Tribune reporter John Mullin turns in his report card for Sunday’s game.
QUARTERBACK A-
Rex Grossman had a workmanlike 197 yards and one touchdown on 20-for-36 passing despite needing to throw several away. Brian Griese’s first significant playing time of the season produced the winning field-goal drive with 6-for-9 passing and an 81.2 passer rating. The quarterbacks distributed passes to 10 receivers. Most important: zero turnovers.
RUNNING BACKS B
Adrian Peterson scored on a 2-yard run one play after catching a perfectly executed delayed swing pass out of the backfield. Losing Jason McKie with an ankle injury early in the first quarter left the Bears without a fullback. Thomas Jones averaged 5.2 yards on 12 runs, and Cedric Benson added 49 yards, with Jones and Benson each catching two passes.
RECEIVERS B+
Bernard Berrian led with five catches and worked the middle underneath for his sixth touchdown. Muhsin Muhammad’s 40-yard pickup started one scoring drive, and Desmond Clark keyed the second touchdown drive with a 22-yard grab on third down. Mark Bradley and Gabe Reid each contributed three catches off the bench.
OFFENSIVE LINE B
After a strong first half, the line began to yield to Detroit’s pressure, and Grossman was sacked twice. Left tackle John Tait was missed in protection against blitzes, but the ground game got 116 yards and the line blocked well on screens, creating opportunities with 12- and 13-play drives in the fourth quarter.
DEFENSIVE LINE B
Mark Anderson’s second sack, his 12th of the season, and forced fumble were game-turning plays in the fourth quarter. Alfonso Boone sacked Jon Kitna, and Anderson destroyed an end-around for a 9-yard loss and picked up a sack in the second quarter. Boone added a tackle for loss, and Ian Scott deflected his fourth pass in two weeks plus had a tackle for loss on a late screen pass.
LINEBACKERS B
Hunter Hillenmeyer could have used some safety help on Detroit’s first-quarter scoring pass to Dan Campbell in what looked like a breakdown. Lance Briggs had a game-high nine tackles and Brian Urlacher added eight as the Bears held Detroit to 67 rushing yards.
SECONDARY C-
Breakdowns for big plays were costly again. The Lions hit the Bears for gains of 26 and 23 yards in the first quarter for a touchdown and scored on a 20-yarder in the third as rookies Devin Hester and Danieal Manning appeared lost at times. Being without cornerback Charles Tillman left a big void, as Mike Furrey caught 10 passes and Roy Williams six for combined 186 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS A
Coverage was burned for a 48-yard punt return to set up Detroit’s first score, but the Bears forced the Lions to start five possessions at the 20 or worse. Robbie Gould converted twice from 36 yards, then from 39 and 44 yards for the decisive points in the fourth quarter to set a franchise record for field goals. Brad Maynard averaged 47.7 yards on six punts, two inside the 20. COACHING A-
The offense rested several players through the game and refined its game-planning. The defense struggled through injuries to deal with a late Detroit surge and personnel shortages. Effort was present for a seemingly meaningless game in the standings, but it mattered for late-season honing.
