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 David Bass and Jonathan Bostic became the first set of Bears'
rookies to record interceptions in the same game in 24 years, and
the defense continued to show signs that's it's coming together
despite being ripped apart by injuries.
That was one of the most encouraging developments for Chicago in
Sunday's 23-20 overtime victory over Baltimore.
Now, the Bears are once again tied with Detroit for the NFC North
lead at 6-4 and right back in the thick of the playoff race after
they appeared to be on shaky ground.
They were coming off a loss to the Lions that gave Detroit a
two-game sweep and had dropped four of six. Then, they had to wait
out about a two-hour rain delay and put in extra time on the way to
a much-needed win over the Ravens.
A big chunk of the credit goes to a defense that was ineffective at
the start of the season and got hit hard by injuries. But while
players have been going down, confidence appears to be on the rise
with a game at St. Louis coming up Sunday.
"It grows, because I see what we're doing in practice," coach Marc
Trestman said Monday. "I see the work that's being put in. I stand
behind the defense during their periods and I see the run fits
getting better, the communication getting better. I like the fact
that our coaches are embracing the development of our young players.
We're not spending time thinking about the loss of some of the
players that we've lost. We've taken all that energy into building
the best defense we can to play good team football."
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The Bears have struggled against the run and
were having trouble getting to the quarterback, even before all
the injuries started to pile up, but in some ways, it was a
different story against the Ravens.
Peppers had two sacks to double his total to four.
He was also credited with 11 tackles, including four for a loss, in
what might have been the best game in a disappointing season for the
eight-time Pro Bowler.
He missed some preseason practices because of a hamstring injury and
a slow start raised questions about his future in Chicago. But
against Baltimore, that old spark was there.
"I thought he's obviously gaining strength and momentum," Trestman
said. "Really his energy level was consistent throughout the game.
We all had a sense during the week that this was going to be a game
that he was going to turn it up. It was good to see."
[Associated
Press; ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer]
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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