Possession by Possession Analysis of the Bears-Lions Game

Live Blog of Bears-Lions Game

First Quarter

The Bears are officially without Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher and Adam Archuleta today. This could get ugly in the passing game. Chicago will need to hurry Jon Kitna all day to make up for these injuries. If the Bears sit in a zone, the team is going to get killed in the pass defense, with Kitna and Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz picking them apart. This game will be a good test of the Bears’ character, with Griese in and all the injuries considered.

Detroit will receive the ball. Robbie Gould set to kick. Mike Furrey and Brian Calhoun back to receive. Calhoun takes knee in end zone.

Detroit: Kitna had 446 yards last week during the blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Tatum Bell run for six yards on first down. Some misdirection on the previous play. Bell run for two yards and stuffed by Brandon McGowan, who’s replacing Archuleta at strong safety. Kitna avoids a sack and hits a wide open Mike Furrey, whose foot was out of bounds on the play. No catch. Bears catch a break and looked confused on play. Devin Hester returns the ball deep into Detroit territory, fumbles but the ball goes out of bounds.

Analysis: Hester is amazing, going ten yards backwards across the field and returning the ball for 29 yards. Another Hester fumble though after several bobbles last week against the Dallas Cowboys.

Bears: First and 10 from 41 of Detroit–Cedric Benson run for a yard. Griese avoids the pressure on second down and hits Desmond Clark for six yards. Offensive line got blown up again on that play. Detroit had good pressure. Third and 3 — Bears look generally confused and call a timeout. T.V. timeout. Bears need to punch it in the end zone on this drive after Hester sets up great field position. Griese pass to Bernard Berrian is knocked out of his hands. Fourth and 3 from 34 yard line. Gould will try from 52 yards. The kick is blocked and returned by Kenoy Kennedy into Chicago territory. Shaun Rogers with the block. Personal foul at the end of the play on Mark Bradley of the Bears.

Analysis: After blocking several kicks this year, the Bears get it sent back at them. Detroit now with great field position. Expect Mike Martz to let Kitna take a chance here. Can the injured Bears defense hold strong and limit to a field goal. Inability to pick up short third down looms large.

Lions: First and 10 from Bears 27. Bell run for two yards, tackled by Briggs replacement, Jamar Williams. Bell second-down run for one yard. Tackle by Urlacher. Why is Martz being so conservative early here? Kitna is sacked on third and six by Tommie Harris with Mark Anderson finishing on the play. Kitna fumbled on the play and the Bears recovered. Chicago needs to challenge this and does. It looks like Adewale Ogunleye recovered. No challenge now. Jason Hanson 49-yard field gaol is good. Detroit 3, Bears 0.

Analysis: Why weren’t the Bears allowed to challenge that play? It was clearly a fumble. Did the refs blow the whistle or consider Kitna’s progress stopped? Smith and his coaching staff should have been more adamant there. This game should be notched at zero still. Mike Martz with a case of Ron Turner-itits early with very conservative play calling. Why aren’t the Lions carving up the Bears decimated secondary?

Bears: Hester return to the 26-yard line. It looks like the Kitna play was blown dead as he was in the grasp. Benson sweep for minus two yards. Why does Turner want to stretch the field east-west with Benson? He’s a north-south runner, and not a very good one to say the least. Benson is hit for a loss of two yards on second down. Offensive line getting pushed up-field early. Griese in shotgun. Third and long and throws away. Shaun Rogers blows by Fred Miller on the play. Intentional grounding on the play. Troy Walters fair catch at Detroit 35.

Analysis: Wow. The Bears offensive line is looking awful. And Ron Turner is calling himself a real doozy so far. Bears haven’t gotten a first down in six plays. Will Martz finally get the passing game going for Detroit? Chicago’s offense looks no better with Griese than with Grossman right now. It all falls on the terrible job being done by the offensive line.

Lions: Kitna’s dump pass to Tatum Bell is dropped. Nice upfield pressure by Bears’ front four. False start on Detroit. Ugly start to this game all-around. Kitna is sacked by Ogunleye. Detroit’s offensive line is looking as bad as the Bears. Chicago’s front four responding early and dominating the line of scrimmage. Kitna fake draw to Bell looks like a busted play. Kitna for a yard. Hester return from the 32 to the 45 of Chicago. Beautiful spin move by Hester turns nothing into something.

