Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on December 6, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The 8-3 Chicago Bears traveled to Ford Field in Detroit to take on the 2-9 Detroit Lions in a game that many felt the Bears would have no problem winning.  As it turned out, Chicago was almost bested by the Lions in a close game, but the Bears managed to wiggle out a 24-20 win and win their fifth straight game.  

The defense looked horrible in the first half, and they allowed the Lions to take control of the game and keep it close.  Big plays were the rule of the day, both on the ground and through the air, and it seemed as if the Bears couldn’t stop anyone.  They made third-string quarterback Drew Stanton look like a star in that first half.

The adjustments that they made at halftime must have worked, because the Bears defense came out strong and only allowed the Lions to gain 24 yards in the half.  They had a key stop after quarterback Jay Cutler fumbled the ball deep in Lion’s territory, holding Detroit to a field goal instead of a touchdown.

The play of the defense might have made up for a lot of what happened in the first half, but there could still be some concerns on defense for the Bears as they head into their big game against the Patriots next Sunday.  

What went wrong for the Bears?  How did they almost lose this game?

Let’s find out in this in-depth review of the Bears game against division rival Detroit.

Scoring Summary

The Lions got the first score of the game on their second possession on a three-yard touchdown run by quarterback Drew Stanton to go up by seven early.  Chicago would tie it up after running back Chester Taylor punched it into the end zone from one yard out to tie it up and close out the first quarter.

Detroit would make it 10-7 in the second quarter after kicker Dave Rayner, in for an injured Jason Hanson, booted a 50-yard field goal.  Chicago would get their first lead of the game after running back Matt Forte ran 14 yards into the end zone for a touchdown.  The score was 17-10 in favor of the Bears.

After failing to do anything with the ball towards the end of the half, the Bears gave it back to the Lions with under a minute to go, and Detroit, on the strength of two long plays, was able to take it into the end zone and go up, 17-14.  The touchdown came when wide receiver Calvin Johnson took a pass 46 yards into the end zone for the score.

The Lions made it 20-14 after a 25-yard field goal by Rayner in the third quarter.  After a long scoreless stretch, Chicago would finally get on the board and draw to within three of the Lions with a career-long 54-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould. 

The Bears would get the final score of the game, and the winning score, when Cutler hit tight end Brandon Manumaleuna for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Bears up, 24-20.

Stud of the Game

Earl Bennett has been on fire lately, and he had another good game against Detroit with a 104-yard performance.  He made some critical catches during the game, and has really developed into Cutler’s go-to wide receiver.

Dud of the Game

The defense, as a whole, failed to wrap up and secure ball carriers in the first half, and this lead directly to the Lion’s ability to score points and keep it close.  They have to get better tackling the ball carrier in the next few games, as they may not always be as lucky as they were on Sunday.  So this goes out to the defense for failing to tackle and hold the ball carrier to virtually no yards after contact.

Analysis

This game made a lot of Bears fans nervous because it showed us just how shaky the Bears can be at times.  The defense had a very poor first half after failing to wrap-up ball carriers and not allow them to gain extra yardage after the catch.  They also looked confused on defense at times, especially in the secondary, and didn’t get much pressure from their front four, which forced them to blitz their linebackers and nickelback more often.  

That, of course, took tacklers out of the secondary and opened up some holes for Lions runners and receivers.

The Bears defense didn’t look as good as they had in their past few games, and needs to not have any more letdowns like this in the future.

They did tighten things up in the second half, however, and helped bring the Bears back and win the game.  It was nice to see that the defense could adjust and come out playing much better in the second half like they did.  Hopefully, if they have to do it again this season, they will be able to make those changes and come out on the winning end.

The offense did what it had been doing for the past five games, going on long scoring drives, controlling the ball and the clock.  They did have some problems keeping the Lions’ front four from doing some damage, and Cutler was sacked time and again in this game.  Some of it can be hung on the offensive line, but Cutler also had a hand in getting sacked in this game and needs to get back to making better decisions with the football.

He also had a fumble to start the second half, which almost gave the Lions a larger lead, but luckily, the defense helped out and held the Lions to just three points on that drive.

Chicago’s offense was on target running and passing the ball, and the Cutler to Bennett combination appears to be working very well.  Bennett has become a good reliable wide receiver for Cutler and those two are help making the offense click.

Both Forte and Chester Taylor had nice games running the ball, and Forte continues to provide the Bears with a lot of offense in each and every game.  He’s clearly healthy this season and plays much more like he did in his first year with the Bears.

Everyone hopes that the Bears had just a hiccup in the game and that it isn’t anything to be concerned about.  

Next Up

The Bears will host the New England Patriots next Sunday at Soldier Field.  A full preview of that game will be coming at the end of this week.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com