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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Mounting injuries and the firestorm of Sam Hurd’s arrest on federal drug charges earlier in the week proved too much for the Bears to overcome Sunday in an embarrassing 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Bears remain in contention for a postseason berth, but the team's pulse is fading fast.

Let’s take a look at this team’s ineptitude in depth:

What it means: The loss doesn’t mathematically eliminate the Bears from postseason contention, but it sure put the team right on the verge of disappearing from the hunt. The Bears entered Sunday one game behind the Detroit Lions (8-5) for a wild-card spot. So even if Chicago would have defeated the Seahawks and Detroit lost, the Bears would have still been behind the Lions because of the teams’ division records.

So Chicago’s remaining outings against NFC North foes Green Bay and Minnesota and Detroit’s last game with the Packers are still important. But the Seahawks have moved past the Bears in the NFC standings. Although they have the same record (7-7), the Seahawks hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Bears used to win when D scores: The Bears racked up a 3-0 record through the first 13 games when they scored a defensive touchdown. But the trend came to an end Sunday in the loss to the Seahawks.

Chicago put a defensive touchdown on the board with 2:23 left in the first quarter when Julius Peppers sacked and stripped Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and Israel Idonije pounced on the ball for a TD. The score initially seemed like an omen the Bears would pull this one out.

After all, the Bears won a Week 10 game against the Lions when Charles Tillman and Major Wright scored on interception returns of 44 and 24 yards, respectively. The club also captured victories over the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 thanks to defensive TDs by D.J. Moore and Brian Urlacher.

It all came to an end against the Seahawks.

The Bears are now 14-2 since 2005 when they score a defensive touchdown and 17-5 in such situations since 2004.

Injury bug biting: Injuries continue to decimate Chicago’s roster. The Bears lost starters Johnny Knox (lower back) and safety Chris Conte (foot/ankle) to injuries against the Seahawks.

It’s unclear whether Knox and Conte will miss extended time with their injuries, but the club’s numbers continue to dwindle.

The Bears entered the game without quarterback Jay Cutler, running back Matt Forte, defensive tackle Henry Melton and safety Major Wright.

Importance of scoring first: The Bears typically win when they strike first. Over the past eight years, the Bears had compiled a record of 41-24 when they put points on the board first. Over that same span, the Bears were 29-31 when opponents scored first, including 2-3 in 2011.

Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch scored on a 2-yard run with 8:41 left in the first quarter for the first points of the game. Apparently, that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

The Bears are now 29-32 when the opponent scores first and 2-4 in 2011.

More fun with numbers: The Bears are now 12-29 since 2004 when they finish with a negative turnover margin.

The Bears were minus-five in turnover margin thanks to a Knox fumble, a trio of Caleb Hanie interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns -- and a fourth-quarter Josh McCown INT.

Set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, Hanie has likely sealed his fate in Chicago with his poor play over four starts.

What’s next: The Bears face the Green Bay Packers on the road Sunday night.

DENVER -- The Chicago Bears couldn’t ward off the magic of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in dropping a 13-10 heartbreaker in overtime Sunday that will dramatically impact their standing in the NFC wildcard race.

A Marion Barber fumble sealed the team’s fate in overtime, and a questionable decision by the running back to step out of bounds -- which stopped the clock -- played a significant role in Denver tying the game at the end of regulation to send it into OT.

Marion, Marion, Marion…

Let’s take a closer look:

What it means: The Bears put themselves in a difficult spot for earning the postseason berth they seek, and they certainly didn’t get any help from the other NFC teams in the wildcard hunt.

Interestingly, last week all the teams in contention for the wildcard spots -- the Bears, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions -- lost their respective games, leaving the standings unchanged. But the opposite transpired on Sunday, with every team in the NFC hunt except for the Bears winning their games.

So Chicago’s loss drops it out of the wildcard picture. The club will likely have to win each of its remaining four games to sneak back into the race.

Golden Goose: Robbie Gould kicked a 57-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter, which appeared long enough to be good from a distance of approximately 65 yards.

Gould’s field goal was the longest in team history, and broke his own personal best of 54 yards last season against the Detroit Lions.