Analysis: Looks like even Mike Martz can be a Ron Turner once in while. In defense of both offensive coordinators thus far, the offensive lines have been atrocious. Detroit needs to get Kitna in the gun and spread the ball over the field. The Lions are not taking advantage of the Bears injuries. The incomplete pass to Furrey shows that Detroit can pass all over the Bears. The Lions will need to go gun for Kitna to get enough time though.

Bears: Griese’s three yard pass to Berrian is complete. That pass hung too long. Don’t like the play call. Griese looks confused on second and seven and throws the ball to no one. Chicago with seven total yards on eight offensive plays. Unreal. 3rd and 7 — Griese pass to Berrian is dropped. What is that four drops in two games for Berrian in the last five quarters. Berrian was supposed to be a Pro-Bowl receiver this year; he’s looking like a bum lately. Maynard punt to Lions eight.

Analysis: It clearly isn’t just Rex Grossman here fellas. Bears offense, in general, stinks.

Lions: Kevin Jones run for three yards. Kitna play-action pass to Mike Furrey for a quick strike and a third and short. Nice misdirection. Detroit looks lethargic. Third and two — Kitna hits Roy Williams on a short pass for a first down. Urlacher with the tackle. Danieal Manning defending Roy Williams. Detroit needs to exploit this. First and 10 — Jones run for a yard. Another tackle by McGowan, the Week One goat. 2nd and 10 — Kitna roll-out pass to Jones is complete for a gain of three yards. Detroit penalty for ineligible man down field. Penalty is declined. The Lions offensive line has been abysmal. Third and 9 — Kitna is sacked again by Tommie Harris. However, offsides on Alex Brown. Looks like the refs missed a holding on that play. Ogunleye was getting held under the shoulder pads. Sideline warning against the Bears. Give me a break. Third and 4 now — Kitna gets time and hits Williams for a first down at the Lions 49-yard line. Beautiful catch. Tatum Bell run for five yards. Hard hit by Urlacher. Bell run for a first down to the Bears 34-yard line. George Foster ate up Urlacher on the block. This guy still can’t get off the block. Pitch to Jones, who is eaten alive by Urlacher. Nice bounceback play. Holding on Detroit. This game has been rough to watch. It’s such a nice day. Maybe I should just go outside! 1st and 10 from Bears 45 — Kitna pass to Furrey for eight yards. Second and 12 — Lions hit Troy Walters on a slant for a first down. Kitna taking advantage of zone. 1st and 10 from 15 — Tatum Bell run for five yards. End of first quarter. Lions 3, Bears 0.

Second Quarter

Analysis: Lions offensive line doing a better job in the latter stages of this drive. Detroit should be up 10-0 here early in the second quarter. An anemic and ugly first quarter all-around. Detroit is getting into some rhythm. Chicago’s front four keeping Bears in it. The offense has been offensive, beginning up front with a very disappointing offensive line. Chicago yet to pick up a first down in three drives. Rex is on the sidelines knowing that it’s not just him. A familiar sight — Bears defense on the field for way too long, offense not on it.

Lions: Tatum Bell second-down run for four yards. Creates a short 3rd and 1 at the Bears 5. Detroit with 40-plus yards rushing. Chicago with minus-three. 3rd and 1 –Tatum Bell picks up the first down and then fumbles. Recovered by Chicago. The ref was very uncertain with that call, signaling that Bell was down and then giving the Bears the ball on the recovery. Ogunleye gets unsportsmanklike conduct penalty for removing helmet while arguing with ref.

Analysis: How much money do NFL refs make per game? These guys looked very poor on that call and the Kitna fumble earlier. Chicago’s defense saves the day yet again. The front four has been excellent. Ogunleye is really active. Chicago backed up deep in its territory. Expect Turner to go conservative on first and second down. Can the offensive line open up a hole?

