LAKE FOREST, Ill. – As the Bears heal up during their bye week, they’re pleased but not satisfied after winning three straight games to finish the first quarter of the season with a 3-1 record.

“We’re going to be happy about that,” said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. “But if you want to be cynical, you could say we’re a couple plays away from being 1-3. So we’ve got to look at it from both sides of the spectrum. We’ve got to get better in this bye week. We’re going to get healthier; that’s the key.”

Matt Forte helped the Bears improve to 3-1 by rushing for 121 yards against the Lions.

The Bears have finished strong in winning their last three games, rallying for late scores to beat the Steelers and Seahawks before outscoring the Lions 27-3 in the second half en route to a 48-24 win.

But they’ve started slow each week, allowing their opponent to score first in four straight games for the first time since midway through Lovie Smith’s first year as coach in 2004. The Bears have been outscored 31-7 in the first quarter before rebounding to outscore their opponents 68-27 in the second half.

Asked what’s pleased him most during the first four games, Smith said: “Just the way we have finished football games as much as anything. We want to start fast, but the way the guys have just accepted the challenge, we talk about playing for 60 minutes.

“We have a long ways to go, but I think as a ballclub we’ve made improvements each week, too. I’m proud of that. [The players] know that we have a ways to go, and they’ll keep working to get better.”

Moving up: The Bears leaped 10 spots to second in the NFL in special teams rankings following Sunday’s dominant performance against the Lions, and now trail only the Browns.

Under the direction of special teams coordinator Dave Toub, the Bears finished first in the league in 2006 and 2007 before falling to eighth last year. The rankings are based on the compilation of 22 statistical categories involving all aspects of special teams.

“Dave does a super job with the schemes; he and [assistant] Chris Tabor do,” Smith said. “It’s documented now; we’ve been good with our special teams since we’ve been here, won a lot of games with our special teams. 

"There is an emphasis placed on it. Our players know the importance of special teams when they have seen games being won based on our special teams play. I think it is just a combination of the crew, the great system that we have, our players buying into the importance of special teams, and again seeing the results. We have a history around here now. We have a reputation around here now, and guys realize that.”

Tilted field: The Bears’ stellar performance on special teams coupled with the defense’s two takeaways deep in Lions territory gave Chicago a tremendous advantage in field position. The Bears started their average drive at Detroit’s 46-yard line, while the Lions averaged starting at their own 18.

“That was a big difference in the game.” Smith said. “Their offense had a long ways to go and our offense didn’t, and they took advantage of it.”

The Bears had scoring drives of 4, 8 and 15 yards in Sunday’s win, not to mention a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by rookie Johnny Knox.

“Offensively, we didn’t really get into a rhythm,” said quarterback Jay Cutler. “It was tough. To score 48 points and have that few yards (276), your defense and special teams have to do a great job, which they did.”

A good cause: The Bears’ 21st annual coat drive is underway. Fans are encouraged to drop off new or gently-used coats at Jewel-Osco stores. The coat drive benefits The Salvation Army and public schools in the Chicago area. The effort is spearheaded by Bears equipment manager Tony Medlin.