Prior to Gould’s bomb on Sunday, Kevin Butler and Bob Thomas were tied for the longest field goals in franchise history (55 yards). Butler connected on 55 yarders twice: on Dec. 12, 1993 at Tampa Bay, and on Oct. 25, 1993 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Thomas kicked a 55-yard field goal game in 1975 against the Los Angeles Rams.

What’s next: The Bears have ended their run of AFC West foes. Next week they host Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie struggled significantly in his second start as the replacement for Jay Cutler on Sunday in a 10-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hanie completed 11 of 24 for 133 yards, three interceptions and a passer rating of 29.8, while absorbing seven sacks in a performance that could prompt the Chicago Bears front office to finally put in a call to representatives for former Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Compounding matters for the Bears in their attempt to stay alive in the playoff race was a first-quarter knee injury to running Matt Forte. The significance of the injury wasn't immediately disclosed, but the fact the team held Forte out for the remainder of the game is concerning.

Let's look into this a little more.

What it means: Considering the Bears are fighting for their playoff lives right now, the loss could mean trouble. Chicago falls to 7-5, and it's situated within a cluster of teams with similar records. Going into the contest, the Bears held the No. 5 seed with Atlanta sitting at sixth, and Detroit and the New York Giants within striking distance.

By virtue of Atlanta's 17-10 loss at Houston on Sunday, the Bears maintain their lead over the Falcons. The schedule of games could also help the Bears. The Lions face the New Orleans Saints on the road Sunday night and the Giants host the undefeated Green Bay Packers.

Freak play 1: Former Bears quarterback Kyle Orton made his debut for the Chiefs, throwing only one pass on a flea-flicker attempt before leaving with a dislocated index finger on his throwing hand.

The Chiefs claimed the remainder of Orton's nearly $2.6 million salary recently, which means he was making a weekly salary of approximately $433,000. That's quite a bit of coin for only one pass.

Freak play 2: Chiefs quarterback Tyler Palko called upon a Hail Mary for his first career touchdown pass just before halftime on a play the Bears could've squashed.

On the last play of the first half, Palko launched a bomb into the end zone and Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher appeared to try to bat it down, only for his teammate -- safety Chris Conte -- to come over his back, and smack the ball right into the hands of running back Dexter McCluster for a touchdown. The score gave Kansas City a 7-3 lead at intermission.

Interestingly, the TD was the Chiefs' first since in 12 quarters, dating back to Nov. 13.

Injuries: Running back Matt Forte left in the first quarter after suffering a right knee injury on a hit from Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson. After athletic trainers took a look at Forte, he immediately went into the locker room. Minutes later, the team announced he was out for the game.

The Bears also lost safety Major Wright for the remainder of the game with a shoulder injury.

Although the extent of the injuries weren't immediately disclosed, it's safe to say the team could be reaching deep within the roster to fill a couple of spots. The club was already severely limited because of the thumb injury to starting quarterback Jay Cutler that is expected to keep him out of action for the remainder of the regular season.

What's next: The Bears face the Denver Broncos on the road on Sunday.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- What looked like a debacle in the making turned out to be a hard-fought contest Sunday with the Bears' five-game winning streak coming to an end by virtue of a 25-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

No need to over-analyze this one. Undoubtedly, the three interceptions thrown by Caleb Hanie made the difference.

Despite the turnovers, Hanie displayed enough moxie to give the Bears at least a small level of comfort regarding his ability to lead them to wins in the absence of starting quarterback Jay Cutler.

Still, there will be questions about Hanie, the play calling, the running game and everything else.

We’ll cover a couple of those, in addition to pointing out some positives:

What it means: Chicago appears to have opened the door to the other contenders fighting for the two NFC wild-card playoff spots with the loss against the Raiders. The Bears own tiebreakers against the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons -- both 7-4 -- but they missed out on an opportunity to solidify their standing. The New York Giants (6-4) face the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, and also have a shot at getting into the picture.

In addition, a victory in Hanie’s first start would have gone a long way toward the team building confidence he can get it done over the next few weeks with Cutler out with a broken thumb. Despite Hanie’s gutsy attempt to rally the Bears in the fourth quarter, it’s likely there are questions within the staff and locker room about the quarterback’s ability to carry them into the postseason.