Bears: Cedric Benson run for two yards. Had the outside but went down once again on initial contact. 2nd and 8 — Griese swing pass to Benson for two yards. Got to hate Ron Turner. 3rd and 6 from own 6 — Griese hits Berrian for a first down. Berrian fumbles the ball after hitting the ground. Get this guy some Stick-em. Bears first first down of game. Griese quick out to Muhsin Muhammad for seven yards. 2nd and 3 — Griese in shot gun. Two-yard pass to Desmond Clark. This is just embarrassing. Throw the ball somewhat down the field. 3rd and 1 — do you smell a Benson stuff? Pitch to Benson who gets the first down but is hammered by Ernie Sims. Benson fumbles once again but the ball goes out of bounds. Benson is not tough. Wow. Jerry Angelo screwed up trading Thomas Jones. 1st and 10 from 25 — Lions blitz the Bears and Griese throws away. Ernie Sims again all over the field. Bears offensive line yet again confused and ineffective. 2nd and 10 — Griese in gun and a delay of game. A comedy of errors. Bears offensive line is so bad that Turner has to go shotgun. 2nd and 15 — Griese badly underthrows Mark Bradley. 3rd and 15 — Griese is sacked by Shaun Rogers. The offensive line yet again implodes. Maynard punt to Troy Walters, who returns inside Bears territory. A horse collar on rookie Corey Graham. The third 15-yard penalty against the Bears this game.

Analysis: Bears offensive line is too old and getting destroyed by a defense that gave up 56 points last week. Bears are very undisciplined and looking like a team that’s falling apart with all of these penalties. From Super Bowl finalist to NFL Draft Lottery?

Lions: Detroit slant pass to Mike Furrey is caught inside the Bears 15 for a first down. Jones run for two yards. Kitna’s pass to McDonald is incomplete. 3rd and 9 from 13 — Ogunleye with another sack. No one even touched him on the Detroit offensive line. Just poor blocking all around on both sides of the ball. Hanson field goal from 39-yards is blocked. The Bears have blocked another one.

Analysis: This is sad. The Bears defense holds again and blocks their third field goal of the season. And Lovie is clapping on the sidelines. It’s time for Lovie to start chewing out the offense. A decimated defense is keeping them alive against a Detroit offense that is not converting on big plays. If this was Dallas, the Bears are down either 21 or 24-0. It’s clear that the Bears are not playoff contenders this year. The offense is just too brutal. Danieal Manning with block.

Bears: Garrett Wolfe run for one yard on first down. Good call Turner! Give the ball to a kid with one career carry when your offense is sputtering. Griese play action pass hits Berrian for 20 yards. Griese hits Berrian on a slant for 13 yards and a first down. Finally some rhythm. Hester in the game. Griese’s dump off on first down to Jason McKie is incomplete. 2nd and 10 from Detroit 30 — Screen pass to Hester for two yards. I hate Ron Turner. He’s run this play for Hester since the preseason and it has yet to work. Turner needs to go. 3rd and 7 — Griese pass to Desmond Clark for a first down inside the 20 yard line. It’s about time they go to Clark, the most underrated player on the Bears. Quick decision by Griese. Wolfe run for two yards. Benson once again knocked out of the game by a hard Sims tackle? Benson is a chump with no heart. 2nd and 8 — Wolfe is eaten up for a loss of one. Let’s run Wolfe to the short side of the field Turner, you jackass. 3rd and 9 — Griese touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad. Bears 7, Lions 3.

Analysis: Griese did a nice job on that drive, making quick decisions. He is more stable than Grossman in terms of quickly getting the ball out of his hands. With that said, this is the Lions, far from an elite team in the NFC. The Bears are struggling and are not a contender at this point. Chicago doesn’t have a running game. The Bears should look into signing Corey Dillon. Benson is not reliable. He can’t even finish games. While the Bears have the lead, Chicago is losing out here in the long run. Bears with their third touchdown of the season in four games. How many touchdowns did Carson Palmer have a couple of weeks ago? Oh yeah, six.

Lions: Calhoun hit hard by Brendon Ayanbadeyjo. T.V. timeout. First and 10 from Lions 16 — Kitna pass to Kevin Jones for a gain of about five. Kevin Jones nearly fumbles on hand off and is hit for no gain. Kitna in gun and hits Roy Williams for four yards, who cowers up a yard before the sticks and is drilled by a bevy of Bears, including Urlacher. Hester time with momentum swinging? Nope. Lions swarm him up and Bears 39. Nice coverage.

Analysis: Bears defense really stepping up with all of these injuries. Chicago with momentum. Now can they do something here and put this game away.

