Detroit Lions Win Ugly In Chicago

If you look up the definition of ugly on Wikipedia you would probably find a link to tape of the Detroit Lions 20-14 win against the Chicago Bears. The win certainly wasn’t pretty but it was exactly what the Detroit Lions needed if they want to maintain their slim chance at getting the  number one seed in the NFC playoffs.

The Good

The Detroit Lions defense was dominant again.  Ndamukong Suh and company held the Chicago to just 234 yards of total offense while surrendering 14 points. Of the 14 points the Bears scored only 7 of them came honestly.  That drive occurred in the 3rd quarter when the Bears went on a 14 play 80 drive that ended with a 20 yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. The others came after a Detroit special teams gaf that gave the Bears the ball deep in Lions territory.

The success on can once again be attributed  to the play of the Detroit Lions defensive front and the pressure they place on QB Jimmy Clausen. Once again the defense was in the opponents backfield all day recording 2 sacks, 7 tackles for loss and 7 QB hits. They also did a great job picking up for Matt Stafford after throwing two interceptions on possible scoring plays.

Reggie Bush was back in the line-up and looked more like the Superstar free agent the Detroit Lions signed two season ago.  Bush had 99 total yard with a touchdown and bailed the offense out on a couple of long third down conversions.

The Bad

The special teams until had easily their worst game of the season.  A muffed punt that led to a Chicago Score and a blocked field goal attempt add up to a ten point swing and made the game much closer than it had to be.

Speaking of bad it was another poor statistical performance for Matt Stafford on the road.  Stafford threw two interceptions in or near the endzone while throwing for just 243 yards. However in this case numbers don’t tell the whole story. Stafford overall performance was gutsy despite an aggressive Bears defense.

The Ugly

For intensity this game was certainly worthy of the Bears/Lions rivalry.  Dominic Raiola and Ziggy Ansah were both involved in plays that will likely be reviewed by the NFL offices.  Raiola was caught on tape stomping on the ankle of a Bears defender after a scrum. Later in the game, Ziggy Ansah landed a head shot on a sliding Jimmy Clausen.  Both incidents caused some pushing and shoving but neither drew penalty flag.

Ugly or not, fans have to be happy with the fact the Detroit got this win.  Now with just one game left on the schedule if they get a little help the Detroit Lions could end up with the best record in the NFC.