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DETROIT -- Knowing the capabilities of running back Reggie Bush meant little in terms of stopping him for the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Ford Field.

Bush wrecked the Bears for 112 yards on 11 attempts in the first half to help Detroit build a 30-13 lead at intermission, before hanging on to capture a 40-32 win and first place in the NFC North. Chicago slowed down Bush in the second half, limiting him to 27 yards on seven carries. But by then, the damage had already been done.

“We just missed a lot of tackles,” Bears cornerback Charles Tillman said. “He did a good job of making his moves. You have to give credit where credit is due. He’s a good back.”

Bush made that known almost immediately. Julius Peppers stopped Bush for no gain on the running back’s first attempt, but he ran for gains of 9, 11 and 17 yards on his next three attempts.

Bush’s first two attempts of the second quarter gained 15 and 16 yards.

“I think they had a good game plan for us in the run game. They have Israel Idonije over there, who was a long time player for us, and who also happens to really know our defense,” safety Chris Conte said. “So they really had a great scheme going. But we just have to have a better effort individually. That’s all there is to it.”

Idonije played nine seasons in Chicago, and at least one of the team’s current players suspects his former teammate tipped off the Lions to what the Bears were doing defensively. The player said that Bush broke most of his big gains when Chicago called for its “power” stunt. A stunt involves defensive linemen altering the path of their rush in a coordinated fashion in an attempt to confuse opposing offensive line, which in turn, makes it more difficult for them to block.

Because of Bush’s production during when Chicago ran that stunt, the Bears abandoned the call altogether, according to the player.

Bush broke a highlight-reel run for a 37-yard touchdown with 2:43 left in the second quarter to help the Lions go ahead 30-10 after the extra point, and there’s a good chance Detroit caught the Bears on that play in their “power” stunt.

“A sweet run,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “It was a play that, honestly, we have been working in practice all week knowing that they were going to blitz us. Instead of getting out of it, we just ran right into it. Dom [Raiola] made a great call up front. [Tight end Brandon] Pettigrew had a great block. We sealed off the backside, and then Reggie did the rest.”

The Bears played a good portion of the opening half in a nickel defense, which features five defensive backs, and just six players in the box to defend the run. Bush admitted to becoming “very excited” upon seeing Chicago’s personnel grouping.

“When we have them in nickel, and there’s six guys in the box, we’ve got to take advantage of that,” Bush said. “We definitely felt that was an area we could take advantage.”

Detroit certainly did that.

Bush said on some runs he “really didn’t get touched a whole lot until I got to the secondary.” By then, all Bush had to do was turn on the speed or juke the defender in space.

“If we don’t tackle, we’ve got trouble,” said Bears safety Major Wright, “especially with a back like that. Today, he came out and had a good game because we didn’t tackle him. Reggie Bush is special. He has speed. He can shake you. He can do everything.”

The Bears knew as much going in. The problem is they couldn’t do anything to stop it, which is a concern moving forward for a Chicago defense whose main goal always is to stop the run first.

The Bears played without franchise defensive tackle Henry Melton, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Nate Collins played the nose tackle spot, with Paea moving into Melton’s place as the three-technique.

Collins and Paea admitted the Bears are depleted up front without Melton in the mix, but each repeated the team’s next-man-up mentality for dealing with injury. Paea called Bush “another Adrian Peterson, if not quicker,” while Collins mentioned that an inch of daylight for the running back is often too much.

“He’s got quicks. He’s got jukes,” Collins said. “The running plays they had, if there was just a little sliver, he could still get through it quick going downhill. A guy like that, it’s hard enough to tackle him. But when he gets a little space, gets going and gains speed, that makes it even worse.”

PITTSBURGH -- Observed in the locker room after the Chicago Bears’ 40-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Deference: Bears rookie linebacker Khaseem Greene clutched in both arms several sets of team travel sweatsuits and passed them out to all of the linebackers. Asked if the gesture had anything to do with him being a rookie, Greene said, "No, I was just going to get my suit and figured I’d grab all my boys', too." Green finished the day contributing mostly on special teams. The linebacking corps as a whole totaled 12 tackles, including four for lost yardage.

Game ball: Safety Major Wright ran back an interception for a touchdown and forced a fumble, in addition to contributing seven tackles, and received the game ball for his performance. Wright gripped the ball tightly as he fished a drink out of a refrigerated cooler in the middle of the locker room. “This is my first one ever,” Wright said.

