The Detroit Lions swept the Chicago Bears for the first time since 2007 with a 21-19 victory Sunday at Soldier Field to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
Defensive tackle Nick Fairley made a fantastic play, shedding a block and stuffingBears running back Matt Forte on a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game in the final minute.
It was an apropos play for the Lions' defensive front, which dominated the line of scrimmage. The group held Forte to just 33 yards on 17 carries and pummeled quarterback Jay Cutler, who struggled with mobility coming off a groin injury.
Cutler was battered early and often. He suffered golf ball-sized swelling on his left (non-throwing) hand in the first half and injured his left ankle just prior to halftime. Cutler fought through the injuries but was replaced on the team's final drive.
With Chicago trailing 21-13, quarterback Josh McCown drove the Bears for a touchdown, setting up Fairley's big stop.
Now we get a week of "Should Cutler have stayed in the game that long?"
Here is what else we learned:
1) The Bears do the best job of any team at slowing down Calvin Johnson, but they couldn't shut him down late. Megatron had two touchdown catches -- including the game-winner -- and multiple big plays that took advantage of deep in-routes over the middle, where Bears safeties couldn't get up to help.
On NFL Network
NFL Replay
will re-air the
Detroit Lions' 21-19 win over the
Chicago Bears from Week 10 on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. ET.
2) Speaking of balling receivers, Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall demonstrated why they currently are the best receiving duo in the NFL. Marshall had two touchdowncatches to go along with his 139 yards. Jeffery (114 yards) burned the Lions' secondary often on third-and-long with deep slants. Unfortunately, he also dropped a touchdown pass and had another touchdown overturned after review.
3) Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy got his fifth interception of the season off a tipped pass in the end zone to keep the score tied 7-7 at the end of the first half. Levy has been fantastic this season.
4) The injury-ravaged Bears defense did a good job of slowing the Lions' offense for much of the game. The defensive line didn't produce much pressure, but bothered Matthew Stafford by getting hands in throwing lanes. They batted three balls and forced Stafford to throw high on several other passes -- including one picked off by safety Chris Conte. The Bears held Stafford to just 219 yards passing after the Lions quarterback had averaged 422 yards in his last two games.
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