It took a bit a luck with the Officials and the Booth Review for the Bears to escape and hand the Detroit Lions their 21st consecutive road loss,19-14. A late Jay Cutler 28 yard TD pass to Matt Forte(with 1:32 left)along with one zebra overruling another on a would be Calvin Johnson TD catch with :31 left gave the Bears the opening day win,but like many games this first NFL weekend, this was ugly and not at all impressive! The Bears moved very well on their first possession,and Cutler was able to scramble down to the Lions 1,but on third down, Forte was stuffed for a two yard loss. Robbie Gould then kicked a 10 yard field goal for the Bears first points of the season.After the Lions were stopped three and out,the Bears took over,but on a third and long,Cutler had a pass tipped twice and intercepted by Aaron Berry who returned it 23 yards to the Bears 42. After a third down pass,Matthew Stafford took a blow to the head from Julius Peppers which moved the ball to the Bears 21.That led to a 7 yard TD run by Rookie Jahvid Best which gave the Lions a 7-3 lead with 2:15 left in the quarter.As the second quarter started,the Bears were driving and got to the Detroit 17.But red zone problems continued,but not due to an interception this time.
NOTES—Cutler was 23-35 for 372 yards,two TD’s,and 1 Int. He was sacked four times for losses of 10 yards and a QB rating of 108.3….Stafford was 11-15 for 83 yards,a QB rating of 86.3 and Hill 9-19 for 88 yards and a QB rating of 38.9…..Forte caught 7 passes for 151 yards and two TD’s…..The Bears play at Dallas next Sunday at Noon.
LES
Cutler hit Greg.Olsen at the Detroit 8 but when he was hit by Chris Houston,he lost the ball and Julian Peterson fell on it at the 8.But Detroit was conservative,ran the ball three times and Nick Harris punted to Devin Hester who got it to the Lions 43.Each team went three and out and after a holding call on the Bears,they started at their own 31.The Bears got to the Detroit 42 when they turned it over for the third time in the first half.Cutler’s pass was caught by at the 27 but C.C.Brown jarred the ball loose at the 30 and Cliff Avril recovered for the Lions and ran it ten yards to the 40.Right after the two minute warning, Stafford hit Nate Burleson for 19 yards and his second effort got the ball to the 4.Best ran it in with :1:30 left to make it 14-3. After the kickoff,the Chris Williams was called for holding on first down,but then Curler hit Forte on a screen play which he broke down the East sideline.He appeared to step out of bounds,but the Officials missed it and the booth review did not overturn it,so the touchdown closed the Bears to within 14-10.The Lions tried to get into field goal range,but Stafford was hit by Peppers from behind,coughed it up,and Tommie Harris recovered it. After a Brian Urlacher late hit, the Bears started at the 37 and Gould kicked a 31 yard field goal to make the halftime score 14-13 Detroit.Stafford hurt his shoulder in the play in which he was hit by Peppers and did not return,Shaun Hill played the second half.Nick Roach of the Bears pulled his hamstring and missed the rest of the contest.Hunter Hillenmeyer became “ill” and did not return.The third quarter saw both teams held off the scoreboard,but the Bears fourth turnover, a Cutler fumble which Turk McBride caused and recovered,but a Hill pass intented for Calvin Johnson was picked off by Charles Tillman at the Bears 10.The Bears had the ball as the fourth quarter started.The Bears hot the biggest break of the game when an aborted hand off by Hill went to the ground and Lance Briggs fell on it inside the one yard line,but they failed on four downs to score.Forte was stuffed on first down for no gain.Cutler,then under pressure threw one away-out of the end zone. On third down, Forte was again stopped at the one. And on fourth down, Forte was again stuffed,and the Lions took over the at the one.After another exchange of punts,the Bears took over at their 44 with 3:15 left.They faced a second and long from the Detroit 28 and Cutler hit Forte,who made a catch falling down in the end zone with 1:32 left. Cutler’s pass on the two point conversion was off target. The Lions then got a two minute drill that by all accounts appeared to beat the Bears. Hill threw a perfect pass that Johnson made a one handed grab on and got his feet and leg down in bounds,but the ball did come loose before he totally landed which is the reason the officials gave for overturning the TD on the field,then upholding that no-TD via booth review. Two more Hill passes were incomplete in the endzone with double coverage.
Cutler hit Greg.Olsen at the Detroit 8 but when he was hit by Chris Houston,he lost the ball and Julian Peterson fell on it at the 8.But Detroit was conservative,ran the ball three times and Nick Harris punted to Devin Hester who got it to the Lions 43.Each team went three and out and after a holding call on the Bears,they started at their own 31.The Bears got to the Detroit 42 when they turned it over for the third time in the first half.Cutler’s pass was caught by at the 27 but C.C.Brown jarred the ball loose at the 30 and Cliff Avril recovered for the Lions and ran it ten yards to the 40.Right after the two minute warning, Stafford hit Nate Burleson for 19 yards and his second effort got the ball to the 4.Best ran it in with :1:30 left to make it 14-3. After the kickoff,the Chris Williams was called for holding on first down,but then Curler hit Forte on a screen play which he broke down the East sideline.He appeared to step out of bounds,but the Officials missed it and the booth review did not overturn it,so the touchdown closed the Bears to within 14-10.The Lions tried to get into field goal range,but Stafford was hit by Peppers from behind,coughed it up,and Tommie Harris recovered it. After a Brian Urlacher late hit, the Bears started at the 37 and Gould kicked a 31 yard field goal to make the halftime score 14-13 Detroit.Stafford hurt his shoulder in the play in which he was hit by Peppers and did not return,Shaun Hill played the second half.Nick Roach of the Bears pulled his hamstring and missed the rest of the contest.Hunter Hillenmeyer became “ill” and did not return.The third quarter saw both teams held off the scoreboard,but the Bears fourth turnover, a Cutler fumble which Turk McBride caused and recovered,but a Hill pass intented for Calvin Johnson was picked off by Charles Tillman at the Bears 10.The Bears had the ball as the fourth quarter started.The Bears hot the biggest break of the game when an aborted hand off by Hill went to the ground and Lance Briggs fell on it inside the one yard line,but they failed on four downs to score.Forte was stuffed on first down for no gain.Cutler,then under pressure threw one away-out of the end zone. On third down, Forte was again stopped at the one. And on fourth down, Forte was again stuffed,and the Lions took over the at the one.After another exchange of punts,the Bears took over at their 44 with 3:15 left.They faced a second and long from the Detroit 28 and Cutler hit Forte,who made a catch falling down in the end zone with 1:32 left. Cutler’s pass on the two point conversion was off target. The Lions then got a two minute drill that by all accounts appeared to beat the Bears. Hill threw a perfect pass that Johnson made a one handed grab on and got his feet and leg down in bounds,but the ball did come loose before he totally landed which is the reason the officials gave for overturning the TD on the field,then upholding that no-TD via booth review. Two more Hill passes were incomplete in the endzone with double coverage.
NOTES—Cutler was 23-35 for 372 yards,two TD’s,and 1 Int. He was sacked four times for losses of 10 yards and a QB rating of 108.3….Stafford was 11-15 for 83 yards,a QB rating of 86.3 and Hill 9-19 for 88 yards and a QB rating of 38.9…..Forte caught 7 passes for 151 yards and two TD’s…..The Bears play at Dallas next Sunday at Noon.
LES