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TSE say's Stafford will either win it or lose it. And that could be the general theme for the rest of the year. His success/failure will be our success/failure, i 100% Agree ,as seen in washington game Stafford was solid with no turn overs ( we win).

Key to Chiago game is keeping Cutler in check also getting and int from him(hint ko simpson)

P.s. . Let us hope and pray that this team has finally taken a step in the right direction, and I honestly feel they have. Credit must go to Mayhew for getting the ball rolling, and bringing this thing together. We still have a rocky road ahead, but the future is looking brighter. . I would like to tip my hat to coach Schwartz for having the Lions go out and thanking the fans for their support. Class act, and that prayer in the locker room was pretty cool also. Time to celebrate the moment, for those who drink, please be carefull

I agree, almost entirely.

Mayhew has built a nice foundation. There are still holes and things that need to be addressed, but we're heading in the right direction and that's all you can ask right now.

Schwartz is a good coach, but he's an even better public relations figure. He just knows how to address people, both on the field and off. Coming into a very hostile enviroment with alot of hurt, anger, and pessimism can't be easy. But he's handled it well. Let's hope we see it translate into wins.

I want to see the team work on not getting so many stupid penalties. Once again, we had alot and it cost us possessions and points.

We got a shot at the Bears...we played real tough last week as well so its not like we have been bad.

I can tell ya im glad im a Lions fan as opposed to a Browns fan. That team sucks hard

We haven't been bad, we just haven't played great. But we have gotten better each week. Now hopefully this team will go into Chicago and at least put up one helluva fight.

Cutler is starting to connect well with his receivers so that's a little scary. Forte hasn't had a big game yet so expect him to go after his big game against us. I honestly don't see us winning this game just because they have so much more speed than we do. It'll definitely be fun to watch (If it's not another blackout).

Well it's in Chicago so it shouldn't be blacked out.

I think it could go either way. If Cutler has another bad game, the Lions will have a chance to pull out a win. If Cutler is on his mark, then the Lions will have their work cut out for them.

No Urlacher definitely helps us, but we still will have a hard time defensively.

^ Yeah their D could be pretty shaky and i think Matty S could continue his good ways. Offensively they are going to drive on us, so i gotta anticipate a bit of a shootout.

^ What I'm expecting too. Just hope our defense plays more like game 2 and 3 and not like week 1.

Liqourish wrote:^ What I'm expecting too. Just hope our defense plays more like game 2 and 3 and not like week 1.

Luckily they dont have a Colston. And while Hester is faster than sin, he is hardly a polished receiver. If anything is to be our saving grace, its that their receivers are still not very good.

We seem to win every odd-numbered year in Chicago. Sandwiched between two 34-7 losses in 06 and 08 was a 37-27 win in 07 that stunned the Bears, and we beat 'em 19-13 in 05. I was at the two 34-7 games, and I won't be there this year so that bodes well

Gotta get a pass rush going early and consistently, and it's not OOTQ. Orlando Pace my old friend is done, I'm afraid, and Bears fans are finding out why CAR let Frank Omiyale walk away. Gunther has to mix it up and keep 'em guessing. The tackling must improve because the Bears excel at YAC, plus Forte is bound to get it going sooner than later.

Offensively we must attack the safeties in coverage. If we get the same Bryant Johnson who showed up last week, Stafford can really have some options down the field. They lost a lot in coverage when Urlacher went down, so Pettigrew needs to step it up too.

No reason the Lions can't win this one, and the 10.5 line seems very high to me. I think the Bears will probably win by a FG or two, no blowout, but Detroit has a good shot at pulling off the "upset".

Lions have a chance, but they really need to focus. We need a good defensive effort on the Bears passing game. Their run game hasn't shown up yet this season. Let's not let them get it going against us. Devin Hester should be target #1.

Stafford needs another good game. Having guys available will surely help. Bryant, Calvin, Brandon, Kevin and Aaron need to show up.

I don't think a blowout will happen either way. If we take care of the ball and Jeff Backus stops with all the BS penalties, we have a chance to even up the record. 2-2, c'mon boys!!

Just a thought since it will be colder in Chiago the weather will favor the running game advantage Detroit at least for the first half after that both teams should be used to it.
The QB's should start off slow but watch out in the second half.

^ I agree about the weather helping our run game advantage. Unfortunately, we don't know if Kevin Smith will play or not yet. If he sits out, our advantage is neutralized IMO.

The state of the Bears linebacking corps, in addition to Smith's status, is what makes this game a potential coin flip. Brian Urlacher was lost for the season because of a dislocated wrist in the opener. Hunter Hillenmeyer (rib) and Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) haven't practiced all week. Nick Roach and Jamar Williams are the replacements.

Briggs (foot) has been limited in practice all week. He remains one of the NFL's best playmakers at linebacker against the run and the pass. So if Briggs isn't able to go full speed against the Lions -- and if Smith returns to the field in good shape -- that might be the great equalizer in this game

this will most likely be an extremely close game. calvin johnson against our secondary won't be a pretty sight. if stafford is on, CJ could eclipse 150 yards. thus far our pass rush has been much improved so stafford might have to be on-point early. we edged out the seahawks last week but we received assistance from their kicker and seneca made a lot of bad throws. if stafford is accurate, you could beat us.

having said that, Cutler has been playing out of his mind for 10 straight quarters. the receives have all played well (knox, bennett, and hester) and collectively are really coming together. your defense will have to find a way to shut down our passing game. if Forte gets it rolling, we will be extremely difficult to stop.

great matchup. should be very exciting. on the Bears board i predicted Bears 20, Lions 17. expect a close one...

Spinninhouse i think you got the score backwards IT WILL BE A CLOSE GAME BUT THE LIONS WILL WIN - Lions 20 ,Bears-17.

Injuries will test Lions defense
Jim Schwartz spent much of the last nine months emphasizing the need for "multidimensional" players and trying to create position flexibility on defense. Sunday's game against the Bears might be the first big test of the Lions' progress in that regard, with key injuries to starters in the front seven

Rookie tackle Sammie Hill (ankle) and right end Dewayne White (hamstring) both are likely out, while left end Cliff Avril (hamstring) remains a question mark after missing the last two weeks. But with Ernie Sims (shoulder) ready to return at weak-side linebacker, where rookie DeAndre Levy filled in so well last week, don't be surprised if Julian Peterson spends more time -- not just in nickel situations -- lining up at defensive end against the Bears.

How bad is Stafford's injury? Anyone know?

We played a great 1st half. Real bad second

The special teams were laughable today. absolutely laughable. Coverage was non existent

Stafford was solid, real solid. He overthrew some, yes. And the pick (wasnt as bad as it first appeared) was kinda dumb. But he still threw some strikes and showed more awareness and understanding. He is going to be a stud

And for those of you Sanchez lovers, he was horrible today. 4 TO's, no TDs. And the N. Orleans D isnt exactly stellar

I for one am still glad we have Stafford, he is showing why we drafted him

( stafford also had 2 turnovers which lead to 2 bears scores)

Since Stafford has injured leg culpepper may get start next week.