Coach, QBs huddle: Quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Josh McCown huddled for several moments in front of Cutler’s locker after the game, holding what appeared to be a serious discussion. Cutler finished with a passer rating of 90.8 and threw for a touchdown. The trio seemed to be talking strategy after the game.

PITTSBURGH -- A few thoughts on the Chicago Bears' 40-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers:

What it means: The Bears sit alone atop the NFC North and start 3-0 for the just the second time since 2006.

Stock watch: Jay Cutler put on a gritty performance down the stretch. Cutler threw for just 159 yards and faced more pressure in this outing than he had in the two previous combined. Still, he completed 67 percent of his passes, took care of the ball and made clutch plays late.

Three for 3-0: The Bears captured division titles in each of the past three seasons in which they started 3-0, dating back to 1990, while also winning at least 11 regular-season contests in those seasons.

Scoring D: The Bears scored 24 points off turnovers, including a 42-yard Julius Peppers fumble return for TD and a 38-yard interception return by Major Wright. Wright’s interception return marked the second consecutive game in which the Bears recorded a pick-six.

Tim Jennings scored on an interception in Chicago’s win last week over the Minnesota Vikings.

Just last season, the Bears racked up eight interception return TDs to tie the 1998 Seahawks for second most in NFL history. This season, Chicago is already a quarter of the way there.

Williams contributes: Rookie Jonathan Bostic developed into the favorite to start at middle linebacker because of his play during training camp, but veteran D.J. Williams showed why the staff prefers him in the middle of the defense.

Williams logged two sacks of Ben Roethlisberger, including one on which he stripped the quarterback with James Anderson recovering at the Pittsburgh 17. That turnover led to a Matt Forte TD.

Explosive plays still an issue: Entering the game, the Bears had surrendered eight completions of 20 yards or more, including two of 40-plus yards. In the second quarter alone, the Bears gave up two more long balls (gains of 45 and 33 yards) to Antonio Brown, who snagged a difficult 33-yard TD with 6:27 left in the first half. Roethlisberger also hit a 32-yard completion, a 22-yarder and a 26-yarder before finding Brown for a 21-yard TD with 1:57 left in the third quarter. Roethlisberger also made a 21-yard connection and 27-yarder in the fourth quarter.

This is a problem.

What’s next: The Bears take Monday off before beginning preparations Wednesday for yet another road matchup, this time at Detroit on Sunday.

RISING

1. Jay Cutler, QB: Cutler had complete control over the Chicago Bears' offense in the Week 1 victory en route to posting a 93.2 quarterback rating. He connected with Brandon Marshall eight times for 104 yards and one touchdown, but spread around the wealth, targeting Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, Matt Forte and Earl Bennett in the passing game. Cutler also showcased his ability to keep plays alive with his feet when the pocket collapsed. Taking a cue from coach Marc Trestman, Cutler kept his composure the entire game and led the team back from an 11-point second-half deficit, displaying the leadership and temperament every playoff-caliber team needs from its starting quarterback.

2. Stephen Paea, DT: The third-year nose tackle quietly had the best game of any Bears defensive linemen with six tackles. While the Bears lacked a consistent pass rush for the majority of the game, Paea disrupted several plays in the backfield, and helped the defense limit the Bengals to 63 total yards rushing on 21 attempts. Paea said at the beginning of training camp that he felt he was in the best shape of his life, and he was apparently telling the truth. The Bears will need another monster effort from Paea in the trenches to slow down Adrian Peterson on Sunday.

3. Kyle Long/Matt Slauson, G: Both of the Bears' starting guards deserve praise after handling Bengals Pro Bowl defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Atkins wasn't credited with a single tackle and just one quarterback hurry, a far cry from the monster numbers he put up in 2012 when he led all NFL interior defensive linemen with 12.5 sacks. Although the guards did receive help at times from the Bears' offensive tackles, Slauson and Long were forced to win numerous one-on-one battles with Atkins, according to Trestman. Long's performance is especially impressive since he was making his first career NFL start.

FALLING

1. Julius Peppers, DE: This is likely a blip on the radar, but it's hard to overlook Peppers failing to record a single tackle or quarterback hit despite facing the Bengals' second-string left tackle Anthony Collins. Peppers did battle a minor hamstring injury in camp, but his name did not appear on the injury report, so it's hard to blame health as the reason for his lack of production. Knowing the kind of competitor Peppers is, he'll probably come out with a vengeance against Minnesota. But in Week 1, he was missing in action.

