Chicago Bears legend Matt Forte celebrates 37th birthday

Back when Matt Forte was the Bears’ running back, there might not have been an appropriate appreciation for what the Chicago Bears had.

Chicago Bears Matt Forte completes 37th rotation around the sun

Now, however, each time his birthday strikes, Chicago Bears fans have a single play that runs through their mind all day.

The Infamous “Matt Forte juke, causing two Buccaneers players to tackle each other.”

It’s a play that captures how good of a runner Matt Forte was when the ball was in his hands.

It was relaxing for Matt Forte to get the ball in his hands, as it was almost guaranteed he’d do something cool.

Similar to how fans feel now when Justin Fields has the ball in his hands. It could be any play that he’s running faster than anyone on the field for a touchdown.

With David Montgomery playing in a contract year — or the season leading up to when a player’s contract expires — it’s fun to reminisce on how great Matt Forte truly was as a player.

Matt Forte seemed to turn a game with little meaning into his own highlight reel.

In Forte’s eight-year career with the Chicago Bears, he was a true dual threat as a running back. Whether it was on the ground or through the air, watching Forte dissect a defense was a thing of beauty.

Throughout his eight years, Matt Forte averaged 106 combined yards per game. Looking back on it, that is insane. He played in some bad Chicago Bears offenses within the past decade or so, and yet, he’d still come away with over 100 yards per game.

For context on how good Matt Forte’s 106 yards per game stat is, this is how it stacks up against current running backs:

• Alvin Kamara: 101 yards per game
• Saquon Barkley: 102.1 yards per game
• Christian McCaffrey: 112.3 yards per game

As is evident by the names and yardages above, Matt Forte was genuinely a force to be reckoned with. That’s what Forte did for his entire career with the Chicago Bears. Yet, he never got the credit he deserved.

Through his eight seasons, Forte totaled 12,718 scrimmage yards, while finding the end zone a combined 68 times. Forte was also a Pro Bowler in both 2011 and 2013.

Each year, the Chicago Bears get to reminisce with “The Play.” Happy Birthday “Workhorse”, we truly appreciate your NFL career.