Bears Get Redemption Against Lions

The Chicago Bears didn’t need much help from the offense when they faced the Detroit Lions in Week 10 at Soldier Field. The Bears (6-3) dominated the Lions (6-3) on defense and special teams, resulting in a 37-13 victory.

Chicago’s defense recorded a season-high six takeaways (four interceptions and two fumble recoveries). The defense’s turnovers contributed to 24 of the Bears’ 37 points.

Julius Peppers started the turnover fest early in the first quarter when he forced Detroit’s Calvin Johnson to fumble, and was recovered by Brian Urlacher. The offense scored on the ensuing drive with a six-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte. On the next defensive series, Tim Jennings stripped the ball from Nate Burleson, and was recovered by rookie Chris Conte. This resulted in a 43-yard field goal by Robbie Gould.

The Bears’ defensive dominance continued early in the second half when Major Wright intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it for a 24-yard touchdown. Following Wright’s pick-six, Charles Tillman picked off Stafford and took it 44 yards to pay dirt, giving the Bears a 24-point lead.

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Tillman stepped up to the challenge of shadowing Johnson all game, containing one of the best receivers in the league. Johnson was targeted 19 times throughout the game and only caught seven passes for 81 yards. Tillman also had three pass defenses.

In the fourth quarter, both Tim Jennings and Corey Graham snagged passes from Stafford, topping off Chicago’s takeaway spree.

Despite being listed as questionable on the injury list with an ankle injury, high fever, and strep throat, Devin Hester continued to add to his record-setting return stats. The NFL’s all-time leader in punt returns for touchdowns ran another punt to the end zone for 82 yards in the second quarter, increasing his punt returns for touchdowns total to 14, and 17 total returns for touchdowns. Hester later left the game to get an I.V.

The performance of the offense was below average compared to what they were producing this season. Forte was held in check by Detroit’s defense with only 64 yards on 18 carries. Jay Cutler had 19 pass attempts, connecting on only nine of them for 123 yards. Six of those completions were to Earl Bennett, who has been Cutler’s security blanket the past two games. Bennett finished the game with a team-high 81 receiving yards.

The Chicago Bears are now on a four-game winning streak, and are about to face a San Diego Chargers team that is riding a four-game losing streak. This game will be the first of a very soft string of games for the Bears. Assuming that Chicago takes advantage of such a schedule, the road to the postseason may be a smooth ride.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent