Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears' offensive line got all the attention over the last 10 days. The Bears' defensive line made sure that wasn't the case Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.
The Bears (2-1) won 23-6 because Rams quarterback Sam Bradford never had a chance. There are so many ways to measure the Bears' defensive dominance. They sacked Bradford six times; Bradford averaged 2.9 yards per pass; the Rams (1-2) put up just 160 total yards.
This was a matchup of lousy offensive lines and great pass rushes. Chicago's front was just better. The Bears couldn't get a consistent running game going without Matt Forte, and Jay Cutler was under duress all day. Cutler wasn't particularly sharp, and for a long time, the only pass play he could complete was a screen pass.
This was a day when it just didn't matter. The Rams were afraid to run on third-and-short early in the game. When they tried it later, the Bears stuffed it. Major Wright returned a Bradford pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to put this defensive game away. We wouldn't have blamed Bradford for yelling at his line at one point.
Ten days off didn't solve Chicago's offensive problems. It's going to be on the defense to carry this team for a little while.
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