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In-game analysis Lions gobble down Bears, stay in first place
Posted: Thursday November 25, 1999 03:56 PM
The Football Fiend is live at the Silverdome filing reports to keep you up with the action between the Bears and Lions. End of fourth quarter Johnnie Morton's 13-yard third-down catch pretty much salted the game away for the Lions. Morton got quickly separation to the inside and made a tough catch on a good pass from Frerotte. Morton actually almost let the ball zip right through his hands, as the replays appeared to show that he caught the back half of the ball on a well-thrown tight spiral from Frerotte. The Lions' second-half numbers may not look impressive, but they did come up with numerous key plays on third down -- including three conversions in the fourth quarter on third down -- to fend off a gallant comeback attempt from the Bears. Fourth quarter -- Two-minute warning Greg Hill hasn't gained a ton of yards in the game, but he does have two of the biggest plays of the day. Hill's one-handed grab on third-and-five gave the Lions a first down and the chance to run more time off the clock against the Bears. Fourth quarter -- 2:56 remaining The Lions' fans haven't been pleased at all for most of the second half by the conservative play calling of head coach Bobby Ross and Sylvester Croom, but the Lions are taking time of the clock, even if they aren't gaining big yards. Corey Schlesinger made an excellent effort on a dump-off pass from Frerotte on third down, turning a four-yard pass into a 12-yard gain and a first down for the Lions. Fourth quarter -- 5:45 remaining Chicago appeared to panic a bit on offense, trying to go for the big play with more than six minutes still to play in the game. The Bears missed on three straight passes and were forced to punt out of the end zone. Robert Bailey's corner blitz on third-and-10 allowed him to bat the pass back in Jim Miller's direction, but Miller made a head play to slam the ball into the turf to prevent a Detroit player from being able to intercept the ball. Fourth quarter -- 6:34 remaining Tony Parrish made an excellent break on the ball on Gus Frerotte's pass that was intended for Germane Crowell on 3rd and 7. The Bears had blitzed cornerback Terry Cousin from the slot position, leaving Crowell one-on-one with Parrish on the outside. The athletic second-year safety out of Washington made a very athletic play to stretch his arms out and bat down the pass from Frerotte which was slightly under thrown. If Frerotte had put the pass a bit further over Crowell's outside shoulder the Lions could've picked up the first down and kept the drive alive. Fourth quarter -- 7:26 remaining Herman Moore's first catch of the season was a huge play, keeping the Lions' drive alive on 3rd and 10 with a 19-yard gain. Gus Frerotte scrambled right away from the pressure up the middle from the Bears, and found Moore who had settled into a soft spot in the Bears' zone defense. Moore appeared to juggle the ball slightly, but reeled it in for a clutch 19-yard pickup to move the chains. Fourth quarter -- 8:39 remaining The Lions caught a break with the spot by the officials' after Johnnie Morton's catch on a crossing pattern on 3rd and 9. Morton was credited with a nine-yard gain, but it appeared that the head linesman spotted the ball about a half-yard forward of where Morton was actually tackled, and the referee awarded Detroit a first down without even measuring. Fourth quarter -- 9:38 remaining The Lions defense came up with a huge stop, just after the Bears had forced the Lions to punt the ball themselves. Robert Porcher's sack on Jim Miller pushed Chicago into a 3rd and 20 situation, and the Bears went conservative on the ensuing play call with a dump-off middle screen to Curtis Enis. The Lions again will look to run some clock, but they won't be afraid to go deep if they get the chance, as a touchdown here could hurt the Bears' chances to finish off what has been a nice second-half comeback. Fourth quarter -- 11:30 remaining Chicago used a clever play on Mary Booker's 23-yard touchdown catch, getting away with an inside-out pick play to free Booker on the quick square-in. The Bears again spread the field out with five wide receivers, and Miller was able to get the ball quickly to Booker who appeared to be his first option on the play. The impressive rookie wideout then weaved his way through the defense to the end zone to bring the Bears within four points. Detroit needs to put together a nice drive and chew up some clock, something they haven't been able to do since the offense stalled midway through the second quarter. Start of fourth quarter The Bears got a gift from the Lions in the form of field position when Iheanyi Uwaezuoke fumble the punt from Todd Sauerbrun and the Bears recovered just across midfield. The crowd has suddenly been taken out of the game following the fumble, with many people sensing that the Bears are gaining some momentum with the turnover and another solid drive to back it up. Though they still trail by 11 points entering the last 15 minutes of the game, Chicago is still within striking distance, and the Bears could make a game of it if they culminate this drive with another touchdown. It would be smart of the Bears to go back to Glyn Milburn on another draw play or a swing pass, as he is quick enough to beat most NFL linebackers one-on-one