Obviously the schedule sets up well with a home game Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, followed by matchups with the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings to close out the regular season. The expectation within the staff is that Cutler will be back for one of the last two regular-season contests.

So the team needs to know Hanie can carry them until then.

Three in a row: Starting his second consecutive outing at nickel corner in place of D.J. Moore, who missed the game with an ankle injury, Corey Graham picked off his third pass in as many games in the first half.

Safety Brandon Meriweather tipped a Carson Palmer pass intended for Chaz Schilens with Graham coming up with the loose ball. The play only demonstrates that Graham -- one of the team’s best special-teams players -- is also capable of stepping into a major role on defense.

Graham is playing on a one-year deal so it will be interesting to see what kinds of overtures the team will make to bring back Graham for 2012.

Penalties costly: Officials flagged the Bears four times for 40 yards in the first eight minutes of the game.

A holding penalty by Craig Steltz forced Chicago to start its first possession of the game on the 18. The Bears started their third drive of the contest on their own 16 as a result of a Zack Bowman holding penalty.

Once that drive started, a personal foul by Tyler Clutts killed a 17-yard scramble by Hanie. On the very next play, a J’Marcus Webb false-start penalty pushed the team back to its own 14.

The lost field position proved valuable because after the Webb penalty, Stanford Routt picked off a Hanie pass intended for Matt Forte. The Raiders gained a net of 2 yards on the ensuing drive with Sebastian Janikowski kicking a 47-yard field goal to help his team to a 6-0 lead.

Interestingly, the Raiders came into Sunday’s game as the league’s most penalized team. With 10 minutes left to play, the Bears had been flagged six times for 51 yards, while the Raiders committed just four penalties for 29 yards.

Catch it Jennings: It’s often said that defensive backs are failed receivers, and Bears cornerback Tim Jennings demonstrated why against the Raiders.

Jennings dropped at least two interceptions that could have led to Bears points.

What’s next: The Bears host the Chiefs on Sunday at Soldier Field.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears reeled off five consecutive wins in 2010 from Nov. 7 through Dec. 5 and reached their fifth straight victory of the 2011 season Sunday with a 31-20 trouncing of the San Diego Chargers.

The question now is how long can the current streak last with three more games against the struggling AFC West on the horizon?

The Bears have forced nine turnovers in their past two outings -- six against the Lions and three against the Chargers -- and are now 4-1 on the season when they finish on the positive side of the turnover margin and 10-1 the past two seasons under those conditions.

Talk about playing Chicago Bears football.

Let’s take a closer look:

What it means: The Bears didn’t gain or lose ground in their attempt to move up in the NFC North standings. More than anything, the triumph over the Chargers maintains the momentum built up by the team as it goes into the second of four consecutive outings against the AFC West, a division that had a combined 19-20 record coming out of Sunday’s games (the Kansas City Chiefs face the New England Patriots on Monday).

The Bears simply maintained their position as both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions emerged victors in their respective games.

Hester adds to accolades: The Chargers kept Devin Hester out of the end zone, but the return man added to his long list of accomplishments with a 37-yard punt return in the second quarter. With that long return, Hester now has 31 returns of 25 yards or longer since coming into the league in 2006, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Hester’s 31 returns of 25 yards or longer is 15 more than any other player in the NFL.

Tight ends hurting Bears: Antonio Gates caught an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter, marking the eighth touchdown given up by the Bears to a tight end. The eight TDs allowed by a tight end is the most of any team in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Interestingly, the Bears gave up just three touchdowns to tight ends last season, which was tied for the fewest in the NFL.

Three in a Roy: Having caught just three balls in the previous two games, receiver Roy Williams hauled in three consecutive completions from Jay Cutler for gains of 11, 11 and 12 yards during an eight-play drive in the third quarter that led to Bears taking a 24-17 lead on a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

Perhaps Williams was making up Sunday for a zero-catch performance in the team’s victory over the Lions.

Williams caught a season-high five passes for 62 yards and appeared to be Cutler’s go-to receiver in crucial situations.

