The Lions find a running game: 4th quarter Lions - Bears thoughts

1st play of the 4th, a pass to McDonald in the flat...He scoots in for the TD! 13-10, Bears still lead. It's a ballgame, folks!

All I ask is the Lions kick the ball away from Hester. No such luck, but it's a moral victory, as Hester is stopped at the Bears 26.

On a swing pass, Fernando Bryant is called for a very silly spear on Benson, moving the ball all the Bears 48. An uber-braindead play by Bryant. Benson was already down, and it couldn't have been more blatant!

It's 3rd and 3 from the 50...Griese looks....KEITH SMITH PICKS GRIESE! Nothing but green in front of him! 63 yard TD return! Holy god damn shit! What the Hell was Griese thinking?!

17-13, LIONS! I'm stunned, to say the very least...

On the kickoff, it's to Hester at the 5...Oh shit...

95 yards, and several missed tackles later...20-17 Bears.

Special teams coverage is just killing the Lions today. At this point, I'd much rather see the Lions squib every kick. They sure as Hell can't tackle Hester, as he now has 261 (!) return yards.

The Lions, with no kickoff weapon like Hester, start at their 20.

Offsides on the Bears to start the series, a run gets nothing. 2nd and 5. A false start gives the 5 yards right back. Christ. 2nd and 10. But the Bears give it right back, encroachment! 2nd and 5. This is just silly.

An out to Williams gains 7, as he doesn't give any yards back...This time. 1st down at the 32.

Kitna looks for McDonald DEEP! He's open, but misses him! The Bears bail the Lions out with an illegal contact penalty. 1st and 10 at the 37.

Kitna down the middle...Hits Furrey in stride! It's good for 48 yards, 1st and10 at the Bears 14! Oh my God, it's red zone follies time!

A QB scramble loses 1, 2nd and 11. Kitna drops back...Walters is open deep in the corner of the end zone...Drags the feet...Called out! No! NO! THAT WAS A CATCH! You could see the rubber fly as Walters drug his feet!

Lions will challenge this for sure, it looks as if he was in on the replay. Marinelli is 0 for the season on challenges, will this break the streak? OVERTUNED!

TD counts! 24-20 Lions! But they are now out of challenges... Marinelli finally gets off the challenge schneid.

Kitna put together a nice drive, he was 3-3-71 and a TD.

Hester takes the kick..He's at the 40...FUMBLE! Out of bounds at the 30. Whew! Shit! Hester is going to give Lions fans a coronary...

Crowd's going ballistic. A Griese pass get 2 yards, 3rd and 8. Big play for both sides...Paris Lenon and Ernie Sims blitz! SACK LENON! Bears have to punt...

Lions take over at the 37. A running game would be nice here. Bell for 8! Bell again, off tackle, gets the 1st! Bears offsides, either way, Lions 1st down at th 45.

Bell again for 3. 2nd and 7. Kitna to Furrey! 1st down at the 29! Martz empties out the playbook, end around to McDonald gains 8! It's a fullback DIVE? Where's that come from? Bradley gets 4 yards on the dive, 1st down! Jones off tackle, gets 8 more! Where has this been all season? 2nd and 2 at the Bears 10!

Quick out to Williams, he's 1 on1, jukes, gets the 1st down...FUMBLE! ARRGH...Thank God, it's out of bounds at the 5! 1st and goal!

Jones on a sweep, cuts back...Runs through a tackle...TD LIONS!

It took till the 4th game of the season, late in the 4th quarter, for the Lions to find a semblance of a ground game. Not a moment too soon.

Bears block the extra point! SHIT! Only a 10 point game... Still, 30-20 Lions!

DO NOT KICK IT TO HESTER! It's a squib, Hester does get it, but is swarmed over at the 27. I can live with that...

Griese hits 2 passes, 1st and 10 at the Bear 42, 3 minutes left. A short pass to Peterson gets the ball over the 50. Griese looks...Completes ANOTHER pass, Davis is down to the Lions 34! Good Lord, what's with the soft D?

2:29 left, clock stopped on a Bryant injury. That actually helps the Lions, by getting that stiff off the field.

Griese with all kinds of time...It's Davis to the 28....A slant to Berrian, he's to the Lions 18!

Christ almighty, the Bears only need 2 scores. God damn the Lions if the blocked extra point comes back to bite the Lions on the ass...

Shawn Cody with encroachment...it's 1st and 5 at the Lions 13...

Griese looks in the end zone...Incomplete! But it's a 1st down and goal at the 6, thanks to a sort pass to Davis.

Griese drops back...Big time pressure from the Lions...Griese is hit! Ball is high the air! It's caught by Garza, a lineman who tries to rumble into the end zone...FUMBLE! It's in the end zone! Lions ball! Flags everywhere!

Here's the call...Illegal touch by Garza, declined, ruled a fumble, Lions ball, touchback! Holy mother of God, will the Lions be 3-1?

No so fast! Booth review on the fumble...

You've got to be kidding me1 It's not a pass by Griese, instead it's a fumble that Garza recovered, and by rule, he cannot move the ball forward within the final 2 minutes. Bears ball at the 13! Bizarre, to say the least. Mother... But looking back on it, as strange as it was, it looks to be the correct call.

A short pass has the Bears at the Lions 3! 3rd and goal...Pass broken up in the end zone, the Bears will kick and make it a 1 score game. Chip shot FG is good...What? Lions lineup offsides on the kick?! Penalty on Rogers! Shit...

Bears will take the points off the board, and will go for it 4th and 1. Gutty call by Lovie.

Damn! TD pass, Griese to Clark! 30-27 Lions. 52 seconds left.

The game hangs on the upcoming onsides kick... Takes a hop...

Well, what the HELL!? Casey Fitzimmons gets a good bounce...He has a wall in front of him...IT'S A 62 YARD LIONS TD RETURN! Jesus Mary Christ! TD LIONS!!!

A quick booth review says the play stands as called! 37-27 Lions! With 45 seconds left, it's game, set, and match!

Hester returns the kickoff to the Bear 31. Lions offsides on the kick, so tack on 5. 1st and 10 at the Bears 36. It's all moot anyway...

Griese drops back...And hits the turf on his own at the 26, rather than get run over by Jared DeVries! TO Bears.

A pass Clark goes to the 41, another Bear TO. Just delaying the inevitable... Another pass to Berrian to the Lions 43 pads Griese's stats. The game ends on a DeVries sack!

Game over. There's a crisis in Chicago, and they are now 1-3. Lions fans aren't sure what to make of a 3-1 start. I sure as Hell don't... Detroit's beat 2 lousy teams, got hammered by a decent one, and now have beat the defensing NFC champs, who, to be honest, look like an average to bad team, thanks to a beat up defense, and an inept offense.

So I'm still not sure if the Lions' 3-1 start is fraudulent or not. Still, the Lions have surprised everyone, especially me.