Peterson throws his first NFL pass -- for TD

Bears running back Adrian Peterson never had thrown a pass in the NFL, but he had some experience, having tossed a 30-yard TD pass at Georgia Southern.

He made it 1-for-1 in the NFL on Sunday when he flipped a 9-yard scoring pass to Bernard Berrian in the second quarter, giving the Bears a 17-7 lead.

Peterson also had one of his best games running the ball, picking up 91 yards on 21 carries for a 4.3-yard average, his best since taking over the starting job from injured Cedric Benson.

He said he'll stick to running the ball and not further complicate the quarterback situation.

"I'm going to let the quarterbacks play their game," Peterson said, while also declining to campaign for the starting job at running back. "I'll let it take care of itself. We've got a long off-season. When your number is called and you get your opportunity, you've got to step up. And that's all I tried to do."

Peterson and Benson finished with the same 3.4-yard average per carry, although Peterson also finished second on the team with 51 receptions and fourth with 420 receiving yards.

Reality sets in: Unrestricted free agent Rashied Davis had another outstanding game on special teams, his third straight with at least 2 tackles, but as the team's No. 4 wide receiver, he knows he's in a precarious position.

"I hope I'm back here," he said. "I'm praying. But it is what it is. I feel like I'm probably one of the guys that's probably on the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to signing because we have a lot of guys we need to sign back. I would love to be back, but life moves on sometimes."

By the numbers: On the Saints' first possession, Brian Urlacher's fifth interception, and his fourth in the final five games, set the Bears' offense up at the Saints' 21-yard line. Urlacher's 8 interceptions over the past two seasons are the most in the NFL. His 5 this season are 2 more than his previous personal best in 2006 and '01. … Mark Bradley's 19-yard TD on a post route gave the Bears a 10-0 lead with 6:26 left in the first quarter. It was just the sixth catch of the season for Bradley, his longest gain of the year and his only score.