Forte, Bears spoil Indy's stadium-opener

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09/08/2008 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Matt Forte rushed for 123 yards on 23 carries and found the end zone, while also catching three balls for 18 yards, as the Chicago Bears christened Indianapolis' brand new Lucas Oil Stadium with a 29-13 victory over the Colts in a rematch of Super Bowl 41.

Kyle Orton threw for 150 yards on 13-of-21 passing for the Bears (1-0). Jason McKie had two rushes for five yards and scored a touchdown for Chicago, which finished last season at 7-9. Brian Urlacher had eight tackles in the win, while Lance Briggs recovered a fumble for a TD.

Peyton Manning, seeing his first action of the season after undergoing surgery in mid-July to remove an inflamed bursa sac in his left knee, hit on 30 of his 49 passes for 257 yards and a TD for the Colts (0-1). Joseph Addai gained 44 yards on 12 carries before leaving with a head injury in the fourth quarter. Reggie Wayne caught 10 passes for 86 yards and a TD for Indy, which finished last season 13-3, but lost 28-24 to the Chargers in the Divisional playoffs. Marvin Harrison had eight grabs for 76 yards, moving him into fourth place on the all-time yards list (14,020).

After the Colts held the Bears to a three-and-out on their first possession of the third quarter, Indy got the ball back at its own 48. Manning hit Wayne on four of seven plays on the drive, totaling 36 yards, including a six- yard touchdown. The score pulled the Colts within 15-13 with 9:22 left in the third.

After a Bears punt, the Colts got the ball back on their own 16. Manning tossed an incomplete pass on first down, but then found Harrison on 2nd- and-10. Charles Tillman hit the receiver about five yards from the line of scrimmage and jarred the ball loose before Briggs scooped it up and ran it into the end zone for a 22-13 Chicago lead with 1:52 showing on the clock. Colts head coach Tony Dungy challenged the ruling on the field, but the call stood.

Down by nine points and facing a 4th-and-1 at midfield with 13:47 remaining in regulation, the Colts decided to go for it. Dominic Rhodes got the handoff and attempted to go up the middle, though Adewale Ogunleye and Briggs plugged the hole stopping Rhodes in the backfield for a turnover on downs.

Chicago took over at the Indy 48 and ran five plays before a 26-yard pass to Desmond Clark landed the team on the goalline. Two plays later, McKie ran up the middle to pay dirt for a 29-13 lead with 9:01 left to play.

The Colts got the ball back at their own 14 and proceeded to drive all the way to the Bears' 33-yard line in about 4 1/2 minutes. There, the club was faced with a 4th-and-7, which the team decided to go for. Manning's pass fell incomplete, which gave the ball, and essentially the game, to the Bears.

"That's the way you want to start off a football season," Chicago head coach Lovie Smith said. "Going into the game we wanted to establish a run game."

After neither team could muster any points on their respective opening drives, Adam Vinatieri broke the scoreless tie with a 39-yard field goal just past the six-minute mark of the first quarter.

Chicago answered right back on its ensuing possession less than a minute later. With the ball on the Bears' 46-yard line, Forte opened the drive by rushing for four yards, Orton then tossed an incomplete pass before Forte broke a 50-yard run for a touchdown. The play gave the Bears a 7-3 lead they would take into the second stanza.

"When they had their chance to make plays, they made them and got touchdowns," Dungy said. "That was the difference."

Manning drove his Colts from Indy's 18-yard line all the way to the Chicago 16, a series that was highlighted by a 20-yard pass to Anthony Gonzalez. The nine-play drive was capped by a Vinatieri 34-yard kick barely inside of the right goal post to make it 7-6.

Robbie Gould countered with a 41-yarder on Chicago's next possession, and as Indianapolis got the ball back, Manning was sacked at the two-yard line. On 2nd-and-20, Ogunleye tackled Addai in the end zone for a safety. Dungy challenged the play, but the call stood making it 12-6 with 4:05 left in the first half.

"It was close, I don't think they could have overturned either one of them," Dungy said.

Gould added a 25-yarder as time expired to give the Bears a 15-6 lead heading into the intermission.

Game Notes

The Colts' Dallas Clark left the game in the first quarter with a right knee injury...The Bears have 50 Kickoff Weekend victories, which is the most by any team...The Colts had won four straight Kickoff Weekends prior to Sunday's setback...Wayne has caught a TD pass in his last three games vs. Chicago.