Coming into the game, Williams’ best performance had been a four-catch outing against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 7.

Speaking of three in a row: Bears safety Major Wright notched his first career interception in the team’s 30-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 7. Since then, the second-year safety has picked off passes in each of the past two weeks.

Wright intercepted Rivers in the fourth quarter and was flagged for a group demonstration in the end zone. A week before, in Chicago’s win over Detroit, Wright scored on a 24-yard INT return.

Windy City stripper: Bears cornerback Charles Tillman struggled somewhat in pass coverage against Vincent Jackson, who finished the day with seven receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown.

Tillman atoned with heady play, leading to the cornerback notching the 27th forced fumble of his career. In notching his third forced fumble of this season, Tillman poked the ball out of the arms of Chargers running back Ryan Mathews and recovered the loose ball at the San Diego 37 with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

Two plays later, the Bears turned that into a touchdown with a 24-yard scoring connection from Cutler to Johnny Knox.

Tillman’s 26 forced fumbles since 2003 ranked as the most by a defensive back coming into Sunday’s contest. Tillman has now played a role in 45 turnovers (28 interceptions and 27 forced fumbles) throughout his career.

What’s next: The Bears receive a day off on Monday before starting preparation for a road game next Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.

CHICAGO -- A few thoughts at halftime from Soldier Field, finally:

• I said "finally" because the first half took an hour and 45 minutes. We're on track to start the third quarter at about 6:20 p.m. ET.
• All things considered, the Detroit Lions are fortunate to be in a two-score game. Turnovers on each of their first two possessions, and questionable execution in their punting game, could have made it much worse.


• Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, by my count, missed on 10 consecutive throws at one point and was not sharp at all in the first quarter. You can only assume he is affected by a finger injury he suffered two weeks against the Denver Broncos. Overall, he has completed 14 of 28 passes.
• Receiver Calvin Johnson hasn't been sharp, either. He lost his first fumble in two seasons in the first quarter and dropped what probably would have been a touchdown pass in the second quarter.
• With that said, the Chicago Bears defense has been exceptional. It has two sacks, but most notably, Lions receivers are getting no yards after the catch. That's a credit to the Bears' coverage and tackling skills.
• Kick returner Devin Hester is clearly not full strength. All he has is an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown and a second return of 29 yards. He hasn’t played on offense and went to the locker room in the second quarter for unknown reasons, but it has been reported he is dealing with a sprained ankle and strep throat.
• Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has completed six passes to receiver Earl Bennett and three to the rest of the Bears' pass-catchers.
• I know there are some Bears fans who are nervous, but the Lions haven't been sharp enough on offense to make this a concerning situation, at least not yet.
• Wind has played a role in this game. Most notably, it seemed to get hold of Robbie Gould's 43-yard field goal attempt just before halftime.

LONDON -- Here's a quick look Chicago’s 24-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium:

What it means: The Bears finished their first seven games in 2010 with a 4-3 record, and ended up advancing all the way to the NFC title game. So in addition to giving themselves an opportunity to potentially gain a game in the divisional standings on Detroit, the Bears surely see this victory as a positive omen of what could come after the bye.

No jet lag: The Bears didn’t necessarily put forth a vintage performance, but the team didn’t appear to show any signs of suffering from jet lag.

The Buccaneers arrived early on Monday to get themselves acclimated to the time difference. The Bears, meanwhile, didn’t show up until Thursday night.

It didn’t matter.

Led by a strong performance from Matt Forte, the Bears built a 14-5 halftime lead. Quarterback Jay Cutler completed 8-of-14 for 95 yards in the first half with a touchdown and an interception.

Strong start for OL: The Bears continued their tactics of shorter drops, tight end help and running backs staying in on passes to chip block, with the team benefiting in the first half.

The Buccaneers significantly pressured Cutler in the first half, but the quarterback used his mobility and throwaways to avoid sacks.

Tampa Bay’s Adrian Clayborn zipped into the backfield in the third quarter to finally sack Cutler for a 2-yard loss. The Bears have allowed just one sack in each of the past two games. The team has also given up only one sack in three of the past four outings.

