Bears drop back-and-forth game to Lions
DETROIT — Running back Matt Forte summed up the Bears' gut-wrenching, 37-34 overtime loss to the previously winless Lions as well as anyone.
“A bunch of missed opportunities,” Forte said, noting the 3 turnovers and 10 penalties for 98 yards the Lions committed. “The game was basically given to us.”
But the Bears refused to take it.
It was a game that it seemed no one wanted to win, and it wasn't until there were 2 minutes and 29 seconds left in overtime that the Lions finally seized it on Matt Prater's 27-yard field goal. That lifted the winners to 1-5 and brought them to within a game of the 2-4 Bears.
The Lions appeared to have it won in regulation when they went ahead, 34-31, with 21 seconds remaining on Matthew Stafford's 6-yard TD pass to Calvin Johnson.
But Jay Cutler orchestrated his third straight fourth-quarter comeback, this one the most miraculous of all. He connected with Alshon Jeffery down the right sideline on identical back-to-back passes for 25 and 24 yards. The Lions offered another gift with a pass interference call on a ball to Marquess Wilson that added the final 20 yards to set the Bears up for Robbie Gould's game-tying, 29-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.
It was Gould's 15th successful FG kick this season without a miss.
What happened to the Bears' offense after that defies explanation — even by coach John Fox. Although the Bears threw for 344 yards in regulation, they went into an offensive shell in overtime. Forte had 3 carries for 3 yards and Jeffery wasn't targeted until the Bears' final OT play, an incompletion.
Why not go to Jeffery more? Did the Lions commit to stopping the Bears' wide receiver, who, in his first game since Week One, had 8 catches for 147 yards, including an 11-yard, fourth-quarter TD that brought the Bears within 24-23?
“That would probably be something you'd have to ask them,” Fox said. “I think we scored 34 points. In this league, that's usually enough. (Sunday) it wasn't.”
The Bears' six overtime snaps netted 12 yards.
“In overtime, we couldn't get a first down,” Forte said. “We get an opportunity to go down (after) the defense stopped them (twice), and now it's first team to score wins. You have to move the ball. At least get the ball past the 50.”
The Bears didn't get past their own 30 in overtime.
The defense certainly had nothing to gloat about.
The Bears' defense, which came in ranked No. 4 in the league in yards allowed, was gashed for 546 yards, including 391 through the air. It was by far the worst performance of the season for a unit that had not permitted more than 371 yards in any of the first five games.
“I think we just played a good team on the road, and we had to overcome a lot of different things, and we just came up a little short,” coach John Fox said.
If that was a good team, it's been masquerading as something much different for most of the previous five weeks.
Some of the things the Bears had to overcome were their own doing, like 9 penalties for 76 yards. The defense also allowed the Lions to convert 53 percent of their third downs (9 of 17) and rush for 155 yards, an average of 4.8 yards per attempt.
The Bears managed just 91 yards on the ground on 31 tries, for a season-worst 2.9 yards per carry. There were too many other shortcomings for the final drive in regulation to overshadow the overall performance.
“The offense works when you execute, whether it's the two-minute or regular offense,” Forte said. “If you don't execute it's not going to work, and we had some breakdowns in a lot of areas across the board.
“I'm just frustrated, and I'm (teed) off about it. I don't even want to go to the bye, I want to just focus on the next team, truly.”
The Bears won't get to take out their frustration for two weeks, as the open week precedes a home game against the Vikings on Nov. 1.
“It's tough,” said quarterback Jay Cutler, who completed 26 of 41 passes for 353 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception and an 88.8 passer rating. “We battled. I can only speak for the offense and myself, and we've got to do better in the red zone. We've got to be more efficient, got to get touchdowns instead of 3 (points). I've got to play better down there.”
Cutler's only interception came in the red zone on an endzone pass intended for Jeffery.
The Bears converted just 3 of their 8 red-zone possessions into touchdowns, settling for 4 short Gould field goals.