Chicago
26
Detroit21
Chicago
Detroit
| Chicago 26 | Detroit 21 |
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| December 24, 2006 | Ford Field-Attendance: 60,665 (65,000) | Time: 3:23 |
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| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER | CHI | DET |
| CHI | FG | 8:38 | Robbie Gould 36 yard field goal attempt is good. | 3 | 0 |
| DET | TD | 2:32 | Jon Kitna pass completion to the middle to Dan Campbell for 23 yards for a touchdown. | 3 | 6 |
| DET | PAT | 2:32 | Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good. | 3 | 7 |
| SECOND QUARTER | CHI | DET |
| CHI | TD | 14:05 | Rex Grossman pass completion to the middle to Bernard Berrian for 13 yards for a touchdown. | 9 | 7 |
| CHI | PAT | 14:05 | Robbie Gould extra point attempt is good. | 10 | 7 |
| CHI | TD | 0:26 | Adrian Peterson rush to the left for 2 yards for a touchdown. | 16 | 7 |
| CHI | PAT | 0:26 | Robbie Gould extra point attempt is good. | 17 | 7 |
| THIRD QUARTER | CHI | DET |
| DET | TD | 10:53 | Jon Kitna pass completion to the right to Mike Furrey for 20 yards for a touchdown. | 17 | 13 |
| DET | PAT | 10:53 | Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good. | 17 | 14 |
| DET | TD | 4:27 | Jon Kitna pass completion to the right to Roy Williams for 2 yards for a touchdown. | 17 | 20 |
| DET | PAT | 4:27 | Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good. | 17 | 21 |
| FOURTH QUARTER | CHI | DET |
| CHI | FG | 12:21 | Robbie Gould 36 yard field goal attempt is good. | 20 | 21 |
| CHI | FG | 5:13 | Robbie Gould 39 yard field goal attempt is good. | 23 | 21 |
| CHI | FG | 2:50 | Robbie Gould 44 yard field goal attempt is good. | 26 | 21 |
| Statistics |
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| Team Stat Comparison |
| CHI | DET | |
| 1st Downs | 22 | 18 |
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| 3rd down efficiency | 6-17 | 3-13 |
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| 4th down efficiency | 1-1 | 2-3 |
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| Total Yards | 354 | 327 |
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| Passing | 238 | 260 |
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| Comp-Att | 26-45 | 27-45 |
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| Yards per pass | 5.1 | 5.4 |
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| Rushing | 116 | 67 |
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| Rushing Attempts | 30 | 18 |
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| Yards per rush | 3.9 | 3.7 |
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| Penalties | 7-48 | 11-92 |
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| Sacks against | 2-10 | 3-23 |
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| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
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| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 2-1 |
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| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 0 |
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| Possession | 34:43 | 25:17 |
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That probably won't stop questions about who is best suited to lead the NFC's top seed in the playoffs.
Brian Griese replaced Rex Grossman in the fourth quarter and led two drives that set up field goals, helping Chicago beat the Detroit Lions 26-21 Sunday.
''I thought I was going to play the whole game,'' Grossman said. ''But I guess they had plans that they were going to get me out mid-third quarter.''
Griese directed a 72-yard drive that put Robbie Gould in position for a go-ahead field goal midway through the fourth quarter and made a pass to set up Gould's fourth field goal, giving Chicago a five-point cushion with 2:50 left.
''I hadn't played in a while, so it felt good to get out there and contribute to a win,'' said Griese, who didn't play in the previous seven games after being used sparingly. ''I'm ready to play whenever they want me to, but I don't have any expectations.''
Switching QBs added a touch of intrigue to a game with nothing at stake.
The Bears (13-2) clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs last week and Detroit (2-13) has been relegated to playing for pride since midseason - for the sixth straight year.
One possession after Jon Kitna's NFL-high 30th turnover, the Lions had a shot to win, but came up short as they have often this season.
Kitna threw a pass into the end zone on the final play that leaping wide receiver Mike Williams got his hands on, but couldn't control in the end zone while being closely defended by cornerback Devin Hester.
''I owe it to myself and the team to make that play,'' Williams said. ''That's just a play you make.''
Chicago coach Lovie Smith insisted before the game that he would play to win - not to avoid injuries - by using his starters as long as necessary in the hopes of staying sharp for the playoffs.
After the game, Smith said the move at QB was planned.
''We wanted to get a win in the worst way and we wanted to look at a few other players,'' Smith said.