Unlucky 14th: Kicker Robbie Gould came into Sunday’s game having made all 13 of his field goal attempts on the season, but missed a 41-yard try in the third quarter.

Gould is now 50-of-69 in his career on field goal attempts from distances of 40 to 49 yards.

Williams finds end zone: Bears receiver Roy Williams made up for dropping a ball early in the game when he hauled in a 25-yard pass with 7:49 left to play in the opening half. The touchdown was Williams’ first as a Bear, and broke a lengthy scoring drought for the receiver.

Before the game Sunday, Williams hadn’t caught a touchdown pass in 371 days. Williams last scored a touchdown on Oct. 17, 2010, (as a Dallas Cowboy), when the receiver pulled in two scoring grabs against the Minnesota Vikings.

What’s next: The Bears take the week off and are idle next Sunday before travelling to Philadelphia for a Nov. 7 clash against the Eagles on "Monday Night Football."

CHICAGO -- Quarterback Jay Cutler campaigned earlier in the week for plays featuring quicker releases to alleviate the beating he’d been taking.

Granted that request, the quarterback unleashed a beatdown of his own Sunday night in throwing for two touchdowns and finishing with a passer rating of 115.9 in a 39-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.

By implementing shorter drops with quicker throws, offensive coordinator Mike Martz might have found a way to relieve some of the pressure on the club’s beleaguered offensive line, which actually pieced together one of its best showings of the season.

The Bears took the field with their fifth combination of starters along the offensive line, this week using Lance Louis at right tackle and Chris Spencer -- playing with a broken hand -- at right guard. The unit allowed only one sack. Surprisingly, the offensive line has given up only one sack in two of the past three games.

With the latest tweaks on offense, perhaps the Bears are onto something they can use in the coming games.

Let’s take a closer look at what transpired in this shellacking:

What it means: The Bears learned that flexibility -- especially on offense -- might be the best way to protect Cutler in the long run. More importantly, the club evened its record to 3-3 and gained a game on the Detroit Lions -- 25-19 losers to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday -- in the NFC North standings.

Obviously, Chicago still has quite a bit of catching up to do to get back into the division race. But the team needed some momentum headed into next week’s outing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Bears can come out victorious against the Bucs, they’ll be sitting at 4-3 headed into the bye.

Curious inactivity: Benched during the week of preparation for Sunday’s game, Bears veteran Chris Harris also mysteriously found himself on the club’s list of inactives.

Prior to the team’s official announcement of the move, Harris used Twitter to send out a couple of seemingly cryptic messages.

“The majority of the time adversity paves the way 4 success.”

Harris later tweeted: “How big/diff ur situation appears 2 b is a matter of perception. Most difficulties we face r pretty insignificant in the big scheme of things.”

The club made the decision to move Harris and two-time Pro Bowler Brandon Meriweather out of the starting lineup earlier in the week in favor of rookie Chris Conte and second-year man Major Wright. In the final year of his contract, Harris doesn’t believe he’s a part of the club’s future plans. With the team’s latest move, it appears Harris might be correct.

Rookie showings: Conte made his first career start Sunday, and rookie defensive tackle Stephen Paea finally made his NFL debut.

Starting at free safety in place of Meriweather, who was benched earlier in the week, Conte played a relatively mistake-free game, contributing five tackles through the first three quarters. A healthy scratch through the first five games, Paea was activated against the Vikings because of a sprained knee to veteran Matt Toeaina.

Paea posted two tackles in limited action, including a sack of Donovan McNabb in the first quarter for a safety.

Sack parade: After notching just one sack in the first half, Chicago utilized the trio of Julius Peppers, Israel Idonije, and Amobi Okoye for four sacks of McNabb in the third quarter alone.

Hobbled by a sprained left knee, Peppers sacked McNabb twice and Idonije and Okoye chipped in sacks, too.

Record-setting Hester: Devin Hester extended his return touchdowns record to 16 with a 98-yard TD return on a third-quarter kickoff return.

Hester appeared close to breaking for another score the next time he touched the ball, but was run out of bounds at the Minnesota 38 after a 27-yard return. Hester gained 134 yards on returns.

