REX PULLS BEARS OUT OF DEEP FREEZE
Orton's 12-yards passing in 1st half makes Lovie switch to Grossman for 2nd half rally

By: Gary Zahara

A look was all it took for Lovie Smith.

Pacing the sideline like a kid ready to rush Disneyland, Rex Grossman was just waiting for the opportunity to make his presence felt. Kyle Orton's 12 yards passing in the first half was his cue.

With the Bears leading 6-3, Grossman got the nod from Smith and entered the game to start the second half to a standing ovation. Grossman preceded to lead the Bears to ten unanswered points, while the Bears defense regained its top form, shutting down Michael Vick and the top rated rushing Atlanta Falcons 16-3 in front of 54,769 frozen fans in their home finale Sunday night at Soldier Field.

"I just felt like we needed a spark," Smith said. "Rex was ready to go. He had that look about him."

The third year quarterback, back after breaking his ankle in a preseason game at St. Louis in August, has waited fifteen months for his first game action. He tore his ACL in week three of the 2003-04 season. Grossman completed three of his first four passes in route to a 93 yard performance on 9 of 16 passing. He had one interception.

"It was a thrill," Grossman said. "To finally be back and have crowd support like that is not really something you can explain unless you have the experience yourself.

"To run out in Soldier Field and have whole crowd cheer you on after missing 26 games or whatever I missed and going through all the rehab and then to have that fan support running out in the huddle in a close game against the Falcons and playoff run, it's a very unique situation. It's a memory I'll take with me the rest of my life."

Chicago runs its record to 10-4, two games ahead of Minnesota, who lost to Pittsburgh earlier in the day, with two to play. All the Bears have to do is win one of the final two games and they will win the NFC North for the first time since 2001.

Grossman wasted no time in the second half, making his mark on the first play from scrimmage. He hit a frustrated Mushin Muhammad(3-40) over the middle for 22-yards.

Then he got lucky, for once.

On Atlanta's 8-yard line and looking to score, Grossman was picked off by Keion Carpenter at the 1. But Carpenter was hit by his own man and coughed up the ball. Justin Gage was in the right spot at the right time to recover the ball. One play later, Thomas Jones(27-91) took it in to put Atlanta's playoff hopes on life support.

Robbie Gould's third field goal, a 39-yarder made the lead 16-3 with 54 seconds left in the third.

With 9:21 left in the game, Atlanta was driving to cut the Bears lead to six. Vick hit Michael Jenkins at the Chicago 10, but Mike Green, in for the injured Mike Brown, lit Jenkins up like a Christmas tree and jarred the ball loose in the air. Nathan Vasher swooped in for the interception. The play was reviewed and upheld which sent Falcons coach Jim Mora into a rage costing him a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

That was the loudest Atlanta would be all night as 8 degree temperatures and -6 wind chills left the Falcons frozen stiff. The defense had Vick scrambling, holding the Falcons to 114 yards rushing, 231 total. Vick finished 13 of 22 for 122 yards and two interceptions.

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