Bye week the perfect prescription to get Bears' defense healthy

By the time the Bears take the field again, Nov. 2 at home against the Lions, they expect to have a healthier defense than the one that's been getting abused recently.

After allowing 41 points and 439 total yards against the Vikings but still escaping with a victory Sunday, the Bears and their banged-up secondary are No. 29 in passing yards allowed, No. 16 in total yards allowed and No. 13 in points allowed. Just two weeks ago they were No. 6 in points and No. 9 in yards allowed.

"Any time you give up 41 points, you're going to be disappointed," defensive coordinator Bob Babich said. "We're just fortunate the offense came through."

The Bears hope to have starting cornerbacks Charles Tillman (shoulder) and Nate Vasher (wrist), along with nickel back Danieal Manning (hamstring) back after Sunday's off week, but they will be without Zackary Bowman, whose biceps injury in his spectacular NFL debut will require surgery.

Bowman scored the Bears' third touchdown Sunday when he recovered a muffed Vikings punt in the end zone and then clinched the victory with his first NFL interception in the final minute, a play that occurred after he suffered the injury.

"At the time, he had a biceps injury, so to be able to play through that, it was definitely playing with pain," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "That said a lot for him in his first game."

Smith wouldn't admit that the procedure will end Bowman's season, but it almost certainly will.

Corey Graham, who started in place of Vasher for the third straight week and fourth time in the last five games, was unable to finish Sunday because of a blow to the head, but he is expected to be fine in time for the rematch with the Lions.

Vasher was not at Sunday's game, excused for personal reasons, and his extended inactivity has led to speculation that his injury, which has required the surgical insertion of pins in his wrist, is more serious than the Bears are willing to admit. Smith continued to be vague regarding Vasher's status.

"We're trying to win football games, so we'll always be cautious," he said. "When a guy's ready to play, we'll play him. You never know in those type of injuries. Nate hasn't been ready. We thought he would be able to, but it hasn't worked out that way. We think the next time we play he'll be ready to go."

It wasn't all bad for the defense, and particularly the secondary, on Sunday. All of the season-high 4 interceptions came from defensive backs, and it was the most picks for the Bears since Dec. 3, 2006, when they also had 4 against the Vikings.

But some of the other numbers were ghastly.

"The total yardage and the points, we have to get that down," Smith said.

But the defense took solace in preserving - barely - a crucial NFC North victory that gave the Bears a 2-0 record in the division and kept them tied with the Packers for first place at 4-3. The defense bent almost to the breaking point, but it also made several big plays with a decimated backfield.

"They pretty much did whatever they wanted to on offense," free safety Mike Brown said of the Vikings. "They moved the ball up and down the field, scored on, it seemed like, every possession except the ones we got turnovers on. But the bottom line is we had more points at the end, and we found a way to make a play this time on the last drive."

Despite the victory, Brown wasn't very generous in assessing grading the play of the defense.

"It would've been an F, but we got the D-minus because we won," Brown said. "We held our own back there. Toward the end of the game we played a lot of Cover 2, so there were opportunities for them to get yardage in the passing game, but we hung tough and got a pick on the last drive." In the next game, the defense should at least get a better grade for attendance.

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