Chicago Bears: Matt Forte already among Bears greats
Forte plays hero vs. Lions (2010)
Speaking of debuts, Forte sure knew how to kick seasons off with a bang. In back-to-back years (2010-11), he torched the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons with monster performances to start the Chicago Bears off 1-0.
His game against Detroit was especially memorable, though, in that he put the Bears on his back for that game using any means necessary.
Forte didn’t record a ton of yards on the ground in this one (17 carries, 50 yards), but his receiving skills made all the difference. He caught all seven of his targets for 151 yards (second-most ever for a Bears running back behind George McAfee) and two touchdowns.
Plus, both his touchdowns came with the Bears trailing and in need of a spark.
First, he took a screen pass on 1st-and-20 89 yards for a score with 1:18 to go in the first half. The Bears were down 14-3 at the time.
Then, after the Bears got nothing more than a field goal before halftime after Julius Peppers broke Matthew Stafford, Forte struck again with 1:40 left in the game on an acrobatic 27-yard TD grab for the win.
It wasn’t just that Forte made big plays and could do a lot of things for the offense. He made big plays when they mattered most. That’s what big-time players do.
Also, shout-out to the awful catch rules. We thank you for that one.