Bears Fall To Lions, Spoil Our Appetites On Thanksgiving
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Nov 28, 2014 4:25PM
Jason Jones #91 of the Detroit Lions sacks quarterback Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter of the game at Ford Field on November 27 , 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Bears 34-17. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
The Bears won the draw to play the Lions for their annual Thanksgiving home game in Detroit. While the Bears came into the contest winners of two straight the Lions had lost their last two, and had failed to score a touchdown in either loss. A fast Bears start faded and the Lions re-discovered the end zone on their way to a 34-17 win over the Bears.
The Good
First Quarter: The Bears had been slow out of the gate most of the season, but came out swinging on Thursday. They forced a three-and-out by Detroit on the game's opening drive, and then marched down the field to score a touchdown on their first possession. Jay Cutler finding Alshon Jeffrey from 10 yards out gave the Bears an early 7-0 lead. Detroit kicked a field goal and then the Bears increased their lead to 14-3 when Jared Allen forced a fumble while sacking Matt Stafford, and the Bears converted the short field into seven more points when Cutler and Jeffrey again teamed up. Too bad the hot start couldn't continue.
Calvin Johnson: The Bears defense was just what the doctor ordered for Megatron, who had been questioned over his reduced production of late. Johnson caught 11 passes for 146 yards with a pair of touchdowns before halftime. The Bears secondary had little success in slowing down one of the league's top receivers.
Martellus Bennett: The Bears tight end was Cutler's most successful target against Detroit, catching eight passes for 109 yards.
The Bad
The Second Quarter: The game slipped away from the Bears in the second quarter, as the Lions finally broke the seal on the goal line after nine quarters. The Lions scored three touchdowns, with Johnson catching passes of 25 yards and six yards and Joique Bell punching the ball in from a yard out. An early Bears lead turned into a 24-14 deficit by halftime.
The Bears Offense: With their one-sided attack (see The Ugly), the Bears couldn't produce enough offense to hang with Detroit. Jay Cutler completed 31 of 48 passes for 280 yards and two TDs, while also throwing two interceptions (the second on the game's final play). Their 269 yards of total offense was nowhere near enough to counter the Lions' resurgent offense.
The Ugly
The Bears Running Game: Detroit came into the game as the top defense against the rush. Marc Trestman's game plan and Matt Forte did nothing to change that. Forte carried the ball just five times, gaining a grand total of six yards. Ka'Deem Carey gained eight yards on a pair of carries, which along with a Cutler one yard loss netted the Bears 13 yards of offense on the ground. They also set a franchise record for fewest rushing attempts in a game.
While the Bears season has been over for weeks, some held on to false hope as the team approached .500 again. But the emphatic loss to Detroit should convince all Bears fans that this team is finished and there are no hopes for making the playoffs. Time to start auditioning guys for next year. While they may have ruined you appetite on Thanksgiving by giving up their early lead, at least they won't ruin your weekend next week. The Bears again play on Thursday night, hosting the 8-4 Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field.