The Bears (3-1) outscored the Lions 27-3 after going into halftime tied at 21. Johnny Knox’s 102-yard kickoff to start the third quarter was the momentum-changing play.

Forte once again is a strength (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green).

Quarterback
Jay Cutler (18-28-141, 2 TD, 3/8, TD, 2 Fumbles) didn’t have eye-popping yardage statistics, but still produced 3 touchdowns and had no interceptions. His 5-yard touchdown scramble was a great effort and he knew he was going to take a big hit at the goal line. He had another scramble for 6 yards that was emblematic of how different he is from any quarterback the Bears have had in years. A blitzer came untouched through the left side. He recognized the pressure, knew he couldn’t step up, was flushed out of the pocket, and still picked up solid yardage in spite of the mismatch. His two touchdown passes were short throws to tight ends Kellen Davis and Greg Olsen on rollouts. On another smart play, he alertly saw Johnny Knox with a 10-yard cushion at the line and hit him immediately. Take the free yardage and move it down the field. He held the ball too long on the two sacks, but that’s the risk he has been taking all season long. Cutler missed Knox and Olsen on third down passes that he should have converted. In all, his decision making was excellent, but his accuracy could have been a little better. GRADE: B+

Running Backs
Matt Forte (12/121, TD, 2-19) broke off two big runs of 61 and 37 yards. The 61-yarder was on the Bears’ second play. It was his decision to cut off right tackle behind a crushing block from Chris Williams. He later added a 37-yard touchdown run over left tackle to put the game on ice in the 4th quarter. Garrett Wolfe (5/22, TD, 1-12) had a good game. He also had a big gain wiped off the board because of offsetting penalties. Adrian Peterson hurt his knee on one of the early special teams plays and was no longer available for the balance of the game. Jason McKie didn’t get into too many plays, but made a nice block on the 61-yarder. GRADE: A

Receivers
Johnny Knox (5-31) had a drop and another pass that was too hot to handle. However, he held onto the ball in traffic and took a few hits on some slants, zero routes and screens. Devin Hester caught one pass for 2 yards, and on the reception chose to cut inside instead of outside where the play was designed to go. He would have had a winnable race to the edge that would have meant a key pickup. He later left with a shoulder injury. Earl Bennett (2-32) had a leaping catch for25 yards. Kellen Davis caught another touchdown and added a big 18-yarder. Greg Olsen had one catch for a one-yard touchdown. There were 7 passes thrown his way. Desmond Clark returned to the lineup and had two short receptions. Rashied Davis (2-16) saw some action after Hester went out. GRADE: C+

Offensive Line
Welcome back. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was much better all-around. Pass protection was consistently solid across the entire line. Cutler had far fewer times where he had to run for his life from the start. Downfield blocking and execution were the keys for this unit. Olin Kreutz picked up a key block on Garrett Wolfe’s short touchdown run. On Forte’s 61-yard run, Kreutz and Garza cross blocked. Garza got movement on his man and Kreutz ran his player down. Meanwhile, right tackle Chris Williams drove his man into the middle of the defense and left guard Frank Omiyale made an excellent downfield play side block to open a huge running lane. Williams had a downfield decleater on Forte’s 37-yard touchdown run. With 20 carries for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns (7.6 yards per carry), there was a lot to be proud of. GRADE: B+

Defensive Line
Adewale Ogunleye (4 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 TFL, FR) rebounded from a relatively quiet first half to have a tremendous game. On one play in the first half, he was negated by a tight end on a pass rush. His sack on 3rd and goal at the 6-yard line was a critical stop. Alex Brown (4 tackles, .5 sack, TFL) had a strong game throughout. He was flagged for a bogus facemask penalty that extended Detroit’s first drive, leading to a touchdown. Tommie Harris (1 tackle, INT) had another quiet game. He picked up an interception when Mark Anderson (3 tackles, TFL) pressured Matt Stafford (24-36-296, TD, INT) into a hurried throw while rushing from the tackle position. Stafford never saw Harris, because he had already fallen to the ground. He got back up just in time to get hit in the chops with the ball. Anderson was very active. Anthony Adams and Marcus Harrison combined for 1 other tackle from the quiet tackle position. All three did a nice job walling off against the run. Israel Idonije had a sack and forced a fumble. Overall, the line turned in some big plays, with 4 sacks and an interception, while holding Kevin Smith to just 30 yards rushing on 19 carries. GRADE: A

Linebackers
Lance Briggs (9 tackles, TFL) didn’t have any spectacular plays, but was a key factor in limiting the Lions from running the ball. Nick Roach (7 tackles, TFL, sack, PD) made his first start in the middle. He played step for step with Lance Briggs as a key contributor against the run. He also put the heat on Stafford, let him escape, and then recovered to get the sack. Jamar Williams made his first start on the strong side and picked up 6 tackles. They did have some trouble keeping the Lions’ tight ends at bay (9-127, TD). GRADE: B

Secondary
Zach Bowman (4 tackles) had a game to forget. Calvin Johnson (8-133) turned him around for a 45-yard bomb up the left sideline on the first play. He also had at least two missed tackles as well as a pass interference penalty. Charles Tillman (8 tackles) slipped and fell to allow a completion over 20 yards on a third and 10 play. Safety Danieal Manning led the Bears with 9 tackles, including 2 tackles of Calvin Johnson for little to no gain. He actually looked like he was getting the most of his amazing speed in a defensive situation. Al Afalava (6 tackles, PD) was technically sound in run support. Apart from Bowman, the issues the secondary has been having seem to be related more to their ability to tighten up big holes in the zones over the middle. Kevin Payne had three tackles in nickel situations. GRADE: C

Robbie Gould connected on a career-long 52-yard field goal and added a 22-yarder as well. His kickoffs were excellent. Brad Maynard put each of his 4 punts down inside the 20, and had 2 inside the 10-yard line. Johnny Knox fielded the opening kickoff of the third quarter from two yards deep in the end zone and racked 102 yards for a touchdown. Danieal Manning added a 43-yard return. After Hester got hurt, Earl Bennett made 4 strong punt returns for 63 yards. He made some smart, slippery moves. Darrell McClover, Garrett Wolfe, Tim Shaw and Craig Steltz each had two tackles on kickoff coverage that held the Lions under 19 yards per return. On a day when the Bears were outgained 398-276, it was the play of this unit that made the biggest difference. Al Afalava’s offsides penalty on an early field goal attempt was the only blemish preventing this unit from getting an A+. GRADE: A

Good coaching helps you overcome playing with two new linebackers because of injury as well as losing a four phase special teamer like Adrian Peterson. The Lions were emotionally high from their win and delivered the opening punches in this fight. The Bears withstood all they could deliver and showed at the end that they were the much better team. There are still gaping holes in the secondary that opposing quarterbacks are having an easy time finding. The first half defense was atrocious. Why is it so hard to stop third and long, but on third and short they seem to lock it down? Credit the coaches for turning it around, especially on defense, after the half. Hey, I guess those were good halftime adjustments, eh? GRADE: B

Noots’ Nut Crackers
Idonije on Brown
J. Peterson on Forte
Tillman on Pettigrew

Nudo’s Kudos
Forte
Cutler
Ogunleye
Brown
Briggs
Knox
Maynard
Roach
C. Williams

Horns
Bowman

Posted: 10|4|09 at 11:53 pm. Filed under: Game Summary.

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