Bears at Lions
THE STORY: Even though Hank Williams Jr. is no longer asking, the Detroit Lions have answered the question: Yes, they are ready for some football. Detroit gets its chance to convince a national television audience that it is worthy of playing under the bright lights when it hosts the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. One of two unbeaten teams left in the NFL – along with division rival Green Bay – the Lions will have to conquer a major nemesis to keep their perfect run going, having dropped six consecutive games to the Bears. Chicago already trails Detroit and Green Bay by two games as it attempts to defend its NFC North title.
TV: ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET. LINE: Lions -5, O/U 47.5
ABOUT THE BEARS (2-2): After facing three straight playoff teams from 2010 to open the season, Chicago got back to .500 by outscoring the Carolina Panthers 34-29 a week ago. It wasn’t an aesthetically pleasing performance by the Bears, who needed an interception return (D.J. Moore) and punt return (Devin Hester) for TDs and were gashed for 543 total yards by No. 1 pick Cam Newton and Co. On the plus side, QB Jay Cutler (4-0 vs. Detroit) only attempted 17 passes as the Bears force-fed the ball to RB Matt Forte, who responded with a career-high 205 yards rushing one week after he was held to a career-low two.
ABOUT THE LIONS (4-0): Detroit stormed back from a 27-3 third-quarter deficit on the road to stun Dallas 34-30 last week and improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1980. Matt Stafford threw two fourth-quarter TD passes to Calvin Johnson as the Lions became the first team in league history to win back-to-back games after rallying from deficits of at least 20 points. Detroit has won eight straight games – the longest active streak in the league – and a franchise-record five straight on the road. Bobby Carpenter and Chris Houston each had interception returns for TDs. DT Nick Fairley, Detroit’s first-round pick, could make his season debut Monday.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Detroit’s Johnson leads the league with eight TDs and is the first player to catch two scoring passes in each of his first four games.
2. Hester’s 69-yard punt return was the 11th of his career, moving him past Eric Metcalf for first place on the all-time list.
3. It seems appropriate that Detroit’s first appearance since 2001 on Monday Night Football comes against Chicago, which was the last team to beat the Lions and owns 93 victories against them – the most the Bears have against any opponent.