The modern N.F.L. is defined by the short-passing game. And on Sunday, the short-passing game helped set a record for long plays. It might seem counterintuitive, but some of the longest pass plays of the season came from some of the shortest passes of the day:

■ On a 2nd-and-11 play in the first quarter from the Chicago 13-yard line, the backup Bears tight end Zach Miller ran a curl to the left flat. Quarterback Jay Cutler dumped the ball off to Miller, who caught the ball at the 15 yard line, before rumbling 85 yards through poor Rams tackling for a touchdown.

■ In the second quarter, Chicago had the ball at its own 17-yard line. The Bears called a screen pass, with Cutler throwing the ball to backup running back Jeremy Langford. Filling in for an injured Matt Forte, Langford caught the ball at the 12-yard line — five yards behind the line of scrimmage — and ran 88 yards, untouched, for a score.