What’s next: The Bears travel to London to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium. The club desperately hopes to move to 4-3 going into the bye because tough matchups are on the horizon. After the week off, the Bears face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, followed by the Lions and San Diego Chargers.

CHICAGO -- Running back Matt Forte ran for a career-high 205 yards and a touchdown, proving he can carry the often-ignored rushing attack, while electric return man Devin Hester proved why the Chicago Bears’ special teams units rank among the league’s most dynamic Sunday in the team’s 34-29 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Here are a few quick-hitting thoughts from the game.

What it means: For a team that breaks the year up into quarters, it was important for the Bears to break a two-game skid to finish the first quarter of the season with a 2-2 record. In defeating the Panthers, the club proved it could improve upon several highly scrutinized areas, such as the ground game, pass protection and receiver play on offense.

Defensively, the Bears know they need to shore up a few areas. The secondary has been seemingly decimated by the loss of safety Chris Harris, and the front four hasn’t generated sufficient pass rush to take pressure off the back end. The team is also allowing unacceptable numbers against the run, which is something the Bears hope to correct with extra prep time for next week’s game.

Moore scores: Third-year nickel corner D.J. Moore definitely shows no problem morphing into offensive playmaker mode when he intercepts passes.

Moore returned his second career interception for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Panthers. With the Panthers backed up at their own 9, Cam Newton misfired on a pass that ricocheted off the mitts of linebacker Lance Briggs and into the hands of Moore, who raced 20 yards for the TD.
Moore now has five career INTs, with two returned for TDs.

Ratio rectified: Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz took criticism over the past two weeks for a wildly lopsided pass-run ratio. Coming into Sunday’s game, the team had run the ball 24 times in losses to the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers while throwing 82 passes.

Martz made amends for the play-calling mishaps against the Panthers, and the Bears benefited. Chicago ran the ball 12 times in the first half while passing on just four plays. Led by Matt Forte, the team averaged 9 yards per carry in the first half in rushing for 108 yards.

More importantly, the constant run threat kept Carolina's defense off balance. Perhaps that’s allowed quarterback Jay Cutler to complete three of the four passes he attempted in the first half.

For the game, the Bears ran the ball 31 times, netting TDs on the ground from Forte and backup Marion Barber.

Secondary struggles: Despite increased focus on stopping Panthers receiver Steve Smith, the veteran still managed to haul in six catches in the first half alone for 132 yards. His 53-yard reception to start the second quarter set up a Newton 1-yard run which tied the score at 10-all.

The Bears did a better job on Smith in the second half by holding him to only one catch.

Run D lackluster, too: Chicago entered Sunday’s contest with No. 18 rush defense, and it’s quite apparent the club’s ranking will drop further after a dismal performance against the Panthers.

Opponents averaged 109.3 rushing against the Bears over the first three games. By the end of the first half Sunday, the Bears had given up 100 yards to the Panthers, which were averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Given Smith’s preference to snuff out the run above all else, look for this team to spend extra time working to correct run fits in the week of practice leading up to Monday night’s showdown with the Detroit Lions. The Bears have been gashed two weeks in a row now (the Packers rushed for 100 yards on the club last week), and it appears teams are using wider splits along the offensive line to exploit the run defense.

What’s next: The Bears face the Detroit Lions on the road on Monday night in a crucial NFC North clash. Chicago trails both the Lions and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North standings. So the Bears can’t afford to fall further back if they want to remain in contention for the divisional crown.

NEW ORLEANS -- A few thoughts on Chicago’s 30-13 loss on Sunday to the New Orleans Saints:

What it means: The Bears could be in a tough situation. The club anticipated a difficult stretch to start the season with the Falcons, Saints, and Green Bay Packers. So falling to the Saints wasn’t necessarily a surprise. What’s surprising, however, is the team’s failing health. The Bears lost starting right guard Gabe Carimi (knee), safety Major Wright (head), and receiver Earl Bennett (chest) to injuries against the Saints, after starting the contest without Roy Williams, Marion Barber, Chris Harris, Lance Louis and Corey Wootton. The Bears know that overall team health is one of the most significant factors in the team repeating as NFC North champions. But the club might actually start division play next week against the Packers with as many as five starters out due to injury. That’s a major concern.

