For the most part, Grossman says he felt great

Considering he had taken just three snaps this season and had not thrown a single pass, relief quarterback Rex Grossman took some time to get into a rhythm Sunday after replacing the injured Kyle Orton.

"I felt great probably 70 percent of the time," Grossman said. "The other 30 percent the timing was a little bit off. If I play next week, I'll have a whole week of practice to correct that other 30 percent."

Grossman completed 9 of 19 passes for 58 yards and 1 touchdown, but he was also intercepted once after a pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Jared DeVries. His passer rating was 49.9.

Since Orton was injured on the Bears' final play of the first half, Grossman had the benefit of the intermission to prepare.

"I had the whole half(time) to think about the game plan, how I'm going to go out there and get ready," said Grossman, who was beaten out for the starting job by Orton in the preseason. "The last couple months have been tough. But when you have a role and your number is called to fulfill that role, I was happy to come in and help us win the game.

"As frustrating as it was to not be the guy to start, you (still) have a different role. And in that role I came in and did the job."

Grossman figured he would get back on the field at some point, based on recent history.

"I never figured that I wouldn't play at all," he said. "Odds are that at least two quarterbacks play some - especially here in Chicago."

Treacherous footing: Early-morning rain left the Soldier Field grass soggy at game time and caused several slips throughout the game as large divots were frequently taken by players trying to get traction.

After the Lions' first touchdown, kicker Jason Hanson slipped and nearly fell to the ground while approaching his extra-point attempt. The delay allowed Bears defensive end Alex Brown to block the kick, and that 1 point proved crucial while the Lions were driving in the final seconds, trailing by 4 points instead of 3 and needing to score a touchdown rather than a field goal.

"It was an issue with footing," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "The problems with footing were on both sides."

Devin Hester slipped after taking the second-half kickoff and was brought down after an 11-yard gain.

"The field was horrible, but it's a football game," Hester said. "You've got to play ball. We were playing on the same field."

Walking wounded: The bad news is that injured safety Mike Brown left Soldier Field with a walking boot for his injured right calf. The good news is he was walking without a limp and carrying the boot, which he said was to keep pressure off the injury when he slept.

Brown was injured in the final minute of the first half, and when he was unable to return for the second half, it was difficult not to fear the worst. Brown missed 43 of 64 games in the previous four seasons because of a variety of injuries.

He laughed when the idea of a serious injury was broached.

"It's not season ending," he said.

In and out: Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd was inactive again, for the fourth straight game, with a sprained knee. Strong-side linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer did not dress after having surgery on his right thumb before last week's open date. Safety Danieal Manning missed his second game with a strained hamstring.

Devin Hester started in place of Lloyd and caught 4 passes for 42 yards. Nick Roach, a second-year player from Northwestern, filled in for Hillenmeyer and had 5 tackles. First-round draft pick Chris Williams saw his first game action of the season, playing on field-goal and extra-point teams. The offensive tackle had back surgery in early August for a herniated disc.