Well, the Bears week 1 game against Detroit ended well, if you're a Bears fan. However, it was a controversial call that gave the Bears the win. I don't know about anybody else who watched the game, but I don't think either team truly deserved to win it.
The only unit on the Detroit Lions that played well was their defensive line. Ndamokung Suh had a sack and was a disruptive force in the running game for the Bears, as was Corey Williams, who also had a sack. Vanden Bosch also helped in both the passing and rushing defense for the Lions. The fourth quarter goal line stand from inside their 1 yard line after the turnover by their offense was huge. I was impressed with the front four of the Lions defense, but the other parts of their team looked inept. The linebacking corps is depleted by injuries, and they aren't really talented linebackers to begin with, outside of Julian Peterson. The secondary also didn't impress me much, eventhough they did cause three fumbles. The Bears were able to go up and down the field most of the game through the air.
The Lions offense was pathetic. They did score two first half touchdowns, and had the game winning touchdown taken away on a technicality (which I believe should be changed). Both of their touchdowns were the result of great field position due to Chicago Bears turnovers (the interception by Jay Cutler in the first quarter, and Matt Forte fumble in the second quarter). The Bears defense had the Lions stopped on their first touchdown drive, but a 15 yard roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive for the Lions, who eventually scored on a Jahvid Best 8 yard run.
One aspect of the Lions game plan that I was really not sure about was why they didn't use their receivers to attack the Bears early in the game. The Bears secondary is weak (at best), and Calvin Johnson should have had a field day. The Lions chose not to throw deep, instead opting for short and intermediate routes, which the Bears defended well. The Lions also could not get anything going in the running game, which against a healthy Chicago front four is tough for any team in the league. The Lions offense as a unit managed only 168 yards of total offense, which is pathetic. I know Stafford was knocked out of the game late in the second half, and to the Bears credit, they made sure that the Lions had to throw to win the game. The Lions had only 20 yards rushing on 21 carries, and eventhough they had 2 rushing touchdowns, they still didn't get anything going in the game. The Lions also lost the field position battle, and the time of possession battle, only having the ball on offense for 25:18 in the game.
With how poor the Lions offense was (although Stafford was out of the game), and how the Lions defense (outside of their D-line) didn't play as well as the Bears, how did they have a chance to win? Well, because apparently nobody told the Bears offense that the object of the game is to score, not merely rack up yards. The Bears offense dominated the Lions defense for most of this game. They had 362 yards passing. Are you kidding me? The Bears with 362 yards passing? I never thought I'd see the Bears offense be that explosive in the passing game. They also managed 101 yards rushing, although that number is scewed by several quarterback scrambles that went for decent gains.
The problem for the Bears was turnovers (again). After scoring a field goal on their opening drive, and stopping the Lions offense with a three and out series, the Bears turned the ball over, and gave the Lions great field position when Cutler made an ill-advised throw into triple coverage that was tipped, picked, and returned into Bears territory. The Lions did score a touchdown off of that turnover. Later in the second quarter the Bears marched inside the Lions 20 yard line, and Olsen fumbled the ball away. They left points on the field there. Later in the second quarter, again with the Bears marching, Matt Forte fumbled the ball away after a 25 yard gain that would have set the Bears up with a first and ten, inside the redzone. The Lions scored a touchdown off of this turnover as well. In my opinion, those three turnovers cost the Bears at least 13 points, while the Lions scored 14 points. Without those turnovers, this game is a route. I liked how the Bears offense moved the ball consistently. It was clear to see how the Martz offense will work with the Bears personnel. There was one other turnover, a strip, sack, fumble of Jay Cutler in the third quarter by the Lions D-line, but the Bears defense stopped the ensuing drive, and nothing came of that turnover.
The offensive line continues to struggle. They gave up 4 sacks, and didn't get anything going in the run game. The receivers played well (Aromashodu had 5 catches for 72 yards, and should have caught several others, including a deep ball that would have been a touchdown). Matt Forte is back. Despite his two fumbles (one of which was recovered by the Lions), he had 50 yards rushing, and 7 catches for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns receiving, including the game winning score with only 1:32 left in the fourth. As long as he figures out how to protect the ball, which was a problem for him last year, he will be fine. If you had Forte going in your fantasy league this week, you did well. If the offense can figure out how to limit their turnovers, I can see how they would be able to put up decent scoring numbers. But that's the thing: Points, not stats, win the game. You can get 463 total yards on offense all you want, but if you only manage 19 points off of them, you aren't going to win many games.
People will disagree with me on this, but I thought Cutler played a good game. 372 yards, 2 TD's, 1 int. Those are good numbers. The pick was bad, but he limited his bad throws, and he ran the ball in situations that called for it, instead of forcing throws like he did last year. He is getting better. He needs to get the ball out of his hand more quickly, which I'm sure will be a point of emphasis this week while planning for the Cowboys.
The Bears defense was dominant today. 20 rushing yards allowed, 148 passing yards allowed, 2 sacks, and numerous tackles for loss. They also forced 3 turnovers, unfortunately they only led to 3 points, which is not their fault. If they are healthy, they will be good. I'd like to see Peppers generate pressure more consistently than he did today, although he did have a strip, sack, fumble play that knocked Stafford out of the game. The secondary, which I thought would get picked apart today, actually held up pretty well against Calvin Johnson. I still feel like the Johnson play at the end of the game was a touchdown, and personally, I think the Lions got screwed on that one.
Anyways, it was an opening week win, which is the bottom line. You need to win games against inferior teams, and the Lions were the inferior team today. They are going to have to take care of the football if they want to compete for the win against the Cowboys in Dallas next week. As always, leave your comments if you have them. Sorry this post is so long, I will try to be quicker in the coming weeks. Go Bears!
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