Smith stuck with Grossman earlier this month as his starting QB after he threw three interceptions in two straight games.
Grossman responded by throwing four TDs without an interception in the next two games, adding a career-high 339 yards passing last week, in two wins that helped Chicago earn the right to stay at home in the NFC playoffs.
Against the Lions, he had another lackluster performance in what has been an up-and-down season - but Chicago won its fourth straight.
Grossman was 20-of-36 for 197 yards with a TD. Griese was 6-of-9 for 51 yards.
Bernard Berrian's 13-yard score early in the second quarter gave the Bears the lead and was one of the only highlights Grossman had in a game that could lead to speculation during the final week of the regular season and into the playoffs.
''We'll leave the decisions up to the coaching staff,'' said wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, whom Grossman overthrew badly on a play that likely would've been a touchdown in the third quarter. ''I'm confident with both guys, but Rex has been our guy all season.''
Kitna completed 27 of 45 passes for 283 yards and TDs to Roy Williams, Dan Campbell and Mike Furrey, who had 10 catches for 107 yards.
But Kitna fumbled when Mark Anderson sacked him late in the game, adding to his long line of miscues at crucial times. Adewale Ogunleye's recovery at the Detroit 32 with 3:46 left set up a field goal that forced the Lions to go for a TD on their final drive.
''We turned the ball over one time, but that was one time too many,'' Detroit coach Rod Marinelli said. ''We didn't get any on defense, and that's critical in a game like this.''
Like many games this season, the Lions were solid at times and had a shot to win but made too many mistakes.
''That's just how our year has gone,'' Campbell said.
Detroit has lost seven straight and is an NFL-worst 23-72 since 2001.
At least the game was not a snoozer. I ended up going to the Lions finale against the Bears although several people begged me to rip up my tickets. When I got to Ford Field I was not that surprised to see that Bears nation decided to make the 5 hour drive. Several thousand Bears fans were there and it felt like the Cincinnati game a year ago. It took several weeks, but the Offense finally showed some life. John Kitna finally went a complete game without an interception and had three touchdowns for the game. Too bad his fumble late in the fourth quarter was a back breaker. Typical of him. The Defense held the Bears in check for most of the game but gave up a long time killing drive in the fourth quarter that was a back breaker. Mike Williams saw his most playing time as a Lion and went on to drop five passes including the last one of the game. All I could do was laugh as I headed to the exits thankfully for the final time this season.
Offense: --- C+. John Kitna had one of his best Lions games ever even though the Bears dominating Defense was not at full strength. He had three touchdowns and almost a fourth had Mike Williams knew how to catch a football. The Offensive line played a little better but still is one of the main reasons the Offense has been so pitiful again this season. Roy Williams had a much better game than he did in Green Bay. Harris and Cason combined for 75 yards and did an adequate job running the ball. All in all, it was a better effort by the Offense but not quite enough as they ran out of time.
Defense: --- D. The Lions would definitely have more than two wins if the Defense made big plays late in the game. Once again, they failed to prevent a time crushing drive in the fourth quarter which lead to the Bears going ahead for good. Stanley Wilson and Ernie Sims each had good games. It was a better effort than the first time around against the Bears but they failed to create all the turnovers like they did in Green Bay and that was the difference in the end.
Special Teams: --- A-. Once again, the Special Teams were great. They held the Bears top punt and kickoff returner Hester in check the entire game - most teams fail to do that. Nick Harris had some good punts and coverage was great. Ellis did a good job subbing for Eddie Drummond.
Coaching: --- D. For some reason Marinelli was more animated than usual on the sideline. Maybe he realized the Lions had a chance to win a game against the best team in the NFC. For the life of me, I will never understand why they never gave Mike Williams a chance earlier in the season - yes he had all those drops today but he has hardly played at all.
Overall: --- C. At least the game was entertaining right up to the end. This was the first game since Seattle in week one I stayed the entire 60 minutes granted there were more Bears fans at the end of the game than Lions fans. With the loss, the Lions remain tied with the Raiders for the worst record in football. Their last game of the year is against Dallas and if the Cowboys have anything to play for, the Lions will definitely finish with a 2-14 record. Then we can start debating what they should do with what will definitely be the #1 or #2 overall pick. If Mr. 23-72 is still around, chances are it will be another blown pick. I can only hope for a miracle occurs and he won't be - but i've already come to the notion he will.
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