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Bears improve to 5-0 for first time in 20 years

Oct 8, 2006 - 8:07 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bears gave former coach Dick Jauron a good look at just how good they are.

Rex Grossman threw for two touchdowns and the Bears again dominated defensively in a 40-7 thrashing of the Buffalo Bills.

Thomas Jones rushed for 109 yards on 22 carries for the Bears, who improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1986 when Mike Ditka was coach. Chicago has outscored its opponents by a lopsided 156-36.

"Hopefully we haven't peaked five games into the season," Bears coach Lovie Smith said.

After making a statement last Sunday with a 37-6 victory over NFC champion Seattle, the Bears left little doubt about this one as they built a 27-0 halftime lead.

The latest win came at the expense of Jauron, who coached the Bears for five seasons and was Coach of the Year in 2001, when he guided the team to a 13-3 mark and a division title. He is in his first season as Bills coach.

"We knew they were an outstanding team coming into this game, we certainly saw that on tape," Jauron said. "It snowballed on us. Things that we couldn't have happen to us, happened."

Grossman threw TD passes of eight yards to Bernard Berrian and 15 yards to Rashied Davis in the first half, when the Bears scored on their first five possessions.

"Anytime you execute like that ... offense, defense, special teams, it's so much fun," Grossman said. "All your hard work comes together. It was a blast out there."

Grossman completed 15-of-27 passes for 182 yards without a turnover before departing after three quarters with the game well in hand. He has 10 TDs on the season after throwing for just four in his first three seasons.

The Bears' top-ranked defense also overwhelmed J.P. Losman and the Bills' offense, coming within 66 seconds of their second shutout of the season.

Losman was intercepted three times and the Bills (2-3) managed just 145 total yards and 10 first downs. The Bills averted the shutout on Losman's five-yard TD pass to Lee Evans with just over a minute remaining.

Defensive end Alex Brown, linebacker Lance Briggs and cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. had the interceptions for the Bears, who have allowed just two offensive touchdowns this season.

"The '85 Bears set the standard and we should be better," Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris said. "A BMW doesn't bring out the same car every year. It gets better We've seen that edition ('85 Bears), now we want to add onto it. This BMW is supercharged, the driver (Smith) behind it is dangerous."

Chicago converted five turnovers into 20 points.

"They were as good as we thought they would be," said Losman, who completed 14-of-27 passes for 115 yards. "We had some things happen to us on all three phases that didn't go our way."

"They are fast. Probably one of the best defenses in the league right now," said Bills running back Willis McGahee, who rushed for 50 yards on 14 attempts.

Cedric Benson had a pair of one-yard touchdown runs and Robbie Gould also kicked four more field goals for the Bears, who are the NFC's lone unbeaten team.

It was the best offensive showing for the Bears since a 47-17 victory over Tampa Bay in 1993.

The first miscue of the afternoon for the Bills came on a punt when Brian Moorman bobbled the snap on a fake punt and Chicago recovered at the Buffalo 20. Gould kicked a 42-yard field goal six plays later.

"We know that Moorman is a tremendous athlete," Jauron said. "We have it in every week, just thought it was a good time for it."

Gould also connected from 43 yards with 3:43 left in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead.

Grossman capped a seven-play, 49-yard drive with an eight-yard TD toss to Berrian for a 13-0 advantage less than two minutes into the second quarter. Berrian had four catches for 97 yards.

Following an interception by Briggs that he returned 18 yards into Buffalo territory, Benson scored his first career TD.

"We committed errors early and got ourselves in trouble when we were moving the ball," Jauron said.

Grossman's 15-yard touchdown pass to Davis - a converted defensive back - extended the margin to 27-0 with 4:22 left in the half.

In the opening half, the Bears held a 211-59 advantage in total yards. They also had 13 first downs compared to three for the Bills.

Gould kicked field goals of 32 yards in the third quarter and 41 yards in the second. He is 17-of-18 on the season.