by Michael David SmithFiled under: Chicago Bears, Panthers, NFC North, NFC South
Jay Cutler missed Sunday's game with a concussion, and he was replaced by backup quarterback Todd Collins -- who proceeded to play one of the worst games you'll ever see any NFL quarterback play, yet the Bears still found their way to a 23-6 victory at Carolina.But Collins wasn't so terrible that he could derail an otherwise fine outing from the Bears, who got big contributions from the defense and, especially, from running back Matt Forte.
o. How bad was Collins? The stats tell the story: He went 6 of 16 for 32 yards with four interceptions, for a passer rating of 6.3. The Bears eventually benched Collins for third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie, and although Hanie didn't do anything special, he certainly couldn't have been any worse than Collins.
o. The story of the early part of the game was Forte, who was already over 100 yards rushing less than one-eighth of the way through the game, and finished with 166. Forte ran for an 18-yard touchdown on the Bears' first drive, and the Bears' second drive consisted of one handoff, which Forte took 68 yards to the house. He was sensational, although the Panthers managed to slow him down once it became clear that the Bears weren't going to do anything through the air. Forte continues to show that he's a great fit in the Mike Martz offense, even on days when the Bears can't get him the ball through the air.
o. Julius Peppers, returning to Carolina for the first time since leaving the Panthers in free agency, made one of the defensive plays of the year on Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen's first pass, batting the ball into the air and then diving to make the interception. Peppers was a great free-agent signing for the Bears.
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