Bears Win 40-7, First 5-0 Start in 20 Years

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 9, 2006 2:33PM

The last time the Bears opened up 5-0, they were coming off their victory in Super Bowl XX. They opened up the 1986 season 5-0 on the way to a 14-2 finish (and untimely departure from the playoffs). With their 40-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills, the Bears are 5-0 for the first time in 20 years. Could they also match that 14-2 record? Certainly looks possible, and an 8-0 start looks darn right probable. They face Arizona, San Francisco and Miami before the halfway point -- teams that have combined for a grand total of 4 wins so far.

The whole team brought their A games, as pretty much all have every week. You don't win by 34 without everybody chipping in. You don't outscore opponents by an average of 31-7 without offense, defense and special teams all contributing. This week, even the running game looked good, with Thomas Jones surpassing the century mark for the first time and Cedric Benson scoring his first two NFL TDs.

Also impressive, yet again, was rookie defensive end Mark Anderson. He sacked Bills QB J.P. Losman twice, taking his season total to 5 1/2 in just five games. He also forced a fumble and deflected a pass. How did he slip to the Bears in the 5th round? He's looking like the defensive rookie of the year so far!

Image via Yahoo! News