Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions: Complete Game Grades for Detroit
The Detroit Lions were dropping in power rankings, and doubts were starting to creep in after two straight losses. A dominating 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving should quell some of those fears.
"What about Thursdays, Skip. RT @RealSkipBayless: Give me Jay Cutler over Matthew Stafford any Sunday.
— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) November 27, 2014"
Things didn't start out so promising. Chicago shredded Detroit's top defense for an Alshon Jeffery score on its initial drive and then turned a strip-sack into another seven points to take a 14-3 lead.
The Lions didn't roll over, though. They stormed back behind a brilliant Matthew Stafford performance and a vintage effort from Calvin Johnson to put up 21 straight points.
A third-quarter field goal from Chicago made it to a one-score game, but the Bears would never threaten again. The win improves Detroit's mark to 8-4 and will slip the team back into the playoff picture after the Seattle vs. San Francisco game since the loser will drop behind Detroit.
This is a win you'll want to savor. And since Detroit doesn't play again for another nine days, let's take some time to dive into each positional unit's performance and hand out grades.
Quarterback
1 of 10
The Lions offense had deservedly come under plenty of criticism for mustering just 15 points in two weeks, and its leader was getting the majority of it. It was the perfect setting for another Matthew Stafford comeback.
The keys to his electric first half (275 yards and two scores) were his vision and decisiveness. He didn't lock in on one receiver and delivered the ball quickly when he found the open man.
"Here's the best sign for Stafford. He's targeted nine different players, completed a pass to eight of them.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) November 27, 2014"
The second half was more of the same from the 26-year-old signal-caller. He kept slinging short-to-intermediate passes, and the receivers held on.
Stafford finished 34-of-45 for 390 yards and two scores with no interceptions to garner a 116 passer rating. Jared Allen did force Stafford to fumble, but that turnover was on Rob Sims.
Chicago's secondary is weak. That doesn't mean Stafford wasn't amazing. He was as accurate as he was quick, and the results were big numbers from the fastest passer ever to 20,000 career yards.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
The offense was clicking, but that flow didn't carry over to the running game.
Joique Bell couldn't find any room to run, as he only had 43 yards before Detroit started killing the clock and Chicago quit. He added 48 yards on Detroit's last drive to finish with 91 yards on 23 carries.
"This is the first multi-touchdown rushing game for #Lions RB Joique Bell since Week 1 of 2013.
— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) November 27, 2014"
Oh, he had a couple of touchdowns. That seems significant.
Theo Riddick didn't record a single carry. However, he found a way to make an impact.
"Young Theo Riddick keeps making catches Reggie Bush probably wouldn't.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) November 27, 2014"
Riddick is a prototypical third-down back who was utilized properly in this game. He cuts so quickly (second only to Golden Tate among Lions), and few in the league can handle him in the screen game.
In all, Riddick grabbed six catches for 54 yards, while Bell added two for 16.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It's been confirmed. Calvin Johnson is still Megatron.
He took advantage of the Bears' soft secondary, grabbing 11 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also became the fastest wide receiver to pass 10,000 yards in NFL history. Not a bad day.
"*tears up column on the decline of Calvin Johnson*
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieUKEZ) November 27, 2014"
He wasn't alone, though.
Golden Tate was as shifty as ever. The water-bug-turned-wide-receiver (you ever tried catching one of those things?) had eight receptions for 89 yards, and he picked up a few first downs in the process.
"Even he had to laugh about that juke RT @Jay2thaVee: Today I am thankful for Golden Tate
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) November 27, 2014"
Tight end Eric Ebron was involved early on short passes. He added 23 yards on three catches and looked more comfortable than he has in weeks.
Additionally, Jeremy Ross had 31 yards on his only catch, and Corey Fuller contributed 21 yards on one reception. Joseph Fauria and Brandon Pettigrew rounded out the stat sheet by combining for two catches and 10 yards.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
A shaky start from the boys up front looked like it might doom the Lions.
"Miss a block, get away with a hold, fail to recover a fumble that's right in your arms. The Rob Sims hat trick.
— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurke_SI) November 27, 2014"
But the unit rebounded quite well. Aside from the above-referenced strip-sack by Jared Allen, the only other sack happened when Stafford slid in the backfield to keep the clock moving when he could have easily thrown the ball away.
The pockets were mostly clean after the first quarter. The quick-passing scheme helped alleviate the need for elongated periods of protection, but the offensive line acquitted itself well in this respect.
The rushing game was still an issue for most of the game. The Lions finished with a four-yard average after adding 48 yards on the final drive. Considering Chicago was 12th against the run coming into the game and Detroit had two injured starters on the O-line, it wasn't a bad performance. It just wasn't that good either.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Bears followed the Patriots' plan to nullify Detroit's defensive line to open the game, and it worked to perfection. Jay Cutler moved the team quickly down the field, and the Bears had 14 points in the first quarter.
Things started turning in the second quarter, though.
"Lions starting to put pressure on Cutler. Eventually he'll make a mistake if that continues. #CHIvsDET
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) November 27, 2014"
The key to everything was Ezekiel Ansah.
