Bears offense no longer running on empty

Sunday's breakout running attack can only help the Bears' passing game, which is engine that powers the offense and will continue to be, despite 218 rushing yards against the Carolina Panthers.

Still, knowing the run game is there when needed is a huge boost for the 4-1 Bears, who are tied for the best record in the NFL after pounding it on the ground 42 times in Sunday's 23-6 victory.

It's also a huge burden to any defense attempting to stop the Bears.

“Each week we look at what we think we need to do to win the game, coach Lovie Smith said. “Going into this one, we felt like we needed to run the ball more.

That's because starting quarterback Jay Cutler was sidelined with a concussion. He's expected back this week but there is no guarantee, and the Bears are not the same offense with backups Todd Collins and Caleb Hanie.

“I don't think we'll end up running the ball over 40 times each game, Smith said. “I don't think we're to that point.

“But (when) you get into a game and something's working, you stay with it. It's good for our team to see that if we have to run the football that many times, we can.

The Bears needed to run that frequently Sunday because Collins, who hadn't started a game in nearly three years, had trouble getting in sync. He completed 6 of 16 passes for 32 yards and was intercepted four times.

“Passing-game-wise we didn't get a whole lot done, Smith said. “But some days you have to rely on what's working, and the run was working.

No one worked more effectively than Matt Forte, whose career day as a ball carrier produced 166 yards, including touchdown runs of 68 and 18 yards.

Combined with the 151 receiving yards Forte produced in the season opener, he has accomplished something that Walter Payton and Gale Sayers never did: a 150-yard rushing game and a 150-yard receiving game in the same season.

“We've had a lot of great running backs here, Smith said, “and to be the only running back to ever have a 150-yard receiving and rushing game is pretty big.

That feat has been accomplished just four times in the NFL since 1970, the last time by Marshall Faulk in 1999.

Forte had plenty of help, and it's another encouraging sign for the Bears that his big day came behind an offensive line with two young players making their Bears debuts.

Right guard Edwin Williams has been with the team little more than a month, since he was signed to the practice squad after being cut by the Washington Redskins, where he played in four games last season.

Rookie right tackle J'Marcus Webb, a seventh-round pick, started his first NFL game after getting playing time the previous two weeks.

The Bears' offensive line already was in a state of flux with left tackle Chris Williams sidelined since early in Game 2 with a hamstring injury, and right tackle Frank Omiyale moving into his spot. Veteran Kevin Shaffer started Games 3 and 4 at right tackle, but Webb showed enough promise to get a shot Sunday.

Developing an abundance of competent starters and creating an atmosphere of competition is a healthy situation. But the offensive line, more than any other unit, requires cohesion among all five players, and the Bears don't want to continue shuffling the deck for long.

“We would have liked to have had it down right away, Smith said. “You want to start the season with a group and stay with it. It just normally doesn't happen that way.

“But every time you play a different combination or you let a guy have an opportunity to play, he'll tell you a little bit about what we need to do with him, and that's happening.

“Chris Williams may be ready to go this week. That gives us another option. You want as many options as possible and let's decide which way to go.

Having the option to run or pass is just as crucial, especially for a team like the Bears, who came into Sunday's game with the No. 31 run game in the NFL.

“It's great for everyone's confidence, tight end Greg Olsen said, “to go into a game and say, ‘Hey, look what we've done in the passing game.' And then combine that with what we've done now in the running game.

“It's a lot easier (for the defense) to stop a one-dimensional team.

For now, no one can accuse the Bears of being that.

ŸFollow Bob LeGere's Bears reports via Twitter@BobLeGere. Check out his blog, Bear Essentials at DailyHerald.com.