Bears: Griese pass to Rashied Davis for seven yards and two-minute warning. Still no Benson. Bears have no faith in this kid. But that’s what you get when anointing Benson as the starting running back when he didn’t earn it. Lovie deserves this for such blind faith in a jerk like Benson. Chicago needs to go up 14-3 here as they receive the ball first in the second half. A score could deflate Detroit, which should have about 21 points if not for their own mistakes. Griese throw to Berrian for a first down at the Lions 46. Griese dump off to Adrian Peterson for nine yards. Chicago timeout. 2nd and 1 from 36 — Griese’s pass to Muhammad is too high. 3rd and 1 — Griese quarterback sneak for a first down. Griese dump to Muhammad for 11 yards and a first down. Need to go out of bounds on that play Moose. Clock running…Griese hits Clark for a yard. Clock stops with 40 seconds. Griese pass to Davis for about eight yards. Looks like hit out of bounds by Detroit. Yep. First and goal Bears from Detroit six yard line. Griese is intercepted in the end zone. Threw off his back foot and into pressure. That was a Rex Grossman throw there. Fernando Bryant with the pick.

Analysis: Story of the Bears season in terms of offensive woes. When having an opportunity to extend a lead, Bears turn the ball over. Now Detroit with momentum going into second half. Bad play by Griese reveals that he lacks Grossman’s arm strength.

Detroit: First and 10 from one yard line is held up. Booth review of interception and T.V. timeout. 29 seconds left. Play stands. Tatum Bell run for three yards. Offsides on Alex Brown on the play. Second such call against him today. Detroit knee. Halftime. Bears 7, Lions 3.

Halftime Analysis: Pretty ugly and sloppy all-around. Bears offense finally gets going and then is once again unable to establish some distance. Both teams have been pretty poor in terms of decision making and turnovers. Bears may win these games against the Lions and the Chiefs. However, if this was the Cowboys or another elite team, Chicago would be down 21-7 or something similar to that score. Chicago’s defense keeps the Bears in the game along with Detroit turnovers and foolishness. Both offensive lines have been awful. Bears receive first in second half. Time to take a quick shower and wash off the stink from that snoozer of a first half. Oh yeah. Cedric Benson is a dog. He’s worse than Curtis Enis.

Bears: Brian Baldinger hits it on the head. The Bears do not have the explosive offense to get back to the Super Bowl. Detroit kicks to Hester who is swarmed at the 21-yard line. Do the Bears keep this a 7-3 game or actually put some distance here? Benson back in the game and runs for four yards on first down. Oh my goodness. Benson runs for 16 yards on second and five. John Tait is down on the play and now up. Rookie safety Kevin Payne is out of the game for Chicago. Wolfe led the Bears with three rushing yards on three carries in the first half. How bad is that? John “The Touchdown Maker” St. Clair in the game for Tait. Benson run for two yards on first down. 2nd and 9 from Bears 41. Griese pass is knocked down at the line of scrimmage. 3rd and 9 — Griese strike to tight end John Gilmore is dropped at the sticks. Yet another dropped pass. Maynard punt to Troy Walters at 15.

Analysis: The problem with Benson, Turner and the Bears offense is fully evident on last drive. They can’t seize any momentum from a big play. Benson runs for 16 yards and then falls down on initial contact on next play. Griese has ball batted down, and then Gilmore drops a pass. This offense has been atrocious in the fundamentals in the first four games of the season. Chicago is letting Detroit hang in here. That could be a bad sign!

Detroit: Kitna is sacked by Mark Anderson, who forces a fumble that is recovered by McGowan. Bears ball at Lions 12.

Analysis: Defense does it again. Chicago is wasting a superb defense with this embarrassment of an offense. If the Bears don’t get a touchdown here, someone needs to be made a sacrificial lamb and shipped out of town. How about Benson?

Bears: Benson run for two yards. Griese throws behind Muhammad who drops the second-down pass. Third and 8 — Griese in gun and his pass bounces off Berrian, leading to an Ernie Sims interception. Bears second turnover inside the red zone today.

Analysis: Has there ever been as offensively inept franchise as the Chicago Bears? The defense basically creates a touchdown for the offense, and three points are not even had. Wow. What is Berrian’s problem this year? That ball was in his chest.