Forte homecoming: Running back Matt Forte returned to his home state of Louisiana and produced a blistering performance in multiple facets. Of the 165 net yards the Bears produced in the first half, Forte accounted for 118 of them.

A native of Slidell, La., and a former Tulane standout, Forte ran for 49 yards on nine attempts in the first half, including a burst for 42 yards. Forte also caught six of the seven passes thrown his direction for 69 yards. Prior to the regular season, Forte expressed the desire to receive a lucrative contract extension from the Bears, who extended what the running back considered a subpar offer. The Bears own the option of placing the franchise tag on Forte next season. But if the running back continues to produce the way he has over the past two weeks, the Bears -- fearing the asking price could climb too high -- might finally make an offer closer to what Forte seeks.

Chicago’s last offer prior to the start of the season was worth significantly less than what the running back is seeking, according to sources.

Urlacher returns: A day after attending the funeral services of his mother, Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher rejoined his teammates, who appeared to give him a stirring reception during pre-game warm-ups.

Before the contest, Urlacher typed up a pre-game tweet that read: “Thanks for all the support and love given to the Urlacher family… now it’s back to my second family.”

The defense appeared to be emotionally charged prior to the game, but the unit still struggled, in part because of the absence of Harris, who was inactive because of a hamstring injury.

Urlacher also had somewhat of a quiet afternoon. By the end of the third quarter, the linebacker had been credited with three tackles. But it’s worth noting that Urlacher administered a few crushing tackles early in the game.

O-line still struggling: With 4:16 left to play, Cutler had been sacked five times. The offensive line suffered a major setback against the Saints, after what seemed to be a solid opener against the Falcons. The offensive line struggled to adjust to the multiple blitz looks and pressure packages brought by the Saints. The tight ends deserve a share of the blame, too.

As a result, Cutler took a beating. Cutler completed less than 50 percent of his passes against the Saints, marking the first time that’s happened in a regular season game since Dec. 12 of last season. Further complicating matters was the loss of Carimi.

What's next: The Bears host the divisional rival Packers on Sunday at Soldier Field, in the first meeting between these teams since the 2010 NFC Championship. The Packers have sacked Cutler eight times over the past two games the teams have played. Given the performance of Chicago’s offensive line against the Saints’ exotic blitz packages on Sunday, count on the Packers sending plenty of heat off the edge at Cutler, who could be without receivers Williams and Bennett.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears demolished the Atlanta Falcons 30-12 to remain tied with division-rival Green Bay for the most opening-day victories of all time (52).

In addition, the club picked up its NFL-best 62nd home-opening win and has now triumphed in five of its past six openers at Soldier Field.

Let’s take a closer look at what transpired in Sunday’s lopsided affair:

What it means: Chicago showcased dominance against a Falcons team considered to be among the NFL’s best, and that bodes well considering the team travels to New Orleans next Sunday before facing the Packers at home the following week.

As important as the actual win was, the Bears answered questions along the offensive line, and receiver positions, while the defense proved that despite the unit’s overall age, it’s still one of the league’s most dominant groups.

The team suffered two injuries in receiver Roy Williams (groin) and right guard Lance Louis (ankle), but came out of Sunday’s game relatively healthy. Besides that, both Williams and Louis have capable backups in Johnny Knox and Chris Spencer who can fill in next week with little-to-no drop off in performance.

Sack parade: The Bears played with just three defensive ends (Julius Peppers, Nick Reed, and Israel Idonije) on the active roster, but that didn’t keep the defensive line from racking up five sacks.

Peppers and Henry Melton contributed two sacks apiece, and new acquisition Amobi Okoye contributed another.

The team came into the season with question marks about potential sack producers outside of Peppers, but Melton and Okoye proved capable of providing plenty of pressure from their inside defensive tackle spots.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that the Falcons played without two of their starters along the offensive line. So while Chicago showed promise with the pressure, the front-four players still have plenty left to prove.