2. Henry Melton, DT: Melton also disappeared up front, assisting on just one tackle despite playing the second-highest amount of snaps (46) on the Bears' defensive line behind Peppers (51). Of course, Melton missed almost the entire preseason due to a concussion, but the Bears placed the franchise tag on the Pro Bowler for a reason. Melton has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career, but he has never been able to sustain success on a weekly basis. Just like with Peppers, the Bears need a bounce-back effort from Melton in Week 2.

3. Major Wright, S: Wright's statistics were fine on Sunday (seven tackles), but he committed a costly mental error that led to a Bengals touchdown. With the Bears' in zone coverage, Wright bit on an Andy Dalton pump fake and was late helping out over the top on A.J. Green's 45-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Green ran past cornerback Tim Jennings on the play, but Trestman confirmed on Monday that Jennings expected the help to come from the safety. It never did. Wright has been responsible for a host of busted coverages throughout his career, although he is coming off his best NFL season in 2012 when he snagged four interceptions.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- ESPN's Louis Riddick, a former NFL scout, director and player, brought up an interesting point regarding the potential future of the Chicago Bears on defense.

With the stigma of age already hovering over the defense headed into Sunday’s matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bears currently have seven starters on the roster who will become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, a group that includes four players age 29 or older.

Riddick posted this Friday on Twitter:

Much incentive for this unit to play well individually and collectively, as it will likely look very different in 2014.

— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) September 6, 2013

Riddick is absolutely correct, and as the season progresses, expect a guessing game to commence regarding which of the pending free agents the Bears might want to keep beyond 2013. It’s also important to take into account pending free agents on offense, such as quarterback Jay Cutler, who could wind up demanding a contract worth in the neighborhood of $18 million per season, depending on how he performs in 2013.

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Tight end Martellus Bennett provided the day's excitement Friday at Chicago Bears training camp, when he became involved in a brawl with nickel corner Kelvin Hayden that eventually turned into a scrum of several players in the middle of the practice field at Olivet Nazarene University.

Shortly after catching a pass from Jay Cutler, Bennett turned up field as Hayden grabbed the tight end from behind and pulled him to the ground. Bennett rose and knocked down Hayden only to find several defensive players, including safeties Major Wright, Anthony Walters, and Chris Conte -- among others -- on top of him. Coaches and players quickly rushed to the middle of the field to break up the melee.

"It's hot, you know. I'm actually a mean person. I know you all think I joke around ... but I am not. I am very aggressive," Bennett said. "They are aggressive with me. I am aggressive with them. You come hard at me, I come hard at you all day. I don't back down for anything, anyone."

Bennett claimed he never threw a punch during the brawl, but he certainly appeared to be punching, as did several others involved.

After the fight, the team huddled in the middle of the field. Bennett walked away to one of the auxiliary practice fields, seemingly to regain his composure. Bennett stayed away for approximately three minutes, before rejoining the rest of his teammates.

"I don't know, I stepped out for a second," Bennett said. "Everybody is aggressive. Everybody is a little tired. Everybody is a little sore. Guys do something you don't like, you just react. I am a blue-collar football player, and that is what I always will be and I enjoy playing like that."

Bears coach Marc Trestman dismissed the fight as a common occurrence at training camp, and pointed out that "the guys kept their composure and moved on."

"That's what we expect," Trestman said. "It's going to happen in a game where somebody's going to lose their mind. When one guy does, it's not who he is. He just lost his composure for a minute."

Wright considered the situation "just football," but admitted fights can often give a team energy during an otherwise mundane practice.

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As long as the Chicago Bears' veteran defensive core stays healthy, this figures to be an above-average unit, even after the departure of head coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.

But to ask the Bears' defense to duplicate what it did last year could be a stretch.

Just look at the numbers. The Bears' best offense at times last year was its defense, which seemed to score a defensive touchdown almost every week. The defense returned eight interceptions for touchdowns and also recovered a fumble in the end zone.

Can the Bears' defense even come close to nine scores in 2013?

That's not meant to be an indictment of the Bears, but it's extremely difficult to score touchdowns on defense. The fact that the Bears were able to do it with such ease last year is a testament to the greatness of the defense, which also had 44 takeaways.

Charles Tillman had 10 forced fumbles. Tim Jennings picked off nine passes. These numbers are crazy.

What's likely to happen this year is that the defense slides a little but can still rank in the NFL's top 10.

