Sep 8, 2008 9:01 am US/Central
Bears Beat Colts 29-13 In Opening Night Upset
INDIANAPOLIS (CBS) ―
It was a stunning opening night upset for the Bears Sunday evening in Indianapolis. Not only did they win the game, they were dominant.
As CBS 2's Howard Sudberry reports, the Bears defeated the Colts 29-13.
Chicago's win ended Indy's remarkable streak of 21 consecutive victories in September and October, the league's longest run since the Green Bay Packers won 23 pre-November games from 1928-32. It's also the first time since 2004 the Colts won't start at least 7-0.
How did the Bears do it? With an old style and a new look.
Matt Forte, the first Chicago rookie to start at running back since Walter Payton in 1975, ran for 123 yards - 50 on a first-quarter TD run in which he broke one tackle and then outran Bob Sanders, last season's defensive player of the year, to the end zone.
Kyle Orton, who wrested the starting job from Rex Grossman, was 13-of-21 for 150 yards and had no turnovers.
Meanwhile, two-time league MVP Peyton Manning wasn't himself. He burned timeouts to save the play clock and didn't have that precision timing with his receivers after missing six weeks of practice. It was Manning's first game action since having surgery to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee in mid-July.
And the Colts' defense, which allowed the fewest points in the NFL last season, couldn't get off the field. Coach Tony Dungy even lost two replay challenges.
"We certainly haven't had one like that in a long time where we got thoroughly outplayed," Dungy said. "It's disappointing."
The combination led to a predictable result.
Chicago's defense limited the Colts to 53 yards rushing, which forced Manning to win it with his arm.
"They outplayed us for four quarters and the score was indicative of how the game went," Dungy said. "The just outplayed us in every phase."
Problem was Manning was just 30-of-49 for 257 yards with one TD and instead of scoring touchdowns inside the red zone, the Colts settled for field goals by Adam Vinatieri on their first two trips inside the Chicago 20.
It wasn't what Indy fans expected from what is traditionally one of the league's best offenses.
But the Bears followed the game plan perfectly.
Forte erased an early 3-0 lead with his TD burst, and when the Colts closed to 7-6, Orton led the Bears on a drive that ended with the first of Robbie Gould's two field goals.
The second came as time ran out in the first half after Orton hooked up with Greg Olsen on a 29-yard completion with 10 seconds left.
But the Colts nearly recovered in the second half, thanks in part to Devin Hester.
The Pro Bowl returner took the opening second half kickoff about 7 yards deep in the end zone and waited a few seconds before coming out. He was tackled at the Bears 3.
When the Colts got the ball back in good field position, Manning converted with a 6-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne, making it 15-13 with 9:18 left in the third quarter.
That's when the Bears took control.
Charles Tillman slapped the ball away from Marvin Harrison at the Colts 21, Lance Briggs scooped up the fumble on a bounce and rumbled into the end zone. "That took away any offensive momentum we had," said Manning.
And Jason McKie scored on a 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter to close it out.
Bears Coach Lovie Smith said the Bears need to focus their power on the rest of the season.
"You don't win championships in the first quarter of the season, but you still like to get a lead, and of course, we like being 1-0 right now instead of 0-1," Smith said. "But as much as anything, it's the way we play, and how we're able to win football games."
"I think it's a confidence booster for us," said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. "We knew that everybody was against us. I said earlier that no one gave us a chance – even the diehard fans, they were kind of, you know, 'Just play well.' That kind of pissed me off a little bit, that kind of people were just listening everybody talking about the pre-season, and I knew what kind of team we had."
The Bears had their chests pumped out in the locker room after the game, and with good reason. Nobody expected them to win, and it was the way the one that gives the impression they could be a surprise team this year. Obviously, though, there is a long way to go.
CBS 2's Howard Sudberry and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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