Bears D hangs tough ... until the end

GREEN BAY, Wis. - One misstep ruined a remarkable step back into the spotlight for the Bears defense, particularly the secondary.

Cornerback Nathan Vasher's momentary slip turned Sunday's opener into a permanent loss as Green Bay's Greg Jennings zipped past him and caught the game-winning 50-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 to go.

"I was playing down-and-distance because it was third-and-(1)," Vasher said. "I just lost my footing a little bit. It's one of those things you can't do in the secondary.

"Regardless of whatever else happened during the course of the game, I'm probably taking this the hardest because we had an opportunity to win."

Instead, the Packers escaped with a 21-15 victory despite amassing just 260 total yards.

For the first 58 minutes, the Bears diced up Green Bay's big-play offense into a million little pieces.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't complete a pass longer than 14 yards. Running back Ryan Grant rarely found open turf. Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye and friends spent much of their night in the Packers' backfield.

Until the bitter end.

That's when Rodgers' play-action fake perhaps caused Vasher's slip and certainly lured rookie safety Al Afalava into the middle of the field - far from the speeding Jennings flying down the left-side numbers with Vasher well behind.

"I know I have to be on top," Vasher said. "I know I have to cover him up a whole lot better."

That play notwithstanding, the Bears secondary looked more impressive than anyone could have imagined against Green Bay's vaunted passing attack.

Rodgers, who rolled up 487 yards and 4 TDs in last year's series, was just 16 of 27 for 134 yards and no scores until the winning play.

Nickel back Danieal Manning and cornerback Charles Tillman made triumphant returns to the secondary after being virtually inactive during the preseason.

Manning played a grand total of eight snaps during the preseason, yet wasted little time putting his multiple skills to use.

Manning delivered the Bears' first points of the season with 5:52 left in the first half when he chased down Rodgers on a blitz and dropped him for a safety near the back of the end zone.

As linebackers kept going out for the game - Pisa Tinoisamoa left on the first series with a sprained knee and Brian Urlacher didn't play the second half due to a dislocated wrist - the Bears played lots of nickel.

He finished with a team-high-tying 6 tackles, but operated in slow-motion in the postgame locker room after taking a blow to his lower back.

Meanwhile, Tillman learned on Saturday he'd get the start at left corner and played all but one series after undergoing back surgery in late July and spending all of camp on the physically unable to perform list.

"I felt all right," Tillman said. "I'm sore now, obviously, but I felt good running to the ball, hitting, tackling. Myself personally, I think I can do better.

"We didn't come up with any turnovers. That's not like us. We're all about turning the ball over."