O-line no longer a punch line or running joke

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It's still too early to hold a parade for the Bears' offensive line.

But after Jay Cutler was sacked only once and Matt Forte gained yardage on 19 of his first 20 carries in a 27-13 victory Sunday over the Vikings at Soldier Field, a little respect might be in order.

Progress is progress.

''We understand how good they are on that defensive line,'' Bears center Olin Kreutz said. ''They have three All-Pros. It does mean a lot. But we still have to keep improving. We have not arrived yet. We're not near where we want to be. And if we don't come back [against the Dolphins on Thursday] and perform again, then this game doesn't matter.''

Jared Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams and Ray Edwards aren't as formidable as they've been in the past. But they're still good enough to dominate when they sense weakness -- the Vikings had six sacks against the Cardinals last week.

So the Bears not only surviving, but at times even thriving against the Vikings is reason for optimism for an offensive line that was embarrassed against the Giants and outplayed by the Seahawks and Redskins.

The running game wasn't impressive. But it was good enough that Forte (21 carries, 69 yards) and former Viking Chester Taylor (11-33) combined for 32 carries -- 25 of them while the Bears trailed or led by a touchdown or less.

The Bears' surprising success on third down was another sign of progress. Last in the NFL in third-down conversion rate (23 percent, 22-for-96), they were 11-for-19.

Cutler was 10-for-14 for 136 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on third down, a 111.9 passer rating.

Continuity is a factor. The Bears started their best combination for the second consecutive week -- Frank Omiyale at left tackle, Chris Williams at left guard, Kreutz at center, Garza at right guard and J'Marcus Webb at right tackle.

''Our line has been wishy-washy for a while,'' said Webb, who has started the last five games. ''Now that we've gotten a team of guys together that stuck together, that's helping us out.''

The line still had its moments. In one 14-play stretch in the second quarter, linemen were penalized four times -- Omiyale (false start), Kreutz (holding) and Webb twice (holding, false start). But the damage was minimal.