Chicago Bears

Frustrated Forte miffed by Bears' bye week, wants to keep playing

Published Oct. 20, 2015 8:51 a.m. ET

foxsports

No one is knocking Matt Forte's competitive nature. The Chicago Bears running back is an all-around playmaker who will contribute any way he can to help the team win.

But now that it's time to rest, Forte is frustrated. He conveyed his feelings about the Bears' upcoming bye week to ESPN's Jeff Dickerson.

"It’s frustrating. I’m pissed off about it," Forte said. "I don’t want to go to the bye week. I want to focus on the next team."

Chicago's Week 6 loss to the Lions in overtime must have left a sour taste in Forte's mouth. The Bears were winners of two straight before that; riding a three-game winning streak into the bye week would have been sweet.

"The game was basically given to us," Forte said of the Lions game, per ESPN. "We had a lot of opportunities to win that game."

Instead, the Bears are 2-4 and must regroup during their bye week. They're still in the NFC Wild Card race, of course, but they can't afford to fall much further behind. Chicago will host the Minnesota Vikings on the other side of the break.

Forte's determination can help the Bears stay in contention. He is the league's leading rusher with 507 yards through six games (84.5 yards per game).