Tillman, Jennings, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers and Henry Melton gives the Bears five Pro Bowl-caliber players. The loss of Brian Urlacher will probably hurt more than Bears fans realize, but the organization did a nice job in the offseason stocking the defense with enough linebackers to ease the sting of not having Urlacher and former starting strongside linebacker Nick Roach.

Starting safeties Chris Conte and Major Wright are coming off solid years and fourth-year defensive end Corey Wootton had a breakout 2012 when he recorded 7.0 sacks.

Are there still questions about the defense? Sure. But if the veteran leaders can find a way to keep themselves on the field and if the Bears can locate a consistent pass rush up front to complement Peppers, then new defensive coordinator Mel Tucker should be able to keep the Bears' defense among the NFL's elite.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- With three linebackers flying off the board early on Day 2 -- Manti Te'o (No. 38), Kevin Minter (No. 45) and Kiko Alonso (No. 46) -- the Chicago Bears joined the party at No. 50 and selected University of Florida inside linebacker Jonathan Bostic to complement the offseason additions of veterans D.J. Williams and James Anderson.

Linebacker was a must for the Bears.

Bears general manager Phil Emery needed to find a young linebacker to push Williams and Anderson for starting jobs, while at the same time providing the club with insurance in the event one of the front line guys went down with an injury.

“The reason we like Jon -- he’s a three-position linebacker,” Emery said. “We felt it was very important that if we were going to take a linebacker in the second round, that we get somebody who can immediately fill in at all three spots. If one of our starters was not available due to injury, that he could fill in immediately and we would have a good football player in place right now.

“Obviously he’ll be given the opportunity to earn a starting job. We see him as a future starter.”

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ESPNChicago examines potential unrestricted free agents at positions of need for the Bears.

Bears free agency previews: CB | DT | DE | G | WR | TE | QB | LB | OT »

For the first time in recent history the safety position isn't a liability or cause for concern as the team heads into the offseason coming off a strong 2012 campaign with Major Wright and Chris Conte as the starters.

So don't expect a push from the Bears in free agency to upgrade the position. The team likely won't even look to bolster depth considering the expected returns of 2012 third-round pick Brandon Hardin and veteran Craig Steltz, who both landed on the injured reserve last season, along with two-year veteran Anthony Walters.

Hardin sat out his entire rookie season after suffering a neck injury during the preseason while Steltz played 13 games before a chest injury ended his season. Walters, meanwhile, showed promise in limited action, which included one start in the final game in place of Conte.

Backup Troy Nolan represents the lone free agent among Chicago's group of safeties, and the club's plans for him at this point remain unknown. Because of the depth of the position, it's not necessarily imperative they bring him back.

The situation now seems unheard of given the struggles in the past at safety.

Going into the 2012 season, the Bears had switched up starting personnel at safety under Lovie Smith 56 times. In 2011, the Bears utilized eight combinations at safety. But that all changed last season with Wright and Conte lining up alongside one another for all but the final game that Conte was forced to miss because of a hamstring injury.

The duo had shown promise before, starting six games together in 2011, with the team picking off eight passes and giving up four touchdowns while holding opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 68.9. Wright and Conte added durability to the mix in 2012, and the results showed.

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Chicago Bears safety Major Wright said the Detroit Lions' Matthew Stafford is a good quarterback who can make any throw on the field, but Wright said Stafford "kinda folds" when he faces a little pressure.

Read the entire story.

You know how we are around here. We don't like to live in the moment. We want to look ahead, to anticipate what's next, to project and speculate and prognosticate. When at all possible, we look for deep meaning and revealing symbolism in everyday events.

Week 15 provides us an opportunity to do just that. So I'll introduce this sentiment for your consideration: Sunday's game at Soldier Field could put the competitive rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers on hiatus for several years.

A Packers victory would be their sixth consecutive win over the Bears, including the 2010 postseason. More importantly, it would clinch the Packers' second consecutive NFC North title. And while the Packers appear poised for continued success, the Bears could soon be jolted into a significant overhaul this winter.

A division championship would validate the Packers' re-tooling effort, one that has centered around getting younger on defense. A loss for the Bears could leave them needing help to get into the playoffs even if they win out and finish at 10-6. (ESPN.com's Playoff Machine will show you how they could lose a tiebreaker to the Washington Redskins at 10-6.)

