NFL Scores Week 1: Final Score, Recap and Analysis of Bears' Win over Falcons

The NFC North owns the NFC South.  The Atlanta Falcons outgained the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, but yards obviously aren't what wins football games.  Chicago used turnovers to take out the Falcons in a game that is a possible playoff match-up.

Final Score: Chicago Bears 30, Atlanta Falcons 12

Game Recap

Home-field advantage was worth a bit more than three points for the Bears as they stomped the Falcons at Soldier Field.  It was close for a bit, but after Jay Cutler's 56-yard touchdown pass to Matt Forte to give Chicago a 10-3 lead, they didn't look back.  10-3 quickly turned into 16-3 which by the end of the third quarter was 30-6.

Surprisingly, the Bears defense didn't drag their offense across the finish line for the victory.  Jay Cutler actually outdueled Ryan as the former Denver Bronco went 22-32 for 312 yards along two touchdowns and an interception.  Ryan did throw for 319 yards going 31-47, but he failed to toss a touchdown and his interception resulted in seven Chicago points.

Michael Turner had a 100-yard day on the ground for the Falcons, but he only received 10 carries in the contest; he also lost a fumble putting a damper on his big game.  No one receiver stood out for the Falcons as Tony Gonzalez, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Turner, James Rodgers and Jason Snelling all had at least three catches.

Players That Emerged

Brian Urlacher laughed off the thought that he could be slowing down at 33-years old and had a career outing.  He picked off a Matt Ryan pass and returned a fumble by the quarterback for a touchdown.  The fumble was forced by Julius Peppers who had two sacks on the day.

Injury News

Chicago starting wide receiver Roy Williams and offensive lineman Lance Louis were both injured during the game, but it wouldn’t be a devastating loss to their offense if one went on to miss a week or two.

What's Ahead For Teams

Each team has a brutal schedule the next two weeks.  The Bears will be forced to take on the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers while the Falcons will face the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Chicago's win is a huge one because of how difficult the next two games will be to come away victorious.

This head-to-head Windy City win could be what gives the Bears the edge in the race with the Falcons for a wild card spot.

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow him on Twitter.