Bears Maul the Defenseless Lions

It was just the Detroit Lions. As excited as fans are after yesterday’s insanely lop-sided victory (and understandably so), they must remember one thing: it was just the Detroit Lions. This was a game they should have won, but complete and utter domination wasn’t as expected. Their team wasn’t perfect, but Chicago fans are allowed to revel in the bye week that was the 34-7 pounding of the winless Lions. It was a win that put the Bears in sole possession of first place in the NFC North.

Everything started perfectly for the Bears, as the Lions sputtered on the first drive of the day. The Bear defense stopped Kevin Smith for no gain on the ground, Charles Tillman broke up a pass intended for Roy Williams (the first of many), and then came a sack of quarterback Jon Kitna on third down. It was a foreboding series for events for the Lions, who never got anything going offensively. They only mustered 185 yards of total offense, most of which came in the second half after Chicago had established a healthy lead. Jon Kitna was benched early in the second half, which was later said to be the result of back spasms. At the time, it seemed to be simply a coach’s decision, as Detroit’s offense desperately needed a spark. Back-up Dan Orlovsky entered the game and fared no better versus the Bears’ intimidating defense.

Some of the credit can be taken by the Bears, but Detroit really just hurt themselves on Sunday. Their two best receivers Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams had multiple drops apiece, which killed a number of drives. Williams especially had problems all day as Bears corner Charles Tillman simply blanketed him in coverage. The stats show that Roy had seven catches for 96 yards, but most of that came in garbage time of the fourth quarter. It also doesn’t show the passes he dropped or the five to six miscommunications with his quarterbacks where he wasn’t anywhere near where the pass landed. Despite Roy’s complaining on the sidelines, he can only blame himself for his drops. Maybe a few throws were a bit high, but a Pro Bowl wide receiver should make those plays. One of the high throws tipped off of Williams’ hands and into the mitts of a ready Tillman who ran it back 26 yards for the score. The Lions’ passing troubles were only compounded by their lack of a running game. I’m convinced Detroit only ran the ball to give their quarterbacks a break. They only accumulated 54 yards on 13 carries, which means the production was decent given the limited amount of attempts. That showcases Detroit’s inability to commit to their ground game.

While Chicago’s rushing attack wasn’t much more effective, it did set up the play-action with great success. Matt Forte had 61 yards from scrimmage, including a touchdown reception that saw him stretch out barely past the goal line. Kevin Jones had a decent performance against his former team, rushing for 36 yards on ten carries. The real key to the Bears’ offensive success was Kyle Orton and the passing game. I’ll let that sink in for a moment. Kyle Orton broke my prediction of less than two 200 yard passing games with an astounding 334 yards and two touchdowns. With another contest against the Lions in week nine, Orton probably has another 200 yarder on the schedule. Even more shocking was the emergence of the wide receivers in the passing attack. Rashied Davis and Devin Hester stepped up big time in the absence of Brandon Lloyd. Making his first real start at wide receiver, Hester took advantage of the opportunity to stay out on the field for five catches for sixty-six yards and a touchdown. We all knew about his talent, but Sunday Hester showed us the reason the coaching staff has so much confidence in his ability to be a number one wide-out. Tight end Greg Olsen broke free of coverage for 52 yards on the first play on the Bears’ second drive of the game, the first one of many downfield plays by Kyle Orton.

The few negatives on the field were outweighed by the positive production. Kyle Orton should use this game to keep working on his deep throws. He could have hit a few targets in stride on Sunday, but overthrew when there was close coverage. His completions generally came when his receivers found the gaps in Detroit’s cover two scheme. Devin Hester must continue to improve his grip on the ball as well as his decision-making process. Normally Hester has no qualms about running out of bounds, but on this particular punt return he stayed inbounds to fight for what would have been a minimal gain. He was engaged with a defender when another Lion rushed in and jarred the ball loose, recovered by the Detroit. It set up their only score of the game, as they only need to traverse 22 yards to the end zone.

Chicago can only get healthier next week, as Tommie Harris, Nate Vasher, and Brandon Lloyd could all return to action. Even with Harris’ suspension, the defense played to perfection. The offense put up solid drives for touchdowns with and without the defense getting turnovers. The coaching staff put together a game plan that actually put the ball in the hands of their playmakers. They need to keep it up. If the Bears can build off of this superb showing, they have a great chance to stay on top of the NFC North. Though let’s not forget, it was only the Detroit Lions.