National Football League

Bad football ... Good win; Regardless of how you cut it, the team is 4-1

Published Oct. 12, 2010 10:18 p.m. ET

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Much can be debated about the standing of the Bears among the NFL's elite after their 23-6 thrashing of the winless Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.

Fortunately for the Bears, unlike college football, ''Dancing With the Stars'' and figure skating, style points don't matter.

Only this does: The Bears are 4-1.

How did they get there?

''Don't matter to me,'' defensive tackle Anthony Adams said. ''Four and one is 4-1, however you get there. I would take that any day.''

So would 29 other teams.

The Bears are one of three teams with a league-best 4-1 record, and they have a one-game lead in the NFC North because the Green Bay Packers lost 16-13 in overtime to the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Perhaps more importantly, the Bears survived a difficult four-game slate that included a Monday night game against the Packers at Soldier Field and road games against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.

TEAM IS IN 'A GOOD SITUATION'

''I wish we were 5-0,'' Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. ''But we're 4-1, and we've got ... two home games coming up, so that's a good situation to be in.''

Before their bye on Halloween weekend, the Bears host the Seattle Seahawks (2-2) and the Washington Redskins (3-2).

But the Panthers had designs on replicating what the Giants did at home to the Bears on Oct. 3 on NBC's ''Sunday Night Football.'' The beleaguered Panthers believed they could pound the Bears defense -- with running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart --and ground whomever the Bears offense trotted out in Jay Cutler's place.

Instead, the Bears embraced that approach, churning out 218 rushing yards -- the first time they have topped 200 since November 2008 in St. Louis -- and sacking former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen five times.

And two key players led the way: running back Matt Forte and defensive end Israel Idonije.

Forte had excelled as a receiver out of the backfield under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, but the Bears' starting running back had a modest 134 rushing yards in the first four games.

Forte nearly equaled that figure in the first half. In fact, on his first four carries, Forte had 101, including a 68-yard touchdown on the team's second drive. He finished the game with 22 carries for a career-high 166 yards.

Idonije thrived opposite Julius Peppers. Much was made of Peppers' homecoming, yet Idonije abused one-on-one matchups and notched a career-high three sacks.

After grinding out 55 rushing yards on their opening drive, to set up a 24-yard field goal, the Panthers managed 92 for the remainder of the game.

''The offense is the reason we're 0-5,'' Panthers Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross said.

The Panthers consistently had trouble stopping Forte and backup running back Chester Taylor, who had 46 yards on his first 14 carries. But the Panthers compelled the Bears to bench Todd Collins.

Even after an abysmal first half -- Collins was 5-for-11 for 26 yards with three interceptions and a passer rating of 12.9 -- the Bears started him in the second half. But Collins was picked off one more time, and he was replaced late in the third quarter by Caleb Hanie, with the Bears up 17-6.

''We wanted Todd to finish up on a high note,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''[But] we got to a point where we felt like we couldn't let them back into the game.''

LATE SACKS HELP THE CAUSE

The Bears answered the challenge, sacking Clausen on consecutive plays early in the fourth and forcing a three-and-out. The offense then chewed up more than six minutes of the clock before the defense forced another three-and-out.

''We weren't exactly lighting it up,'' Panthers coach John Fox said about his decision to bench Clausen in the fourth quarter. ''I thought he might spark us.''

Like Fox, Smith wasn't ready to announce who will start at quarterback in his team's next game. But Smith expressed optimism that Cutler would be ready to return after suffering a concussion against the Giants.

''First off, hopefully Jay will be able to go, and we won't have to go down that road,'' Smith said, when asked whether third-stringer Hanie would start ahead of Collins.