Bears-Lions rivalry heats up after cheap shots and trash talking

At times, the only thing missing from Sunday’s brawl between the Bears and Lions was the cage.

The Lions have been accused as much as any team in the NFL of late hits and cheap shots, and they did nothing in the 37-13 loss to the Bears to alter their reputation. Nick Fairley’s roughing-the-passer infraction against Jay Cutler was the most blatant example of the play the Lions have come to be known for. The rookie from Auburn was flagged after he drove Cutler to the ground with the full force of his 298 pounds on top of the quarterback.

“It wasn’t clean and it wasn’t quiet, I know that,” Cutler said of a chippy, trash-talking game that may have gone a long way toward creating a rivalry similar to the Bears-Packers. “That’s just how it is. We’re very familiar with each other, and this is a game that’s very important to both sides, so it’s going to be expected.”

In the second quarter, Cutler had his helmet ripped off by Ndamukong Suh, the Lions’ poster boy for aggressive play. But that probably has to be chalked up as a wash, considering Bears defensive end Julius Peppers clotheslined Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson on the fifth play of the game, forcing a fumble.

Asked if Suh should be fined for the play, as he was when he shoved Cutler from behind last season, the Bears’ quarterback said: “I don’t know. I’ll have to see the film.”

The WWF antics came to a head early in the fourth quarter, just after Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw his fourth interception, this one to Tim Jennings. Bears nickel back D.J. Moore hustled downfield to try to block for Jennings, but he was grabbed from behind by Stafford, who appeared to yank him to the ground by his facemask. Moore retaliated by charging Stafford, and he was flagged and ejected.

“When you’re going after my livelihood, my neck, and you’re trying to hurt me, I just can’t let that go,” said Moore, who exited with a smile on his face and the Bears ahead 37-6. “I felt that we were both wrong. I felt that it was like, ‘Keep him in the game because he’s important.’ (Suh) tried to rip Cutler’s head off. There were late hits all day. It was fine for everybody else.”

Stafford pleaded innocent.

“He kind of blocked me and I was just trying to get him off me the best I know how,” the Lions’ quarterback said. “I guess he didn’t like the way I did it, and he wanted to ask me about it.”

Most Bears said the Lions’ late hits stemmed from the frustration of being beaten so badly.

“Once they got down, it got like that,” Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said.

“Sometimes teams do that (take cheap shots) when they get down. (But) the call on D.J. was bad.”