Read More: Anthony Adams (DT – CHI), Jay Cutler (QB – CHI), Matt Forte (RB – CHI), Major Wright (S – CHI), Nathan Enderle (QB – CHI), Ricky Henry (G – CHI), Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos

A Chicago Bears season that was proving to be as promising as any in recent memory has proven to be quite far from that, as injuries have piled up and left the Bears with a fraction of the team that began to look like a possible Super Bowl contender. First there was the potentially season-ending injury to Jay Cutler, but things were only compounded by the injuries that fellow starters Matt Forte and Major Wright suffered last week against Kansas City. Michael C. Wright of ESPN Chicago has the full list of inactives for the Denver game, which is shown below:

- QB Jay Cutler

- RB Matt Forte

- S Major Wright

- QB Nathan Enderle

- OG Ricky Henry

- TE Andre Smith

- DT Anthony Adams

The Bears aren’t missing that many players, but the ones that are missing are integral to the team. Cutler was the crux of the Bears offense as a near-elite quarterback, and the team can’t turn to Forte to handle some of that workload now that he’s on the mend, as well. 

For updates on this Week 14 matchup, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more on this week’s game, visit Bears blog, Windy City Gridiron, and Broncos blog, Mile High Report. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more from around the league.

A Hail Mary pass from Chiefs quarterback Tyler Palko to wide receiver Dexter McCluster let Kansas City take a 7-3 halftime lead.

The team never looked back and won 10-3.

Palko got yanked from the game – and possibly saved his job.

Palko shook off two miserable starts and threw for 157 yards and a touchdown even though he briefly got lifted for Kyle Orton, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat Chicago 10-3 Sunday on a day when the Bears lost Matt Forte to a right knee injury.

Orton came on to start the second quarter and immediately left the game after injuring a finger on his right hand. Reports were he dislocated a finger on his throwing hand.

Palko then came in and tossed a Hail Mary pass just before halftime. Palko connected with Dexter McCluster on the wild 38-yard pass to end the first half on a ball that got deflected by Brian Urlacher and Chris Conte, giving the Chiefs a 7-3 lead and their first touchdown in three games.

Kansas City (5-7) got a 21-yard field goal from Ryan Succop in the third quarter to make it a seven-point game, and Jon McGraw intercepted struggling backup Caleb Hanie in the end zone in the fourth.

The Chiefs also recorded seven sacks – three by Justin Houston – and intercepted Hanie three times while snapping a four-game losing streak.

The Bears dropped their second straight after winning five in a row, but the biggest loss Sunday came in the first quarter.

Forte took a hit to the right knee from Derrick Johnson on a run for no gain deep in Chicago territory, another big blow for a team contending in the NFC.

Quarterback Jay Cutler was already out indefinitely after breaking his right thumb against San Diego on Nov. 20, and now, they might have to make do without the league’s third-leading rusher.

In the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, Forte has been one of the Bears’ most valuable players. He has also been durable during his career, starting all 60 games since he entered the league in 2008, but that run could be in jeopardy.

Forte stayed on the ground while being tended to by medical personnel and walked to the sideline on his own power after that hit to the knee. He remained there for several minutes before heading to the locker room.

Orton, a former Bear, didn’t last long in this one.

On his first play since he was claimed off waivers from Denver, he was hit in the hand by Major Wright as he tossed an incomplete pass.

Palko immediately came back in and wound up completing 17 of 30 passes without an interception. It was a big improvement for a quarterback who got picked off three times in each of his first two starts after Matt Cassel suffered a season-ending hand injury.

Hanie was 11 of 24 in his second start for Cutler. He had completed four straight passes to put the ball on the Chicago 13 after connecting on just one in the second half before that when Roy Williams juggled a throw. The ball hit off several defenders before a diving McGraw picked it off in the end zone with just over 4 minutes left.

The Chiefs got all the points they needed at the end of the first half.

With 2 seconds left, Palko heaved the ball to the end zone, and in one dramatic sequence, the Chiefs got their first touchdown since the third quarter against Denver on Nov. 13.

A leaping Urlacher got both hands on the ball, but Conte went up over the top of him and knocked it to McCluster, sending the Chiefs to the locker room with the lead.

Besides Forte, the Bears also lost safety Major Wright to a shoulder injury. Chiefs safety Kendrick Lewis injured a knee in the first half.

Neither Chiefs Coach Todd Haley nor Orton would discuss Orton’s injury after the game.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press and KCTV5. All rights reserved.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Chicago Bears have released veteran safety Chris Harris after he asked for a trade, ending his second run with the team.

Harris started in the Bears’ 24-18 victory over Tampa Bay in London on Sunday with Major Wright nursing a hip injury. He had been benched for the Bears’ win over Minnesota the previous week.

That led to him requesting to be dealt, something that did not happen before the trade deadline. Harris had missed three games with a hamstring injury and struggled in a Monday night loss to Detroit before that Vikings game.

The Bears announced the move on Thursday. Harris was in his second stint with the Bears after being traded back from Carolina last year.

“We don’t all of a sudden wake up one morning and just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to go this direction,’” Smith said. “It’s a pattern and I feel good about the decision that we had to make.”

Harris got beat for a touchdown pass and dropped an interception Sunday against Tampa Bay. He had asked for a trade two weeks ago and was inactive against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 16, but then started Sunday in London against the Bucs.

“We have young guys that we have in our starting lineup that we like,” Smith said. “We’ll see how they play. We feel pretty confident that they’ll play good football.”

Rookie Chris Conte started Sunday at free safety against Tampa Bay and made his first career interception while second-year player Major Wright is the starter at strong safety. Harris has played both spots.

Smith has maintained that Harris couldn’t help the team on special teams, so he was less valuable than some other safeties if he wasn’t starting.

“Chris doesn’t play special teams, can’t really play special teams,” Smith said. “We have better options there. We’re trying to win a championship. The guys we’re keeping here I feel like give us our best chance to do it.”

Wright (hip injury) is expected back for the Bears’ next game, Nov. 7 at Philadelphia. The other safeties on Chicago’s roster are Brandon Meriweather, Craig Steltz and Anthony Walters.

Harris was in his second stint with the Bears after being traded back from Carolina last year for linebacker Jamar Williams. After tying for the team lead in interceptions with five last season, he started the opener against Atlanta but missed the next three games due to a pulled hamstring.

Former teammates expressed surprise at Harris’ departure. Defensive back D.J. Moore thought asking for a trade probably didn’t help Harris’ situation.

“I feel like once you say, ‘OK, I want a trade, I want something like that,’ somebody (with the team) is feeling like he’s trying to one-up me or something,” Moore said. “It might be one of those things.”

Smith called it a personnel move and not an attempt to send a message to other players about what can happen if they request trades.

“I’m not really interested in trying to keep anybody on edge,” Smith said. “We’re trying to get good play. We’re evaluating what we’re doing on the football field.”

The Bears filled Harris’ spot by signing former St. Louis Rams linebacker Jabara Williams off waivers.

Williams, a seventh-round draft pick out of Stephen F. Austin in 2011, played in two games for the Rams before being waived.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.