Bears vs. Lions: Detroit's Offense Proves Aura Around Chicago's Defense Is Gone

There was a time in the NFL where no team wanted to face the Chicago Bears' vaunted defense, but now the Detroit Lions are carving them up for almost 400 yards.

While it’s true that this is a very different Detroit Lions team, the same can be said about the Chicago Bears, although not in a good way.

With an NFC North that has been log jammed with defensive talent for years, it is the potent offenses of the Green Bay Packers and the Lions that have passed the old style of play the Bears hold on to by.

That’s a truth Chicago has to face.

Bears defensive veteran Charles Tillman told the Chicago Tribune about the issues with the defense and how he didn’t expect to have this much trouble:

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We need to get back to the fundamentals of football. I feel like our scheme is not difficult. We are doing the same thing we did last year. It’s the same defense, same players. I respect Coach Smith and Coach Marinelli. They will be men and blame themselves, but, it really falls on the players. They’re doing everything in their power and I think we, as players, we can definitely man up and make the plays. Definitely. I don’t think anyone (foresaw this defensive collapse in 2011); I don’t even know what we’re ranked, 31, 32, somewhere up there. I don’t think anyone could foresee us being ranked that high. It’s time to do some soul searching and see what each of us is really made of. We can either tuck your tails between your legs and go run away or man up and fight and get this thing turned around.

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While it’s obvious that with Matthew Stafford healthy the Detroit Lions have one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the NFL, even mediocre offenses are starting to make the Bears defense look bad.

In the same way the Pittsburgh Steelers defense is slowing by the day, father time is catching up with the majority of the 30-something’s on the formerly tough Chicago defense.

Now that teams don’t fear what they face in Chicago, the aura is gone and teams don’t have any reservations throwing anything they can at the Bears.

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