Bears say they can't afford to look lightly at the Lions

A loss in Detroit would negate any positive buzz generated by the upset victory over the Vikings Monday night, so players say they're not taking the 2-13 Lions lightly.

"I don't think we've played well enough to consider any game a gimme," middle linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said. "I don't want that to sound like a knock, but you look at teams like Detroit or St. Louis or Tampa against New Orleans last week, and any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday.

"For us, (we're) not a team that's 13-1 or something like that. So, to assume there's any team in the league that can't beat us, that would be crazy."

Defensive end Alex Brown said the Bears are in no position to look past anyone.

"At 6-9, you don't have letdowns," Brown said. "We need to play well and end the season the right way. You feel good about that (Vikings) game, but as far as the season goes, there's not much to feel good about."

Salvaging something: Tight end Desmond Clark resurfaced last week with 5 catches for 39 yards, including a 2-yard TD grab, his first of the year. In the previous eight games, three of which he missed with a neck injury, the 11-year veteran had a total of 3 catches for 22 yards.

Early in the season, Clark also missed two games with a back injury, and for the season he has just 17 receptions for 138 yards, a major drop-off after topping 40 catches in each of the previous three seasons.

"I won't say it's a throwaway year," Clark said. "I've gotten better this year, especially with the run game. I've taken some strides this year."

But as a team, the Bears regressed from 2008's 9-7 record, and Clark offered no excuses.

"You really don't look at it as a fluke year," he said. "You are what you are. We're the team that kind of killed ourselves this year and didn't capitalize on some of the opportunities that we had, especially offensively, and we're 6-9. Hopefully we'll be 7-9, and that's who we are this year."

Mum's the word: Third-round defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, the Bears' top pick this year, saw his most extensive playing time Monday night in what has been an uneventful rookie season. So eight-year veteran defensive end Alex Brown was asked for his reaction in the meeting room to Gilbert's 14 snaps.

Brown was mute for several seconds.

"That's about it," he said. "I didn't say anything to him. He's a rookie. I don't care. He needs to come in and do his job. That's all we want him to do. That little pause right there - I think you missed the joke."

Injury update: Wide receiver Devin Hester went through a full practice for the first time since suffering a strained calf against the Rams on Dec. 6, and so did safety Kevin Payne, who missed the Vikings game with a sprained ankle.

Safety Craig Steltz (foot) was limited after missing Wednesday's practice, and defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee) was limited again. Safeties Al Afalava (knee) and Danieal Manning (calf) and wide receiver Johnny Knox (ankle) did not practice and are not expected to play Sunday.