Tough play by the Bears' offense and red zone turnovers by the Lions offense paved the way for Chicago to get a 13-7 divisional win on Monday night at Soldier Field.
The Bears were able to stop the Lions in the red zone by forcing turnovers. The Lions muffed two punts, with one leading to a Bears field goal. Julius Peppers caused Mikel LeShoure to fumble, and Brian Urlacher did the same to Joique Bell at the goal line. D.J. Moore stopped a Lions' surge late in the game with an interception. Charles Tillman kept star receiver Calvin Johnson to just three catches for 34 yards. Though the Bears defense didn't score as they have in previous games, they were still a suffocating force.
Jay Cutler finished with 16 catches for 150 yards. but it's a good sign that he played the entire game. Ndamukong Suh sacked Cutler with a takedown that looked more like a wrestling move. Cutler winced in pain and sat out a play. He then came back in and played, but went to the locker room to have his ribs checked during halftime. Though Jason Campbell warmed up, Cutler returned to the field just in time to start the second half.
With the defense on point, Cutler didn't need to be a huge force. Matt Forte picked up 96 yards on the ground and four more by air. Michael Bush added 36 more yards, showing the Bears to have plenty of weapons on offense.
The win moves the Bears to a record of 5-1 and gives them sole lead of the NFC North. Next, they will face Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