Classic Peanut: Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman proved his mettle as the team’s turnover artist in the first quarter by punching the ball loose on Michael Turner run in the first quarter. While attempting to tackle Turner, Tillman poked the ball out with Peppers recovering.

The forced fumble marked Tillman’s 25th nine seasons, giving him the most since 2003 among NFL cornerbacks.

Turnover party: The Bears forced three turnovers through the first three quarters, and scored points off two of them, courtesy of linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Urlacher made a diving interception in the first quarter, which the Bears turned into a 56-yard scoring strike from Jay Cutler to running back Matt Forte just three plays later. Then in the third quarter, Urlacher brought one in for a score himself by scooping a fumble forced by Peppers and returning it 12 yards to make the score 30-6.

Quick strike: The Bears scored touchdowns on offense and defense in a span of 57 seconds.

Matt Spaeth caught a 1-yard touchdown with 6:55 left in the third quarter, and three plays later Urlacher scored one for the defense with his 12-yard fumble recovery return when Peppers sacked Ryan for an 11-yard loss.

Interestingly, the Bears were the quickest-scoring team in the NFL last year. The team’s average scoring drives in 2010 were 3 minutes and 2 seconds.

OL still developing: The offensive line gave up three sacks over the first two quarters, but as Cutler anticipated, the unit adjusted in the second half.

Still, Cutler appeared to take too much punishment. Several times Falcons defenders converged on Cutler for crushing shots just as the quarterback delivered the ball. Earlier in the week, Cutler anticipated the offensive line would experience some early struggles before finally settling in, which seems to be what transpired.

Louis delayed the adjustment period by leaving the game in the second quarter with a right ankle injury. Veteran center Chris Spencer stepped in as Louis’ replacement. Louis’ availability for next week’s game is uncertain, but the club isn’t concerned with Spencer assuming the starting role because he’s started in 70 of the 83 games he’s played.

Injury update: Louis suffered an ankle injury near the end of the first half, and his status for next week wasn’t immediately known. Williams sustained a groin injury in the second half, and was held out for the duration.

What’s next: The Bears face their second consecutive NFC South foe on the road when they take on the New Orleans Saints (0-1).

The Detroit Lions will be the first NFC North team to get on the field for a training camp practice, and so it makes sense for them to have made signing their draft class a high priority. After a flurry of agreements Thursday afternoon, the Lions are down to one unsigned rookie: First-round pick Nick Fairley.

The Lions have a 10:15 a.m. practice scheduled for Friday morning.

Chicago Bears

Signed

• Round 5(a): Linebacker J.T. Thomas
• Round 5(b): Quarterback Nathan Enderle

Unsigned

• Round 1: Offensive lineman Gabe Carimi
• Round 2: Defensive tackle Stephen Paea
• Round 3: Safety Chris Conte

Detroit Lions

Signed

• Round 2(a): Receiver Titus Young
• Round 2(b): Running back Mikel Leshoure
• Round 5: Linebacker Doug Hogue
• Round 7: Offensive lineman Johnny Culbreath

Unsigned

• Round 1: Defensive tackle Nick Fairley

Green Bay Packers

Unsigned

• Round 1: Offensive lineman Derek Sherrod
• Round 2: Receiver Randall Cobb
• Round 3: Running back Alex Green
• Round 4: Cornerback Davon House
• Round 5: Tight end D.J. Williams
• Round 6(a): Offensive lineman Caleb Schlauderaff
• Round 6(b): Linebacker D.J. Smith
• Round 6(c): Defensive end Ricky Elmore
• Round 7(a): Tight end Ryan Taylor
• Round 7(b): Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy

Minnesota Vikings

Unsigned

• Round 1: Quarterback Christian Ponder
• Round 2: Tight end Kyle Rudolph
• Round 4: Defensive tackle Christian Ballard
• Round 5: Cornerback Brandon Burton
• Round 6(a): Offensive lineman DeMarcus Love
• Round 6(b): Safety Mistral Raymond
• Round 6(c): Center Brandon Fusco
• Round 6(d): Linebacker Ross Homan
• Round 7(a): Defensive end D'Aundre Reed
• Round 7(b): Receiver Stephen Burton