Chicago Bears: How to Capitalize on Win Against Philadelphia Eagles

The Chicago Bears can capitalize off their comeback win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football because the victory didn't come all too easy.

The Bears' offense scored 30 points in the win, but those points were hard to come by.

Matt Forte didn't have his best game of the season which resulted in a lighter workload midway through the game, but Forte's shortcomings were overshadowed by Earl Bennett's performance in his first game after injuring his torso Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.

Despite the ups and the downs from the Bears' win Monday night, Lovie Smith and his squad have an opportunity to build off this victory and silence their critics throughout the remaining eight games of the 2011-12 NFL season.

Offensive Line's Success

For once, Jay Cutler was the QB on the field not taking the majority of the hits.  That was Michael Vick's role Monday night during the NFC matchup between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.

Cutler was not sacked at all during the Bears' 30-24 win over the Eagles, and that snapped a streak of 29 consecutive games of Cutler being sacked at least once.

I guess, Mike Tice, Bears offensive line coach and his O-line came prepared into the Week 9 matchup following the Bears' Week 8 bye.

If the Bears' offensive line can provide Cutler with the protection he received against the Eagles for the rest of the season, the Bears have a great opportunity to snag one of the NFC's two wild-card spots.

Earl Bennett Is Healthy

Earl Bennett had been out after suffering a torso injury Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints prior to his return against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.  And it was obvious that Earl Bennett was exactly the receiver Jay Cutler had been lacking for the last several weeks.

Bennett and Cutler were teammates at Vanderbilt during their college days, and it's apparent their chemistry in college has carried over to the NFL.

Bennett's five receptions for 95 yards and a TD were a game high, and it sure looked like he was the Bears' No. 1 WR and will continue to play that role as long as he can remain healthy.

Despite GM Jerry Angelo's offseason acquisition of Roy Williams, Bennett, who is much smaller than Williams, appears to be Cutler's favorite target, and if Jay Cutler is happy, everyone is happy.

Matt Forte Didn't Have to Carry the Team

Matt Forte didn't have his best performance of the 2011-12 season for the Chicago Bears against the Monday night, but that didn't prevent the Bears from prevailing.

Forte racked up 150 total yards of offense on 27 touches, but he put the ball on the ground twice that resulted in 14 of the Eagles' 24 points.  Even though Forte fumbled twice throughout the course of the game, the Bears were still able to exit Philadelphia victorious which is a good sign for the entire football team. 

If the Bears can win without Forte putting on the cape and doing his best Superman impression, that's a sign that the entire team is improving.  This can only get better throughout the remainder of the season, because the Bears have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and build off the successes.

Forte is playing for a contract and isn't the type of player to turn the ball over on a regular basis like he did against the Eagles, so it's unlikely he'll have a similar performance like Monday night's the rest of the season.

Secondary Contained PHI WR's

The Chicago Bears' defense held Mike Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles to 213 total passing yards on Monday night, and the Eagles' top receiver, Jeremy Maclin, had just 63 total receiving yards.

For a team that ranks 26th in the league in passing yards allowed with 264 per game, that's pretty impressive especially considering Chicago was playing the dynamic Mike Vick.

Chicago didn't allow a passing touchdown against the Eagles, and they even forced an interception after Lance Briggs bobbled a pass from Vick which ended up in the hands of Major Wright, who was finally in the right place at the right time.

It seemed as if the Bears' cover-two defense prevailed last night, but there are still holes that need to be filled with the safeties.  Either way, the Bears' pass defense looked much better than it had in the previous weeks, and that's something to look forward to.

Urlacher & Briggs Are Still a Top LB Duo in the NFL

The Chicago Bears defense has been known as the Monsters of the Midway for quite some time, and that's mostly due to the beast-like performances from linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on a regular basis.

The two linebackers have been side-by-side since 2003, and their performances show how familiar they feed off each others' success on the field.

Both players always find a way to get their hands on the ball, and both players are always on top of the opponents players making a tackle.

Urlacher and Briggs can take the Bears' defense a long way, and that will only help in the Bears' quest for a playoff appearance.