Thus the Bears would be at risk of becoming the second team in the 23-season history of this playoff format to miss the postseason after a 7-1 start, a collapse that would pile a number of difficult decisions on the desk of general manager Phil Emery. Topping his list would be the status of coach Lovie Smith, but this season has also exposed the Bears' aging defense as well as their continued inability to find continuity on their offensive line.

Emery's course for the franchise will hinge in part on whether he re-signs quarterback Jay Cutler, whose contract will expire after the 2013 season. Cutler mused about various possibilities during his ESPN 1000 radio show Monday and acknowledged the franchise's path isn't clear.

"I don't know how they feel about me and where they see the franchise going," Cutler said. "You get a new GM in and we'll see how it goes. He's got a lot of tough decisions coming forward. ..."

It's hard to imagine the Bears parting ways with Cutler under any circumstances. But Brian Urlacher's physical fade in the past year illustrates why Emery might want to plan more aggressively for the eventual departure of linebacker Lance Briggs, cornerback Charles Tillman and defensive end Julius Peppers. He will also need to re-evaluate the franchise's in-house strategy for building an offensive line. For three consecutive seasons, the Bears have fielded a patchwork group that has left Cutler battered. In 2011 and 2012 alone, 10 different linemen have made at least one start.

From a big-picture perspective, the biggest gap between the Bears and Packers is that Cutler has been forced into the role of the Bears' sole difference-maker while the Packers have reduced their reliance on quarterback Aaron Rodgers. One piece of surprising evidence: Rodgers has thrown only two touchdown passes in his past three games, the fewest over any three-game stretch of his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Instead, the Packers are building a running game based on patience, if nothing else. They have averaged 135.8 rushing yards over their past five games, giving carries to five different running backs over that period in what has amounted to a mini tryout. And of the six defensive players the Packers selected at the top of the 2012 draft, four are part of the regular rotation and a fifth -- linebacker Nick Perry -- would be were it not for a season-ending wrist injury.

The Bears have a much shorter list of young building blocks at this point. Of the 56 players on their active roster or injured reserve, you could count maybe six as established and credible starters who will be under the age of 28 next season. That list includes defensive tackle Henry Melton, guard Lance Louis, receiver Earl Bennett, safeties Major Wright and Chris Conte and receiver Alshon Jeffery.

These issues will exist whether or not the Bears win Sunday, and they won't dissipate even if they go on to win the Super Bowl. But a loss would be the Bears' fifth in six games, a year after they dropped five of their final six to scuttle a 7-3 start. That might be enough to spur the kind of sea change we haven't seen in Chicago in a decade, one that cedes divisional competitiveness for a stretch.

Just a thought. We'll be here all week.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Here are Five Things We Learned following Chicago Bears' 32-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night:

1. Bears could be in trouble: Their record still stands at 7-3, but Monday night's foundation-shaking loss raises serious questions about the Bears' ability to recover in time to face the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Soldier Field. The Vikings game is huge for the Bears, but will they be able to shake off this awful loss to the 49ers, handle the short week and deal with all the normal distractions that come during a holiday week? The schedule doesn't get much easier with three division games over the next four weeks, so it's time for the Bears to put their cards on the table. Are they a good team that simply got to seven wins by beating up on weak opponents or are they in fact an average team that feasted on inferior competition? We'll know soon enough.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Cornerback Tim Jennings used one word to describe the Bears' defensive performance in their 32-7 lopsided loss to the San Francisco 49ers: Embarrassing.

"Man, (it was) embarrassing," Jennings said. "On Monday Night Football, we look for tests like this to come out and show the world where we are as a team and we didn't show up today at all. San Francisco came out and had a great game and a great game plan and they beat us the whole game. It was embarrassing."

Behind second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who got the start in place of Alex Smith, the Niners picked the Bears apart in the passing game. Kaepernick threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns while posting a quarterback rating of 133.1.

"I've seen him (Kaepernick) in college and knew he was a good player," Bears free safety Chris Conte said. "I knew their coaches were ready and their scheme would be good. He didn't have to do a lot. He threw the ball to the outside when he had to and knew where he had to go with the ball. He really wasn't doing any reading at all. They just had a good scheme and they executed well."

One of most troubling aspects of the Bears' defensive collapse was the amount of big plays the 49ers were able to complete down the field. All year the Bears defense had done an excellent job in deep coverage where they limited opponents to just five passing plays of 30 or more yards. But they allowed Kaepernick to connect on three throws of 30 or more yards Monday, including a 57-yard strike to Kyle Williams.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Far too often last year the Chicago Bears defense got burned in deep coverage.

