Bears' Orton managing just fine

Bears quarterback Kyle Orton has made eight starts without throwing an interception and has attempted 185 passes without a pickoff, a team record. Yet the Bears rank 20th in the NFL in passing and have shown at various times a "lack of execution" in that area, according to Orton.

"It's shown all year that when we execute and do the right things and do our job, we score points," he said. "We have to get back to it."

The Vikings hope to prevent that by getting pressure on Orton and not allowing him to establish a rhythm with his receivers. That didn't happen in the first meeting, when Orton completed 21 of 32 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in a 48-41 victory.

Orton has been more steady than stellar. Eighteen quarterbacks have passed for more yards than Orton's 2,049 this season, but his four interceptions are tied for third-fewest among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 150 passes.

Orton has thrown 185 passes without an interception and has not been intercepted since the third quarter against Philadelphia in Week 4. He is on pace to set a team record in pass attempts-per-interception ratio at 74.8.

This, mind you, is the same guy who threw 15 interceptions in 18 career games entering the season.

"He's directing the show," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "They're allowing him to change a lot at the line of scrimmage and if he has a bad coverage that maybe he saw wrong, he's having the sense to take it and throw it away [and] not throw it to them. That's impressive."

Orton had a typical line in a 27-3 victory against St. Louis last week: 18-for-29 for 139 yards and one touchdown and zero interceptions.

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen agreed with the assertion that Orton is doing a good job managing the game. Sort of.

"Not to be mean, but how do you not manage the game against St. Louis?" he asked. "They're pretty bad. But he's doing good, though. He's not losing games for his team, which is crucial."

Orton clearly has benefited from a solid running game; rookie Matt Forte ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing with 909 yards. Orton said Forte's production allows him to play "efficient games" and make "a handful of plays" in the passing game. That's not necessarily a sexy formula but it's enabled Orton to stay out of trouble.

"He does make great decisions," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "That's what we've come to expect from him. He's a student of the game and all that. He realizes that part of our formula for winning is ball security. You gotta protect the football, and Kyle has done a great job with it."

Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards, who was Orton's teammate at Purdue for two seasons, said the key as always is to stop the run, make the Bears one-dimensional and then get constant pressure so that Orton doesn't feel comfortable.

"His decision-making is definitely where it needs to be and I respect that," Edwards said. "Like any quarterback, if you give him time to pat the ball and look for open receivers, he's going to find them. We have to go out there and not let that happen."

Orton is still dealing with a right ankle injury, which forced him to miss 1 1/2 games. The Rams didn't get enough pressure last week to test Orton's mobility, but Allen said the "key is to make him move on our terms."

"He works that system well," he said. "We have to try and get them out of their rhythm."