Detroit Lions: Keys to Beating the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football

The Detroit Lions are 4-0 heading into their most anticipated regular season game in history. The team will host Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears in what will be a crucial Week 5 NFC North contest.

The Bears are 2-2 are don't want to fall to 2-3 and 0-2 in the division. The Lions look to begin their season 5-0 for the first time since 1956.

Unlike the Lions of old, this team has found a way to win. Despite playing sub-par at times the team has showed moxie in come from behind wins the last two weeks against the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys.

Now, we all know that the Lions are playing with fire when falling behind. This is the NFL, fans can't expect the team to pull the rabbit out of the hat every single time.

While the team is undefeated to this point, they've presented plenty of flaws which need improvement upon. Even with the current flaws, any fan will take 4-0 over what used to be protocol.

The Lions will be feeding off of oodles of energy in Week 5 versus the Bears. Detroit is all things Lions right now. With the perfect storm of an unblemished record and Monday Night Football on the horizon, fans can't get enough.

After seemingly waiting a lifetime for a truly successful franchise, dreams seem to be coming true for the Lions organization, fans and city.

Here are the keys to beating the Bears on Monday Night Football.

No. 7: Find a Running Game

Not to beat a dead horse, but right now the Lions running game is nearly inexistent.

The Lions rank 29th in the NFL with just 74.5 rushing yards a game. Part of this is due to playing from behind and having to pass and part of this is due to not having success on the ground to begin with.

Everyone knows this must change.

No. 6: Play 4 Quarters of Football

The Lions are 4-0, but haven't played a solid 60 minutes of football yet.

The last two weeks the Lions have found themselves down by 20 and 24 points before they got it together. At times, head coach Jim Schwartz has had to stare at the scoreboard wondering how in the world his team put themselves in that position.

Now, the players and coaches deserve credit for making adjustments and finding a way to win, but they've yet to put it all together.

Monday night will be a powder keg as Ford Field will be ready to explode at a moment's notice. The young Lions will have to harness their excitement and come out strong.

The Chicago Bears are an experienced team that is capable of spoiling the moment.

No. 5: Find Calvin Johnson Early and Often

Calvin Johnson is a bad ass.

At this point in time, he is the most feared man in football. Johnson already has eight touchdowns on the season, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't have more.

While eight touchdowns is quite ridiculous through four weeks of play, Johnson only has 24 catches. The Lions seem to forget about him until they reach the red zone or are in desperation mode.

In fact, Matthew Stafford has failed to connect with MegaTron until the second quarter the last two weeks.

If and when the Lions running game comes out flat on Monday night, hit up Johnson a few times early and it'll send the Chicago Bears defense into dismay. Before too long, running lanes will open up. Utilizing MegaTron early will also open up room for the other receivers to roam.

It doesn't take a genius to realize that Johnson is the Lions best player—use him.  

No. 4: Convert on Third Down

The Lions have to find a way to convert on third down. Through four games the team is only 18-56, that's only 32.1 percent.

This problem is partly due to the lackluster running game and being faced with third and long. Last week the Lions only held the ball for 23:21. Maintaining ball control and keeping the defense fresh is imperative in the NFL.

The Lions have to find a way to turn third down into first down. This is one area that the team must improve on immediately.

No. 3: Do Not Punt the Ball to Devin Hester

Last week NFL fans were once again reminded why it's a fatal mistake to give Devin Hester an opportunity to return a punt.

Hester went the distance against the Carolina Panthers as he solidified himself as the greatest punt-returner in NFL history. The Chicago Bears ended up beating the Panthers, 34-29 as Hester proved to be the difference.

This is a no-brainer—just don't do it.

One way to avoid Hester returning punts is to convert on third down.

No. 2: Stop Committing an Abundance of Penalties

The Lions have been penalized 29 times in four games thus far.

Ten of those penalties came against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 as the Lions continuously shot themselves in the foot. It's somewhat of a minor miracle that the team won the game.

The most maddening penalties came when the team was flagged twice for delay of game—right after they were guilty of another penalty. Back-to-back, good gracious.

Gridiron Heroes blatantly states: "Forward down the field..."

Expect the Lions to clean it up in Week 5.

No. 1: Don't Let Matt Forte Repeat His Week 4 Performance

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte ran circles around the Carolina Panthers last week. He ended up with 25 carries for 205 yards and a touchdown. Forte also caught four balls for 23 yards.

On the season, Forte leads the Bears in rushing and receiving yards, along with receptions. The Lions definitely have to keep him in check if they're to win.

The good news for the Lions: Matt Forte only had 119 yards on 35 carries in the first three games of the season. Whether or not Forte will have a repeat performance of Week 4 remains to be seen. After all, the Panthers are ranked second to last in the entire league in rushing yards allowed.

Look for the Lions to foil Forte and stop the Bears on Monday Night Football.