Team Grades: Calvin Johnson Rescues Defense As Lions Beat Bears For First Win Of Season
By Danny Cox
The Detroit Lions are at a point now where they know the season is virtually lost, but they didn't want to continue through the year without getting that first victory. As time was winding down in regulation, Matthew Stafford found Calvin Johnson in the back of the end zone with less than 30 seconds remaining and the Lions appeared to have their first victory in their grasp.
Unfortunately, the Lions' defense let them down and allowed the Chicago Bears go downfield in virtually no time at all, tying it up to force overtime. Once again though, it was Megatron who used his pure talent to get the Lions in position to win, and that's just what they did.
Offense: B
Finally, there was some semblance of balance with the offense and the team also got their stars involved more than they have been this entire season. Calvin Johnson had the late go-ahead touchdown in regulation and then another huge reception in overtime to finish with 166 yards on six receptions. Lance Moore stepped up too as he caught five balls for 106 yards and one score.
Stafford amassed 405 passing yards with four touchdowns and just one interception. The rushing game is still virtually invisible, but a little creativity helped the Lions rack up 155 yards on the ground as a team.
Defense: C-
The defense almost blew it with that final drive for the Bears in regulation that got them in position for a game-tying field goal. Jay Cutler was picked off once, but still passed for 353 yards and was only sacked once. The Lions simply had no answer for Alshon Jeffery who returned from injury and caught eight balls for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Special Teams: B+
Special teams had a great day as Matt Prater hit all three of his field goal attempts and all four extra points. Sam Martin had a good day punting as well and even a long of 55-yards that helped out the Lions early on. There was really nothing to the punt returns and kickoff returns were minimal.
Obviously, Prater's most important kick was the short attempt in overtime that he easily hit for the win.
Coaching: C+
Jim Caldwell appeared to finally have a good game plan that included a nice mix of the run game and the passing game. Calvin Johnson finally got truly involved in the offense and things looked good on that side of the ball. There just have to a few tweaks made to the defense, but it's understandable with the absence of DeAndre Levy and Haloti Ngata.
The Detroit Lions finally found their way out of futility and played a good game to get their first win of the season. Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford made things exciting, but the defense wasn't helping them much. Luckily, the offensive duo was able to do it at the end of regulation and in overtime as well. Now, it's figuring out how to fix the defense for next week and getting another victory.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.