Over the course of the 2011 regular season, the Bears gave up 20 pass plays of 30-plus yards and nine pass plays of 40-plus yards, including a pair of 70-plus yard touchdown bombs to New Orleans' Devery Henderson and Detroit's Calvin Johnson.

But it's been a different story so far this season.

There have been only two completions of 30 or more yards against the Bears defense over the first six games (Jacksonville's Cecil Shorts, 34 yards and St. Louis' Danny Amendola, 30 yards) and neither were harmful in the grand scheme of things.

Why the turnaround?

Bears cornerback Charles Tillman credits the improved play of safeties Chris Conte and Major Wright and the work of the coaching staff for all but eliminating the busted coverages that previously plagued the defense.

"Just talking from a safety standpoint, Major Wright and Chris Conte have done a phenomenal job of not giving up the big plays and letting guys get behind them like they did last year," Tillman said. "A lot of that credit goes to (safeties) coach (Gill) Byrd, he's done a great job of coaching those two guys and they've done a great job of receiving the coaching. So I tip my hat to all three of them."

The ultimate litmus test for the secondary will be when the Bears face Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith on Sunday. Smith got behind the Bears defense last year for a 53-yard gain, the latest in a long line of downfield plays he's made against the Bears in his career.

But the secondary can't do it alone.

It would be a mistake to overlook the role the Bears defensive line has played in limiting opponents in the deep passing game. A defensive back’s best friend is a pass rush, and the Bears’ talented and deep defensive line has provided ample pressure in the early parts of the season.

In an ideal world, the Bears generate their pressure from the front four which allows the other seven members of the defense to drop back into coverage. That plan has worked nearly to perfection. The Bears are currently tied for No. 1 in the league with 17 sacks and fourth in yards per pass play (6.2) when they send four rushers, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Additionally, 11 of the team's 21 interceptions have occurred when the Bears have exclusively sent pressure with the front four.

"I don't think teams have tested us deep a whole lot," Conte said. "But I think teams will. That just shows that our defensive line is getting after the quarterback and not giving him enough time to really get those throws down the field. I would say the pass rush is the biggest reason for all that."

RISING

1. Major Wright, S: The light seems to be finally coming on for Wright, who has battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his three years with the Bears. Against the St. Louis Rams, Wright returned an interception 45 yards for a TD, marking his second INT return for a TD. Wright is the first Chicago safety since Mike Brown to return multiple interceptions for a TD and one of three since 2010 to accomplish that feat.

2. Tim Jennings, CB: Nabbed another interception to run up his season total to an NFL-high four, and broke up another pass that Wright intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Going back to the final game of 2011, Jennings has picked off a pass in four consecutive games to become the first Bear to accomplish that feat since Dave Duerson in 1986. Jennings’ dramatic rise might serve as a lesson for some of the younger players that improvement can be a continual process regardless of age.

3. Israel Idonije, DT: Finally healthy after playing most of 2011 “on one leg” as he said, Idonije posted 2.5 sacks against the Rams and might finally be the complement to Julius Peppers the club expected. Idonije has generated 15.5 sacks over the last three seasons, and paired with backup Shea McClellin, the Bears seem to have found the right recipe for success on the side opposite Peppers.

FALLING

1. Jay Cutler, QB: Cutler definitely improved in the ball-security department against the Rams, but he still ranks among the bottom of the league in several statistical categories. Under pressure, Cutler suffers sacks 25.6 percent of the time, according to Pro Football Focus and he’s completing 13 of 31 in those situations with three interceptions. With better protection and improved play calling, Cutler should be able to shake the funk he’s fighting through.

2. J'Marcus Webb, LT: With his job as a starter in danger, Webb performed better against the Rams than he did in the loss to the Green Bay Packers. But still, Webb allowed Cutler to get hit once and hurried on another occasion. Considered a dominant run blocker, Webb has slipped in that area over the past two games as well. Webb will be tested against Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware. A bad game could cost Webb his starting job.

3. Gabe Carimi, RT: Although Webb catches most of the heat for Chicago’s issues up front, Carimi has quietly struggled as well. Carimi has been a much more solid run blocker than pass protector at this point. Against St. Louis, the second-year veteran gave up a sack, a hit and three hurries in 72 snaps. On the season, Carimi has been responsible for 11 hurries, two sacks and three hits on Cutler, according to Pro Football Focus.