"Ziggy Ansah has been so close to sacking Cutler like five times today. Have to imagine he'll get through soon.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) November 27, 2014"
He eventually did break through, doing a turkey dance after bringing Cutler down. But his impact could be felt in pressures and holding penalties prior to that sack. He finished with two tackles for a loss as well.
Surprisingly, Andre Fluellen was the man who broke Detroit's two-game sackless streak. George Johnson made the stat sheet by virtue of a nice batted pass and a tackle.
Ndamukong Suh didn't register a tackle. However, he remained important in helping limit Chicago to just 1.6 yards per rush.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
6 of 10
Again, the Bears produced just 13 yards on eight carries. Plenty of that credit has to spread to the linebacking corps as well as the defensive line.
Not everything went as swimmingly in coverage, though.
"Those who read my piece on Levy--that play epitomizes my point. Clueless in zone
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) November 27, 2014"
On that particular play, Chicago converted a 3rd-and-18 by slipping Brandon Marshall behind the linebackers into the middle of the zone. DeAndre Levy still had a huge impact on this game with 10 tackles, including two for a loss, and he helped keep the Bears from screening Detroit to death.
Tahir Whitehead quietly threw in eight tackles, while Josh Bynes added three more and some decent coverage at times.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
Jay Cutler ended up with 280 yards passing, but 72 of them came on the last drive with the game well in hand. The truth is the secondary actually played quite well after the first drive.
There was little-to-no downfield passing, despite Chicago's two huge pass-catchers in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. It wasn't for lack of trying. The Lions had great coverage after 10 yards on most plays.
So Chicago switched gears.
"Eight of Jay Cutler's completions today have been caught behind the line of scrimmage. Those have netted 71 yards.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) November 27, 2014"
That tweet came around halftime, so the final number is undoubtedly higher. The key for Detroit's secondary against the short-passing attack was its outstanding tackling (for the most part).
"Darius Slay having a monster tackling game today. Awesome work in the open field against these huge Bears WRs.
— Ty Schalter (@tyschalter) November 27, 2014"
Slay was particularly great in this game. He racked up eight tackles and added three passes defensed. He and Glover Quin teamed up on a tip drill late in the game that had a high degree of difficulty. Aside from Quin's diving interception after Slay's athletic tip, the free safety had seven tackles and a pass defensed.
James Ihedigbo was mostly silent on the day but picked off Cutler's final pass to add to one tackle.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Kicker Matt Prater deserves some love. He's shaken off his scary start, becoming the consistent kicker the Lions needed. He knocked in one from 46 yards out and added another 40-yarder to finish off the scoring.
Sam Martin continued to handle his duties with aplomb as well. He averaged a stellar 51 yards on his three punts and pinned one inside the 20.
Things weren't so pretty for Jeremy Ross.
"He looked down to me, but either way, time for a new punt returner. (*Cough* Golden Tate *Cough*)
— Pride Of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) November 27, 2014"
Ross unwisely decided to bring the ball out of the end zone, forcing Detroit to start the game at its own 13. He compounded the problem later by fumbling a punt that was recovered by the Lions.
He hasn't been nearly as decisive or explosive as last year. He looks like he's thinking too much instead of making a cut and sprinting.
Lastly, the coverage teams had some slips early that Chicago wasn't able to take full advantage of. This is another issue to keep your eye on moving forward.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
There isn't an offensive coordinator in the league who has been harangued as much as Joe Lombardi. Much of it has been earned, but so is the praise that should follow this win.
"It only took Joe Lombardi a quarter to figure out he should play to the strengths of the offense. Crazy concept.
— Ian (@extrapointIan) November 27, 2014"
Praise may be a strong word. More of a begrudging respect.
He mixed in screens and short passes that got the ball out of Stafford's hands and into his playmakers'. The approach was pivotal considering Detroit finished with 383 net passing yards.
The only quibble is his insistence on being balanced. When your air attack is bringing an opponent to its knees, don't stray from it.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin's defense looked dumbfounded when Chicago emulated New England's scheme from last week. It was a disappointing start that was resolved within the first half.
"Lions frequently come out flat but then really pick it up, esp. on D. Today both OC & DC deserve credit for quick adjustments.
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) November 27, 2014"
Finally, head coach Jim Caldwell pulled the trigger on fourth down with his team on Chicago's 1-yard line. The result was a Joique Bell touchdown. That's the type of aggressive decision that winning teams make. Plus, his men only committed five penalties, which is a far cry from the past few weeks.
Grade: A-
Final Grades
10 of 10
QB: A
RB: B+
WR/TE: A
OL: B-
DL: A-
LB: B+
Secondary: A-
Special Teams: B
Coaching: A-
Cumulative Grade: A-
Detroit needed a win to keep pace for the playoffs. It also needed a convincing win to build some confidence.
This isn't a win that marks Detroit as a Super Bowl contender. But good teams pound bad ones, and both teams fit the appropriate bill in this one.
The Lions have two more home games against teams that currently have just six wins before heading to Chicago for the reunion. They should be favored in every one of those.
If they can keep this train rolling for the next three weeks (and the extra three days of rest should help them get healthy), the Lions will take on the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North in the season's final week.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
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