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Week 9 Game Recap: Detroit Lions 23, Chicago Bears 27
What you need to know
| Detroit Lions |
Although it had been a nice week of weather in Chicago, the field conditions were sloppy as players were slipping around all game. This affected players' ability to cut, and even resulted in a missed extra point.
It was an up and down day for Dan Orlovsky, as he struggled out of the gate, put together a few nice drives, and then finished the game struggling again. Orlovsky completed 28 of 47 passes for 292 yards, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions as well. The key to how well he was performing seemed to lie in the Bears' ability to get pressure on him. When Orlovsky was being pressured, he was taking lots of sacks and got pressured into a couple turnovers. However, for the middle portion of the game the Bears were unable to pressure him, allowing him to develop a good rhythm with his receivers and lead the Lions on a 20-0 run.
WR Calvin Johnson saw the majority of Orlovsky's targets, being thrown to 18 times. Although Johnson only managed to bring in eight of these targets, in his defense most of them were not catchable. Johnson continued to look like a man among boys, highlighted on his leaping touchdown catch on a fade route in the second quarter. He finished the afternoon with 94 yards and a score.
RB Kevin Smith did not get the start, but did get the bulk of the work for the Lions. He started off the scoring for Detroit capping off a drive with a one yard touchdown run, finishing the day with 53 total yards and a touchdown. Rudi Johnson saw a smaller workload, getting only eight carries to Smith's 14. In his limited work, Johnson was not very effective, racking up 32 total yards on ten touches.
| Chicago Bears |
It was a Bears' fan worst nightmare when Kyle Orton went down at the end of the second quarter with an injury. Orton was attempting to run for a first down when he was knocked out of bounds, and as he was falling his cleat got caught on a defender's kneepad, twisting his ankle towards the outside. Orton was clearly in pain and had to be carted off the field, and did not return to the game.
In Orton's absence it was the return of Rex Grossman, who did a good job filling in and leading the Bears past the Lions. Grossman threw for one touchdown and ran in for another, but only finished the game with 58 passing yards, completing nine of his 19 pass attempts. He did throw an interception, but the ball was batted in the air at the line of scrimmage.
RB Matt Forte looked quick and fresh coming out of the bye week, running for multiple long gains against the porous Lions' defense. Forte did not score any touchdowns, but took 22 carries for 126 yards, an impressive 5.7 yards per carry. Forte came within inches of a score, but a defender tripped him up just short and Grossman ran it in later in the drive.
What you ought to know
| QB Dan Orlovsky, Pass: 28 - 47 - 292 - 2 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 2 - 2 - 0 |
Orlovsky opened the first series taking a sack, and on third down he threw an interception. Calvin Johnson slipped on his cut on the play, causing him to not get to the spot Orlovsky expected. With this start, it appeared the Lions were in for another long afternoon, but surprisingly they turned it around. As the first half wore on, the Bears struggled to get pressure on Orlovsky, which gave him plenty of time to find his receivers and put together nice drives. The Lions second scoring drive ended with a 17 yard touchdown pass on a fade route to Calvin Johnson, a nicely thrown ball that only he had a chance to catch. The following drive, Orlovsky found Shaun McDonald in the corner of the end zone for his second touchdown.
| RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 14 - 37 - 1, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (4 targets) |
Smith had a decent day, running for 37 yards and a score. Early in the second quarter Smith capped off a long Lions drive with a one yard touchdown run, the highlight of his afternoon. Throughout the game the Lions elected to pass much more than throw, passing as a pose to running on about a two to one ratio.
| RB Rudi Johnson, Rush: 8 - 19 - 0, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (2 targets) |
Johnson got the start for the Lions, but was not very effective in his playing time. He took eight carries for 19 yards, a pathetic 2.4 yards per carry. When Smith proved to be more effective, Johnson did not see much more action.
| WR Calvin Johnson, Rush: 1 - -6 - 0, Rec: 8 - 94 - 1 (18 targets) |
Johnson caught a touchdown on a nice fade route early in the second quarter, making a leaping catch and landing with both feet inbounds. Most of the throws Johnson was getting through the game were short slanting routes, usually good for an easy five or six yards. Although he caught under half his targets, he only had a couple dropped balls, so he really was not at fault for the poor percentage. Johnson finished the afternoon with eight receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.
| WR Shaun McDonald, Rec: 6 - 65 - 1 (6 targets) |
McDonald was an important part of the Lions' passing game, hauling in all six of his targets for 65 yards and a touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, McDonald made a great diving catch in the end zone for a 14 yard touchdown. Later in the fourth quarter, McDonald made a great catch on third down where he managed to snag a pass thrown behind him and get the first down.
| WR Mike Furrey, Rec: 4 - 40 - 0 (6 targets) |
Furrey turned his six targets into four receptions for 40 yards. His long reception of the afternoon was for 22 yards, and he did not have any scores.
