Hamilton forced into difficult assignment

ATLANTA - With just three weeks in a new system, Bears cornerback Marcus Hamilton was put into a difficult position Sunday afternoon at the Georgia Dome.

Injuries to four other defensive backs forced him into the starting lineup in the second half, while Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was completing 8 of 11 passes for 142 yards.

Hamilton, a first-year player who was cut by the Bucs after Week 3, said he felt like the Falcons were picking on him.

"That's what they're supposed to do," he said. "That's what any team would do, so that wasn't a factor. That wasn't an issue."

Ryan's 26-yard pass that set up the game-winning field goal as time expired sailed over Hamilton's head and in front of safety Mike Brown.

"I just didn't sink deep enough, and they threw the ball over the top," Hamilton said. "When (the secondary receiver) came into the flat, probably about six or seven yards deep, going to the sideline also, I tried to play between them, and he put it right over the top."

Depending on the severity of Charles Tillman's shoulder injury - he left the locker room with his arm in a sling - and if Nate Vasher (thumb/wrist) can't return next week after missing two games, Hamilton might be playing a bigger role in the future.

"I'll be able to bounce back," he said. "I'm getting in the playbook, knowing the defense, and I will be able to rock and roll from there."

Not so special: The slew of injuries in the Bears' secondary also impacted special teams, which employ many defensive backs in their coverage units.

"It's huge," special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. "But that's what happens. You get guys injured and other guys have to step up. We had guys playing positions that normally they wouldn't, but that's just the way it is on special teams."

That may have been a factor in the Bears deciding to squib the final kickoff instead of kicking deep. On Robbie Gould's previous kickoff, Jerious Norwood returned it 85 yards to the Bears' 17.

"The kickoff before, we kicked it deep, and they were able to get a long run," coach Lovie Smith said. "The guys were a little bit tired, so we felt like a squib would be safe to get them down, and they would have a chance at maybe one more play. If we keep it in play (on the last pass) the game should be over."

Give and take: The Bears appeared to have stopped the Falcons at their 29-yard line when Tommie Harris recovered a fumble by Atlanta's Jerious Norwood. But as Harris tried to get up and run from a prone position, he fumbled the ball back to the Falcons, who got a fresh set of downs and eventually a 32-yard field goal by Jason Elam.

"I was getting up because I didn't hear a whistle," Harris said. "I was laying down there and nobody blew a whistle, so I was getting up. I didn't have two hands on it. I laid on it, and when I got up it slipped out of my hands."

Plenty of blame: The Bears held the NFL's No. 2 rushing team to more than 100 yards under their 180-yard average, but they couldn't prevent rookie Matt Ryan from grilling them for 301 passing yards. The Falcons netted just 75 rushing yards but still came away on the right side of a 22-20 final.

"There's a lot of reasons for them being so successful passing, and a lot of it is on us," linebacker Lance Briggs said. "You can blame the defensive backfield. You can blame the front seven or whatever it is. We weren't in position, and I don't think we worked well as a unit today."