41 yards and is tied for second on the team with 33 receptions, while Wolfe carries three time for 29 yards.

Sack man: Adewale Ogunleye is feeling better, and it's starting to show.

The Bears' defensive end recorded 2 more sacks Sunday. His first-quarter sack was his team-best eighth of the season, snapping a tie with Tommie Harris, and he added No. 9 in the fourth quarter.

"As a leader, as a captain I have to find ways to make plays and lead by example," said Ogunleye, who missed seven games with various injuries in his first three seasons in Chicago. "This is the healthiest I've been."

Ogunleye stripped the ball from Denver quarterback Jay Cutler on the first sack, but Broncos guard Montrae Holland recovered.

The forced fumble was Ogunleye's fourth of the season, tied for tops on the team with cornerback Charles Tillman. In three previous seasons with the Bears, Ogunleye's best season for sacks was 2005, when he had 10.

As well as Ogunleye played Sunday, the Bears' defense was gashed for 430 yards, including 98 rushing yards by third-string running back Andre Hall. But it forced a pair of turnovers, including just its second interception in six games and a forced fumble by Ogunleye.

"We made it a little tough on ourselves, but you can't even talk about that," Ogunleye said. "That's like crying over spilled milk.

"We're in playoff mode right now, and we found a way to win. I'm excited about that. We didn't give up. Even when people were leaving, fans were leaving, and we still found a way to play and make plays."

Back in action: Nickel cornerback Ricky Manning Jr., who was passed over in favor of safety Danieal Manning and rookie corner Trumaine McBride the past six weeks, finally was given an opportunity to start Sunday.

Ricky Manning started in Week 4, with McBride, when Nate Vasher and Charles Tillman, the other starting cornerback, both were injured.

Vasher missed his eighth straight game with a groin injury. The Bears' other inactives were fullback Lousaka Polite, linebackers Nick Roach and Darrell McClover, guard Josh Beekman, wide receiver Mike Hass and defensive tackle Antonio Garay. Kyle Orton was the third quarterback.

Prayers answered: The Bears felt pretty good about their chances while officials were reviewing Bernard Berrian's game-tying TD catch, but there wasn't much they could do while awaiting the ruling.

"Quite a few prayers were going out at that time," coach Lovie Smith said. "Thank God they came through."