Falcons stop Forte, Bears

By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA (AP) The Chicago Bears could've won in Atlanta last year. They could've won Sunday night.

Instead, they went 0-for-2.

Chicago made three huge mistakes in the red zone, and the Falcons held on for a 21-14 victory that will be remembered for one gritty defensive stand after another and all the chances the Bears let slip away.

APThe Falcons stuffed Forte in the red zone on Sunday night.

Jay Cutler threw an interception at the Atlanta 9. Matt Forte fumbled on two straight runs from the 1, the second of which was recovered by the Falcons. And one last chance with less than a minute to go was botched when Orlando Pace moved before the snap on fourth-and-1 at the 5, leaving the Bears with a more daunting challenge they couldn't convert.

"We had a lot of opportunities to win this football game," Chicago coach Lovie Smith said. "You can't make those kind of mistakes. When you get the ball in the red zone, you need to get points."

Michael Turner scored the winning touchdown on an otherwise forgettable night, powering over from 5 yards with 3:06 remaining, but it was the bend-but-don't-break defense - and Chicago's miscues - that helped the Falcons (4-1) match the best five-game start in franchise history.

"Our defense, give them some credit," said Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who had two touchdown passes but also threw two interceptions. "Our guys stepped up and made some plays when we needed them to."

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