On the defense

Five weeks into the season, the Chicago Bears looked like they always do. Despite walloping the Lions, 38-6, the Bears had three losses in which they scored a combined 24 points. And two of the losses came from the Redskins and the Browns -- not exactly elite competition. \nWith rookie and former Purdue star Kyle Orton filling in for potential star quarterback Rex Grossman, a Bloomington South High School graduate, injured in the preseason, the monsters of the Midway looked ready to throw in the towel and match their 5-11 record from 2004. In one of Chicago's first three losses, running back Thomas Jones (137 yards rushing) had a higher offensive output than Orton (117 yards passing). \nBut instead of going into hibernation after the bye week like they usually do, there has been some roaring coming out of the Windy City. The usually bad news Bears have won their last seven in a row and lead the NFC North at 8-3.\nIn its last seven wins, Chicago has managed to allow an average of only 8.71 points per game. In three of those games, the Bears didn't allow a touchdown. Former Hoosier Adewale Ogunleye is sixth in the NFL with nine sacks on the season. The team is No. 1 in defense overall, allowing only 254.2 yards per game and only 4.1 yards per play.\nBefore last weekend, critics said the Bears hadn't played any decent opponents, that beating San Francisco, New Orleans and Detroit twice wasn't any kind of amazing turnaround. But by beating offensive-minded Carolina last weekend, the Bears showed they could hang with the best. Before the match-up with Chicago, the Panthers had averaged 27.8 points per game. The Bears allowed them three. \nAnd for those who still didn't accept the return of dominate 'D', Chicago handed the division-leading Buccaneers their fourth loss of the season Sunday, 13-10. \nIt's one thing for a team to have a smothering defense. Tampa Bay had one in the late '90s and up until this year, a case could have been made for the Baltimore Ravens. Both of those teams made Super Bowl appearances within the last 10 years, but both of those teams had veteran quarterbacks. Chicago is winning solely because of its defense, overcoming one of the worst offenses in the NFL.\nOrton is 26th in the league in passing yards. He currently leads Joey Harrington, Josh McCown, Chris Simms and an injured Ben Roethlisberger. Minus Big Ben, those three quarterbacks have a combined record of 14-19. Orton's average quarterback rating is 62.3, one of the lowest in the league.\nThe leadership of Ogunleye, Brian Urlacher and Alex Brown will help the Bears overcome Orton and easily win their division. The Packers have completely imploded, and the Lions have just fired their coach. The Vikings are on a winning streak but don't have as much defensive talent as the Bears. The real test for Chicago will come in the playoffs.\nCan the Bears stand with teams like Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas, which will probably put up some points on their home turfs? Realistically, no. When it comes down to only eight teams remaining, everyone plays harder. Weak teams need not apply. And in Chicago, the undoing of a good season can be summed up in five letters: Orton.