Ground game proves to be Bears' Forte
CHARLOTTE N.C. -- Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz normally lives by the forward pass, but Sunday he took a walk on the less wild side by entrusting running back Matt Forte with the football.
The third-year running back produced excitement anyway with career bests of 166 rushing yards and a 68-yard touchdown run in a 23-6 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
“That's what helps you run the ball, Forte said. “You commit to it and put your mind to it and the offensive line blocks like they did and we can run the ball.
Forte made one cut and broke outside left tackle Frank Omiyale for the 68-yard TD, outracing two defenders straight down the sidelines with 7:35 left in the first quarter. He had an 18-yard TD run with a counter toss to the outside for the game's first score.
“It felt real good to get out in the open field and go 1-on-1e, said Forte, who ran for 32 more yards Sunday than he had in the season's first four games combined.
The 68-yard run provided the bulk of the 131 yards on 11 rushes that Forte had by halftime most in a half by a Bear since James Allen burned the Baltimore Ravens for 131 in his 163-yard game of 1998.
“They were coming after us and he did a great job of making a cut and using that good speed of his, guard Roberto Garza said.
After quarterback Jay Cutler got brutalized and suffered a concussion the previous Sunday, the Bears had to do something different. Running the ball might have seemed a bit unlike Martz, but realism won out when the game plan was developed.
“Going into the football game, you know when you lose your quarterback you have to have a little bit different game plan going in, coach Lovie Smith said. “Coming in we wanted to run the football, try to establish the run a little bit to take a little of the pressure off of the passing game.
Forte didn't stop after the breakaway run. He ran for more yards in a game than any Bear since Anthony “The A-Train Thomas gained 188 on 22 carries in an Oct. 21, 2001, victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Mike, and our offensive staff, we have good coaches over there; you have to bounce back, Smith said. “Some days it's just not your day, no more than that. But we are committed to the run.
“You have to pass the football, too, and believe me we're not satisfied with the number of passing yards (29) we had, but you have to take a little bit of what they're giving you. Once we got the run going of course we had to run.
Forte's 11 rushes for 35 yards in the second half proved nearly as critical as the 68-yard run, as they let the Bears milk the clock and wind up with a 30:19-29:41 time-of-possession edge. They had struggled with possession time all year.
“We know our defense is good, Forte said. “If we can get up on someone early and continue to run the ball like we did, we know our defense is going to shut them down and hold them off.