Lions: First and 10 from own nine yard line — Kevin Jones runs for 21 yards. First and 10 from 30 — Jones loses a yard on first down. My fault on Berrian there. Griese threw behind him. Ogunleye wraps up Jones for nothing. This is the best game Ogunleye has had in a very long time. Third and 12 — Kitna scrambles and hits Roy Williams who ran backwards and lost the first down after catching it behind the sticks. What a dumb play! How bad are both offenses in terms of fundamental football? Rod Marinelli to challenge the play. T.V. timeout. Can’t wait for this game to be over. Play stands. Fourth down for Detroit, which loses a timeout. Nick Harris punt to Devin Hester, who returns for 20 yards to the Bears 40.

Analysis: This game has been brutal. With that said, why do teams punt to Hester? He’s the only guy the Bears have in terms of generating points. Remember Robbie Gould. This guy isn’t getting a chance this year to even do anything because of the poor offense. How long do the Bears let Detroit hang in here. A touchdown will put this game away. Give credit to Chicago’s defense. They’re winning this game.

Bears: Benson run for eight yards on first down. 2nd and 2 — Benson run for five yards and first down at Detroit 49. Griese throws the ball into the dirt after trying to go deep. Nothing there and the protection eventually broke down. 2nd and 10 from shotgun — Adrian Peterson run for six yards. Big third down here. 3rd and 3 — Griese to Berrian for a first down inside the Lions 30. Offsides on Detroit on play. First down Chicago. Benson run for nothing on first down. Shaun Cody with tackle. 2nd and 8 from Detroit 25 — Timeout by Chicago is overturned. False start on McKie. 2nd adn 13 from 30 — Griese old-school scramble for seven yards. 3rd and 7 — Griese is destroyed and sacked. Offensive line falls apart again. Robbie Gould field goal from 49 yards is good. Chicago 10, Lions 3.

Analysis: Have you ever seen an offense that sputters once it gets to a certain point? One thing is for certain when the Bears enter deep into an opponent’s territory — a touchdown is 99.9% not going to happen.

Lions: Bears special teams stopped Lions returner just sort of the 20 yard line. 1st and 10 from 19 — Kitna’s play-action pass is nearly intercepted by Urlacher. Jamar Williams knocked it down. Kitna dumps to Shaun McDonald for about six yards. Chicago’s defense has held Detroit to under 100 yards passing. Mike Martz looks very confused on the sidelines. Kitna is sacked on third down by Mark Anderson, his second of the game. A Hester return would put this game away. Just missed it. Hester returns the ball from Chicago 30 to Lions 40. Hester was one move away from a touchdown. Hester penalized five yards for spiking the ball.

Analysis: Chicago’s front four on defense is playing a superb game and Hester is amazing. Too bad their efforts will be wasted this year by an awful offense.

Bears: Griese dump off to Benson for seven yards. Griese quick strike to Muhsin Muhmmad for a first down. Benson run for five yards. 2nd and 5 from Detroit 27 — Benson is swallowed up by Kenoy Kennedy. Benson a little better in the second half. Still with only 48 yards. 3rd and 4 — Adrian Peterson tackled on a sweep after a one-yard gain. Very conservative call. Turner content with a field goal and making a two possession game. Gould from 41 yards is good. Chicago 13, Lions 3.

Analysis: Don’t normally like third-down conservatism but Turner made the right decision to take a field goal and make two-possession game. With that said, Chicago once again turns great field position into bare minimum. Pretty sad.

Lions: Brandon Middleton returns the ball to Detroit 30. Martz has called a poor game, even though the offensive line hasn’t allowed much. Kitna hits Sean McHugh for a first down to the Bears 47. Roughing the passer on Chicago’s Anthony Adams on end of play. Stupid penalty. Kitna to Shaun McDonald for another first down, this time to Bears 11 yard line. Kitna dumps to Tatum Bell to the Bears 3-yard line. End of quarter. Bears 13, Lions 3.

Analysis: Here come the Lions. What took them so long to play hurry up game? Kitna finally getting into rhythm. Chicago’s offense is going to need to get a touchdown in the fourth if the Bears expect to win.

Fourth Quarter

Lions: Kitna touchdown pass to Shaun McDonald. Bears 13, Lions 10.

Analysis: Lions march 70 yards on four plays. Drive aided and abetted by another stupid personal penalty. Chicago has given up its one defensive touchdown of the game. If the Bears give up another one, the team most likely loses. Does anyone out there have faith in the Bears offense scoring a touchdown? Detroit got into a nice rhythm on that drive. Maybe Martz can start doing something.

