Chicago Bears: 5 Players Who Stepped Up in Week 4 vs. the Carolina Panthers

When the game clock at Soldier Field on Sunday reached 0:00, there was a collective exhale from Bears fans as Chicago just barely did enough to edge a 34-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

This game was of crucial importance for Chicago (2-2) in order to keep pace with two undefeated teams in the NFC North. What’s become the best division in football is headlined with the Green Bay Packers (4-0) and the comeback kings, the Detroit Lions (4-0).

It really didn’t matter who happened to fall on the Bears Week 4 schedule, the game was as close to a must-win as could be.

“A win’s a win,” said Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher in the locker room following the victory. “It may not have been the way we wanted it to, but coming out on top – that’s always a big thing.

“It’s hard to win in the NFL. There’s no easy games. Our offense came through when they had to today and we pulled it off.”

With losses to the Packers and New Orleans Saints already in the books, another conference loss would be a major speed bump for the Bears who are just trying to keep their hopes of a Wild Card berth alive.

The win was not pretty by any means. The Panthers were able to manage 543 total offensive yards and moved the football down the field almost at will in the first half.

“Doesn’t matter – a win’s a win,” Urlacher reinstated. “You can have all the yards you want. It doesn’t matter. We won.”

Even with the win, Urlacher knows there’s plenty of work to be done in order to improve for the Lions next week.

“Doesn’t matter how well we play, we’re always going to say we can play better. We have to get better every week; we know that. We just have to keep practicing and working.”

As the dust settles, the Bears should only focus on next Monday night in Detroit.

Meanwhile, fans get to reflect and reminisce on the week that was.

Here are the top five Bears who stepped up in Week 4:

5. Johnny Knox

Johnny Knox was the X receiver the Bears desperately needed Sunday.

As Roy Williams was downgraded to a reserve role on the depth chart this week, Knox showed the Bears why he should have been the starter since Week 1.

Knox hauled in three catches for 48 yards on Sunday. He led the team in receptions.

Moving forward, Knox could once again be the deep threat Chicago needs to stretch the field vertically.

The best part of his game? He didn’t drop any open catches. Williams would most have likely done that twice.

4. D.J. Moore

Bears corner D.J. Moore was the lucky recipient of a Cam Newton pass that was batted in the air and landed in the chest of No. 30.

Moore was able to return the pick 20 yards into the endzone for a touchdown making the score 10-3 Chicago in the first quarter.

After the game, Moore described it as just being in the right place at the right time and he was fortunate to have the opportunity to take it for the score.

Moore was one of the few bright spots for the Chicago secondary Sunday. The Bears struggled to contain wide receiver Steve Smith who finished with eight balls for 181 yards.

3. Julius Peppers

It wasn’t a strong defensive showing for Julius Peppers against his former club, but he did come through with a clutch field goal block to deny the Panthers three points.

Peppers really couldn’t put into words what happened after the game. He described it as pretty black and white. The Bears rushed the kicker, got into the backfield and got a hand on Olindo Mare’s 34-yard boot in the third quarter.

The miss kept the score 24-20 with Chicago in the lead.

Since 2004, the Bears have blocked 21 field goals which is tops on the NFL.

2. Devin Hester

Sunday was a “that’s more like it” day for Bears wide receiver and kick returner Devin Hester.

The new kickoff rule has been a real halt to the progress of Hester in the chase for the title of “greatest return man of all-time.”

Week 4 was one step closer to that achievement.

After a 73-yard kickoff return in the second quarter set up a Matt Forte 17-yard touchdown run, the Panthers decided to punt to him following their next possession.

Whoops.

Hester made Carolina pay for their poor decision-making by taking a 69-yard punt to the house. The punt return for a score was his 11th of his young NFL career, which put him ahead of Eric Metcalf for the all-time leader.

"It feels good," Hester said of the historic achievement following the game. "I knew my teammates were thirsting for a return, and I'm just glad and pretty honored to be on a team like this where we have 10 other guys out there that want a return just as bad as me."

1. Matt Forte

What else needs to be said of Matt Forte’s performance on Sunday other than the word “special.”

Forte ran the ball 25 times for 205 yards and a touchdown. He demonstrated that when Chicago does commit to the ground, they can be effective moving the football.

“It reminded me of my senior year at Tulane, every weekend getting 200 yards,’’ he jokingly said at the podium. “All the credit goes to the offensive line.

"The holes were huge out there even toward the end of the game. We just kept on pounding and pounding them. The offensive line wore the defense out."

Forte’s modesty doesn’t take into effect that the Bears offensive line was just fine. But for a line that struggles to keep Cutler upright and a decent rushing attack in tact, just okay is ideal.

Chicago ran the ball 30 times while calling just 17 pass plays Sunday. In their previous two weeks, the Bears ran the ball just 20 times while going to the air 82 times.

Forte was able to keep the offensive game plan balanced and the Panthers defense on its toes.

Let this be a lesson to Mike Martz. Dedication to churning out small chunks of yards at a time keeps the offense on schedule and also helps Chicago manage the clock.

Fans are hoping for a blueprint of this offensive explosion next Monday night when the Bears head to Detroit to battle the Lions in an important NFC North contest.

Brett Lyons is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials.

Follow Brett Lyons on Twitter @BrettLyons670.