Chicago Bears Defense Stymies Detroit Lions in Physical 13-7 Win

The Chicago Bears won their fourth game in a row, subtly dominating the Detroit Lions on both sides of the ball for a grinding 13-7 victory on Monday Night Football.

To a point, the Lions couldn't get out of their own way. That's not taking away from Chicago's effort, but four turnovers aren't going to win many big games.

Chicago scored on its first drive of the game, with Jay Cutler finding Brandon Marshall for a seven-yard score. Robbie Gould would add a 39-yard field goal with 1:29 left in the first quarter, giving the Bears a 10-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.

Things didn't get better from there for Jim Schwartz's team either. Detroit was able to keep Chicago off the board for the entire second quarter, but turnovers derailed its hopes of scoring as well.

Despite the 10-0 halftime score, the game felt much worse. Especially when you look at these ominous tweets from ESPN Stats & Info regarding Detroit's first-half trends:

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The Lions currently trail the Bears 10-0 at halftime. They have not held the lead at HALFTIME of any game this season.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 23, 2012"

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Lions: haven't been held scoreless in a 1st half since 2011 Week 12 against Packers

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 23, 2012"

Chicago was on a different level, but Ndamukong Suh's vicious hit on Jay Cutler toward the end of the second quarter threatened to turn the tide heading into halftime.

Cutler, however, was able to return after a few plays. Gould's second field goal of the night with 11:24 remaining in the third quarter added to Chicago's lead, all the while giving Detroit less reason for optimism.

ESPN's Jemele Hill hit the nail on the head:

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Why does it feel like the Lions are trailing 46-0?

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 23, 2012"

The Bears didn't do anything special in the second half, but they did play defense and take advantage of Detroit's mental errors. Cutler took care of the ball, Matt Forte found seams, and the Bears defense did its usual thing.

Detroit tried to get back into the game, but a Joique Bell fumble and Stafford's late-game pick sealed the team's fate. That pick led to this game-capturing picture courtesy of Bleacher Report's Twitter:

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Matthew Stafford struggle face twitter.com/BleacherReport…

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 23, 2012"

A meaningless touchdown to Ryan Broyles with 30 seconds left made the score more respectable, but Chicago recovered the ensuing onside kick, ultimately sealing Detroit's fate.

Too bad for Detroit's defense, as they played well. Much of the 340 yards of support from the Lions offense came in garbage time, and four turnovers didn't lend any help either. Throw in poor special teams play, and the Lions didn't stand a chance.

Matthew Stafford wasn't able to get anything going on offense. He had his chances in the first half, but was held scoreless again. Check out this tidbit from ESPN Stats & Info:

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Matt Stafford is the only quarterback that has yet to throw a TD pass in the first half this season (min. 50 pass attempts)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 23, 2012"

That set the tone for the rest of the game, and he never recovered. On the night, the Lions signal-caller went 28-of-46 for 261 yards and one touchdown. Calvin Johnson, meanwhile, was held to three catches for 34 yards as a result of Stafford's struggles and Charles Tillman's lockdown coverage.

Tillman had seven tackles and defended two passes, proving once again that he's one of the league's most underrated defenders.

Cutler finished the night 16-of-31 for 150 yards and a touchdown, avoiding an interception. Detroit's defense did sack him five times, showing that they are not the issue on their team. And Matt Forte was able to support Cutler, using Mike Tice's zone-blocking scheme to run for 96 yards on 22 carries.

When Cutler did complete passes, he found his favorite target. Brandon Marshall hauled in six passes for 81 yards and the game's lone touchdown.

The Bears are clicking right now. As long as Cutler takes care of the football, Forte and the Bears defense can take care of business. Detroit, on the other hand, is more mess than success in most areas.

Chicago will try to continue its hot streak against the Panthers next week, while Detroit seeks answers versus the Seahawks.