| TE Michael Gaines, Rec: 6 - 64 - 0 (9 targets) |
Gaines was the second most targeted Lions' receiver, catching six passes for 64 yards. Late in the third quarter, Gaines had his longest reception of the afternoon when he got open down the sideline and was hit for a 19 yard gain. In the Lions' comeback attempt late in the fourth quarter, Gaines caught a short reception but dropped the ball on the hit, losing the fumble.
| PK Jason Hanson 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 3 XP, 5 points |
Hanson slipped on an extra point attempt, resulting in the kick being blocked.
| DET Rush Defense |
The rush defense failed Detroit again, as they allowed 126 yards on the ground to Forte. Not only that, but Detroit also allowed each Chicago QB to run for a touchdown against them. All in all, it was not a good day to be a Detroit defender.
| DET Pass Defense |
Detroit's pass defense only allowed 166 yards passing and a touchdown to the Bears' quarterbacks combined in the game. Detroit also got an interception on a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage, a rare turnover for the unit.
| QB Rex Grossman, Pass: 9 - 19 - 58 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 2 - 3 - 1 |
Grossman replaced Orton in the third quarter due to his injury, and although he didn't dazzle he did what he needed to for the Bears to win. Despite leading the Bears to the win, Grossman didn't look comfortable, dancing around in the pocket and releasing wild throws. He also threw an interception, which came in the fourth quarter on a ball that was batted into the air at the line of scrimmage. In the fourth quarter, Grossman ran in the ball for a one yard score.
| QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 8 - 14 - 108 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 7 - 1 |
Orton was injured on a freak play at the end of the second quarter. Scrambling for a first down, Orton was tackled out of bounds, and his cleat caught on the knee of a Lions' defender and twisted his ankle to the outside. Currently it is being called a high ankle sprain and he is scheduled for an MRI on Monday. While Orton was in the game, he looked pretty good, completing eight of 14 passes for 108 yards. Orton also ran in a five yard touchdown before his afternoon was finished.
| RB Matt Forte, Rush: 22 - 126 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) |
Forte's longest run of the game came in the third quarter, when he got behind a blocker on a run to the right and burst through for a 20 yard gain. In the fourth quarter, Forte broke off a nice run in the red zone, barely getting tripped up at the one and coming just short of the touchdown. Forte finished the game with 126 yards on 22 carries, a major cause for the Bears' success.
| RB Jason McKie, Rush: 2 - 8 - 0, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) |
McKie caught a short pass from Grossman early in the third quarter and plowed ahead for a nine yard gain. He also had a carry in the red zone, but came up a couple yards short.
| WR Devin Hester, Rush: 1 - 11 - 0, Rec: 4 - 42 - 0 (5 targets) |
Hester lost a fumble early in the second quarter on a kickoff return, having the ball stripped away from him, giving Detroit the ball deep in Chicago territory. Early in the third Hester had his defender beat deep but Grossman overthrew him, squandering a touchdown opportunity. However, Hester did catch his other four targets, good for 42 yards. He also took an end around carry which should have been a loss, but he turned it into a gain for eleven yards.
| WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 5 - 64 - 1 (8 targets) |
Davis was the most targeted Bears' receiver, being thrown to eight times. Midway through the third quarter Davis caught a short pass slanting across the middle, and managed to dive into the end zone for a six yard touchdown. Davis finished the game with five receptions for 64 yards and a score.
| WR Marty Booker (2 targets) |
Booker was targeted twice but unable to bring in either for a reception.
| TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (6 targets) |
Clark had a key third down drop late in the second quarter that could have extended the Bears' drive, but instead they had to settle for a field goal. Besides the drop, Clark caught four targets for 36 yards. The only other target he didn't catch was not anywhere near him.
| TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 2 - 10 - 0 (5 targets) |
Olsen had a quiet game, catching two passes for ten yards. On the Bears' second drive Olson was wide open on the goal line, but Orton slightly overthrew him.
| PK Robbie Gould 2 - 2 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 9 points |
Gould made all of his kicks, so there is nothing significant to report in the kicking game.
| CHI Rush Defense |
The Bears' rush defense shut down the Lions, forcing them to abandon the run. The Lions' running backs combined for only 56 yards on 22 carries; however Kevin Smith did manage to score a one yard touchdown in the second quarter.
| CHI Pass Defense |
The Bears' pass defense had an inconsistent game, half of it getting great pressure on Orlovsky and the other half getting nowhere near him. As expected, the Lions' pass attack fluctuated based on which was occurring. When the Bears' had pressure on Orlovsky, they forced him into two interceptions and sacked him once. However, when they couldn't apply pressure, Orlovsky torched them for two touchdowns.
