Bears' defense gets shot to redeem itself in tough test against Titans

A Bears defense that has underachieved throughout the first half of the season gets a great chance to reassert itself as an elite group today against the NFL's only undefeated team.

The 8-0 Tennessee Titans have the AFC's leading rusher in rookie speedster Chris Johnson and the perfect complement in pile-driving Len- Dale White.

The 5-3 Bears are No. 6 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, and they've already faced some of the league's best tandems.

But this will be their toughest test.

The Bears limited Carolina's Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams to 108 yards on 25 carries, and shut down Tampa Bay's Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn, allowing a combined 47 yards on 17 carries. Atlanta's Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood accumulated just 85 yards on 28 carries.

"We've played some good ones," said Bears nose tackle Dusty Dvoracek. "Carolina had a couple of good backs, Atlanta had some good backs, but (Tennessee) has got to be at the top, just the way they've both performed so well all season. It's a big challenge for us up front."

The challenge isn't just for the big bodies in the trenches, though. Since the Titans' passing game is mediocre at best, the Bears' back seven on defense will have plenty of run-stopping responsibilities.

Mike Brown hopes to be back at free safety after suffering a calf injury that forced him to miss the second half last week. Brown considers today's game a shot at redemption for the defense.

"It's time for the defense to step up," Brown said. "We're tired of being the weak link. We're used to being the strong link, and right now we're definitely the weak link of this team.

"For us to be successful as far as getting to the playoffs and being successful in the playoffs, it's up to the defense."

Statistics back up Brown's assertion. The Bears are No. 4 in points scored and No. 15 in points allowed.

And Brown isn't the only one who feels that way.

"He's a leader. He's basically speaking on behalf of the defense, and I agree with him," defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said of Brown's critique.

"There have been times when we've let some leads go. The offense has definitely done its part this year, and the 11 guys on defense - whoever's out there - have to step up their game."

Offense has been the Bears' forte this season, largely because of contributions of rookie running back Matt Forte.

He and the Titans' Johnson faced each other in Conference USA games the past four years, when Forte was at Tulane and Johnson at East Carolina.

This year Johnson leads Forte in rushing yards 715-641, but Forte has 30 receptions for 228 yards to Johnson's 24 catches for 164 yards.

Forte and the Bears' offensive line butt heads today with the NFL's No. 10 run defense, spearheaded by defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, potentially the league's defensive player of the year.

But Forte is coming off his best game as a pro last week, when he rushed for 126 yards on 22 carries, which should provide momentum.

"It gave us a lot to build on," Forte said of the Bears' 154-yard rushing effort against Detroit. "It gave us a little more confidence in the running game to finish off the rest of the season like that."

Asked about going against Johnson, Forte pointed out, "I'm not really going against him," but the two are friends, and Forte said he follows Johnson's progress.

"We always exchange text messages and all that stuff," he said. "I know him real well. I always root for him because he's from Conference USA, too. I look at what he does every weekend."

Today's outcome may depend on how well Forte and Johnson perform, and the challenge of facing the Titans' third-most-productive ground game in the NFL could be just what the Bears' defense needs for inspiration.

"Emotionally, we're going to be very, very high and play with a lot of intensity," Brown said. "I think that's something that sometimes this team is missing, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

"(But) when we get in situations where the perception on the outside is that it's a really huge game or that the (opponent) is going to dominate us, we seem to play better."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=249350">Imrem: This is what NFL calls a big game? <span class="date">[11/09/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=249340">Joniak: Forte the key to Grossman's success <span class="date">[11/09/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=249341">Titans may not be Grossman's only headache <span class="date">[11/09/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>