Bears: Lions kick high pop up and Hester returns to 27-yard line. Griese to Benson for seven yards. Personal foul on Fernando Bryant with late hit at the end of the play. Questionable call. Griese to Benson for five yards. 2nd and 6 from Lions 46 — a familiar site, Benson is hit at the line of scrimmage. The Bears are averaging 11 points a game. 3rd and 3 — Griese is intercepted and the pick is returned by Keith Smith for a 63-yard touchdown. Terrible throw by Griese. Lions 17, Bears 13.

Analysis: Awful decision by Griese. That was a Grossman-esque decision. Hope the media is as rough on Griese as they are on Grossman. Once again, the Bears have chances in third quarter to put this game away, settle for field goals and now Detroit takes the lead after hanging in. This is the problem with Lovie Smith’s philosophy. He thinks you can win games without having any offense. There’s no accountability on offense.

Bears: Devin Hester returns the kick 97-yards for a touchdown. This kid is un-fucking believable. Excuse the language, but there’s no other way to say it. Bears 20, Lions 17.

Analysis: Why do teams kick the ball to this kid? You are better kicking the ball out of bounds at the 40-yard line and letting the Bears offense bumble up the great field position. Hester is the only offense that Chicago has. How stupid are these teams? How many times has Hester done this in less than two years! He’s had 8 touchdown returns in 24 career games. The fact that Turner hasn’t been able to incorporate Hester in Chicago’s offense is reflective of just how bad of a job he is doing as Offensive Coordinator.

Lions: Brandon Middleton is clobbered by Rod Wilson at the 20-yard line. Tommie Harris lined up in neutral zone. Do the Bears’ defensive linemen have any concept of the neutral zone?1st and 5 from 25 — Jones is stuffed by Urlacher. False start on Detroit. Play negated on Tommie Harris encroachment. Back to 2nd and 5 from 25 — Kitna avoids Hillenmeyer blitz and hits Roy Williams for a six-yard gain and a first down. Kitna overthrows McDonald deep down field. First time that Detroit tried to take advantage of Chicago secondary all day. Illegal contact on the play by Ricky Manning Jr. results in Lions first down. 1st and 10 from Detroit 37 — Kitna big pass over the middle to Mike Furrey, who takes the ball 48 yards inside the Chicago 20-yard line. 1st and 10 from 14 — Kitna is sacked for a loss of one. Second down and 11 from 15 — Pass to Troy Walters in the end zone is ruled incomplete. However, it will be overturned and called a touchdown. Walters dragged his left foot for a touchdown. T.V. timeout and ruling coming. The call is reversed. Touchdown Detroit. Lions 24, Bears 20.

Analysis: Detroit has finally gotten into an offensive rhythm as Chicago’s front four has tired after dominant first three quarters. Detroit has already scored 21 points in the first five minutes of the first quarter. Mike Martz has finally taken advantage of the Bears depleted secondary. What took him so long? Middle of Chicago’s defense was exposed on that drive during Furrey big gainer, just like what Dallas did last week.

Bears: Lions squib-kick to Hester, who still returns the ball to the 4o yard line. However, he fumbles and the ball goes out of bounds at the 30 yard line. Got lucky again. Detroit should still just kick the ball out of bounds. Griese dump pass to Benson for two yards. Aren’t you sick and tired of that play Bears fans. Griese overthrows Cedric Benson on second down. How conservative can this get? Ron Turner is a bum. 3rd and 7 — Griese in shotgun and is sacked. What a shock. The offensive line falls apart again. Maynard punt to Detroit 30.

Analysis: What a response by the Bears offense. Just pathetic. Turner’s a dog and this offensive line looks like it needs to be rebuilt in the offseason. Chicago also needs a running back and quarterback. Other than that, they look good.

Lions: Tatum Bell run for eight yards. Hunter Hillenmeyer jumps offside on second down for automatic first down. This Bears defense is starting to press as it knows that it has to win this game. Chicago’s defense is making a lot of bonehead mistakes. Bell hit by Brandon McGowan. Ogunleye just misses the sack and Kitna hits Furrey to the Bears 29. End around to Shaun McDonald for eight yards. Urlacher with a nice tackle from behind, but the Bears defense has been on the field way too long this season. First down run by fullback Bradley, who’s a 300-lb. fullback. Yikes. Kevin Jones run to the Bears nine yard line on first down. Chicago’s front four has been worn out. 2nd and 2 — Kitna quick pass to Roy Williams for a first down is fumbled out of bounds. Roy Williams may be a talented receiver but he’s not that smart of a ballplayer. Another dumb play. These refs are clueless. Yes, sir it is first and goal. When the team with the ball gets past the first-down marker, it is a first down. Detroit ready to put this game away. Kevin Jones touchdown run and jumps into the crowd. Hanson’s PAT is blocked by who else but Idonije (got to love that guy). Lions 30, Bears 20.

Analysis: Lions have scored 28 points in the fourth quarter. Chicago’s defense has been on the field way too long in not only this game but everyone this season. Another great Bears defensive effort through three quarters is wasted by an offense that should have put the game away but had two interceptions within the 20 yard line and settled for two field goals in the third.

Bears: Rod Marinelli should be fired if Detroit squib kicks to Hester. Kick it out of bounds. The Bears can’t do anything on offense from the 40. Ball is squibbed to 12 and Hester returns to the 27. Poor kid. Hester is wasting away because of this brutal offense. Griese dump off to Adrian Peterson over the middle of the field for eight yards. Griese hits Muhammad for seven yards and a first down. 3:03 remaining. Griese dump off to Adrian Peterson for 12 yards and a first down. Clock still running. Griese hits Rashied Davis for 11 yards and a first down. A Lions player is down on the field, stopping the play. Fernando Bryant is the injured Detroit Lion. Now on his feet and walking back to the bench. Chicago needs to take a shot down the field. Dinking and dunking is fine and dandy, but it doesn’t lead to touchdowns. Griese to Davis for seven yards. Tackled inbounds and the clock runs. Griese to Berrian for a first-down at the 18-yard line. 2 minute warning. Shaun Cody ridiculously jumps offsides. First and five from 15 — Griese terrible throw on first down is incomplete in the end zone. Griese has looked terrible in the second half. Griese to Rashied Davis for a first down to the six yard line. Clock running. This is sad. Griese’s pass is deflected and caught by Roberto Garza,who runs and fumbles the ball. Detroit recovers, but this play should be illegal if ruled a fumble. Illegal touching penalty is declined and Detroit gets a touchback. That was sad yet funny at the same time, kind of reflective of how quickly the Bears have fallen. Play is being reviewed. Hold on. Upon review, it turns out that Griese’s play was ruled a fumble, meaning that Garza couldn’t advance. Bears retain the ball at the 13. A very lucky break. Griese hits Clark to the three yard line and the Bears burn a timeout, now meaning that Chicago has to score here and recover an onside kick. 3rd and Goal from Three and Turner has Griese throw a floater in the corner of the end zone. Terrible call. Pass is broken up. Robbie Gould field goal from 21 yards is good and then negated by offsides on Detroit. Replay of fourth down. Bears offense out. 4th and Goal from half yard line. Griese touchdown pass to Desmond Clark. Lions 30, Bears 27.

Analysis: This is as ugly of a game that’s been seen in Chicago in a long time. How poorly disciplined are both of these teams? Chicago worked the middle of the field the whole drive, rather than using the sidelines or going deep. Turner needs to be gone after this game.

Lions: Onside kick is recovered by the Lions Casey Fitzsimmons and returned for a touchdown. The Bears didn’t deserve to even have a chance here. This is a team that is falling apart. And now the refs will review this play again. This has been the most discombobulated officiating effort that I’ve ever seen. These guys have been clueless and confused since the game started. The touchdown stands. Lions 37, Bears 27.

Analysis: Let’s get this over with. 34 points for the Lions in the fourth quarter.

Bears: Lions yet again squib and Hester returns to the 31-yard line. Offsides on Detroit. This is just brutal. Griese is sacked, and the Bears take a timeout. This fourth quarter has been more than an hour. Griese over the middle to Clark. The Bears take another timeout. Still don’t take a shot down field. Griese over the middle to Berrian. Delay of game on the defense stops the clock. Yet another dumb play. Griese is fittingly sacked again by Jared DeVries. Game over. Lions 37, Bears 27.

No need to analyze at this point after that garbage game and professional bull riding now on FOX. Never before has a 37-27 game been so excruciating. But who cares? Everyone in fickle Chicago now cares about the crappy Cubs, who backed their ways in the playoffs thanks to the stumbling and bumbling Milwaukee Brewers. When it comes to ineptitude in professional sports, Chicago is tops.