in open space. Third quarter -- 2:07 remaining The crowd at the Silverdome has sensed the Lions need a little boost, and the decibel level picked up significantly before the Bears began their latest drive. Fans in the North end zone stood and cheered loudly before each snap by the Bears, and the noise forced Jim Miller to burn the Bears' second timeout of the third quarter. Third quarter -- 3:20 remaining Detroit's play-calling has been questionable in the third quarter, though the play of the Bears' defense has been good enough to disrupt much of what the Lions have been running on offense. Bobby Ross was criticized after going for two a few weeks ago instead of kicking the extra point to pull within three points of the Cardinals -- and now some of the fans here have started to boo the decisions that offensive coordinator Sylvester Croom and Ross are making. Gus Frerotte taking a delay-of-game penalty doesn't help make the coaches look good either, but Detroit did get a break when the Bears spent a timeout before a play on which Detroit only had 10 men on the field. The Lions drew the wrath of the "boo birds" by running an inside shovel pass to Germane Crowell on third and long that was stopped for only a short gain. Third quarter -- 5:24 remaining I would expect Chicago to come out in its next drive and continue to spread Detroit out on the field, and try to take advantage of the fact that the Lions are missing three starters in the secondary. The Bears couldn't move the ball on the ground in the first half, gaining only 17 yards on 8 carries, but they have already surpassed that total in the second half thanks to Milburn's long gallop up the middle on a well-blocked draw play. If Chicago can continue to mix the run and the pass equally, and is able to spread out the Lions' defense and run on it inside, then the Bears can still get back in the game, even though there are only 21 minutes left to play. Third quarter -- 7:45 remaining Chicago tried to spread out the Lions' defense and mix things up in the first half without much success. But during the first drive of the second half, Chcago finally was able to move the ball with consistency on the Lions by running three and four-wideout sets with quarterback Jim Miller in the shotgun. Glyn Milburn's long run on a draw play put the Bears inside the 10-yard line with three cracks at the end zone, but the offense bogged down in the red zone with two inaccurate passes from Miller, and the Bears had to settle for a 26-yard field goal from Chris Boniol to cut the Lions' lead to 21-10. Third quarter -- 8:12 remaining The game is starting to get a little chippy in the third quarter, with the Bears obviously not pleased with their anemic 95 yards of total offense from the first half. Curtis Enis was assessed a 15-yard personal foul penalty for coming in late on a play to block after Curtis Conway had made a nine-yard catch early in the third quarter. Then just four plays later Bears tight end Alonzo Mayes and Lions defensive end Robert Porcher got into a shoving and head-slapping match well after the whistle had sounded. The two were assessed offsetting 15-yard fouls, but that matchup will be one to watch down the stretch, as the two will surely be facing off again later in hte game. The Bears could use a little inspiration, and the feistiness could fire up the offense if they avoid making stupid penalties like Enis did. Third quarter -- 11:22 remaining Gus Frerotte got away with an awful pass on 3rd and 12 on the Lions' opening drive of the second half, when he hung a pass to wide receiver Germane Crowell that should've been picked off and taken back for six the other way by Bears cornerback Walt Harris. Harris made a great break on the ball, but it appeared that the pass slipped right through his hands into the arms of Crowell who turned the near-interception into a 12-yard gain. Third quarter -- 14:40 remaining I would look for the Lions to come out and really try to run the ball on the Bears early in the third quarter. Detroit had some success in the second quarter running the ball, and with a 14-point lead in the game the Lions wouldn't mind running a little clock by piecing together a long drive to open the half. Halftime Detroit relaxed in the final two minutes after going up 21-0, and Chicago's late touchdown drive gave the Bears a glimmer of hope -- and a bit of momentum -- going into the second half. The Lions used five and six defensive backs in a prevent defense during the Bears' five-play, 53-yard scoring drive to close the half. Detroit's secondary is so thin with the suspension of Mark Carrier, and the injuries to cornerbacks Bryant Westbrook and Kevin Abrams, that running a prevent defense and utilizing a dime package might not be the smartest thing to do. Second quarter -- :35 remaining Jim Miller looked great in the two-minute drill, after struggling for the first 29 minutes of the game. He was patient in the pocket before finding Marcus Robinson deep down field to get the ball to the 3-yard line, and he surveyed the defense and found the open receiver in Alonzo Mayes on a well-conceived passing play on 1st and goal that got the Bears on the board with 30 seconds to play in the half. Second quarter -- :55 remaining The Lions turned to the air after getting stuffed twice on running plays from the 1-yard line, and it was a great show of patience from Frerotte that made the touchdown pass to Johnnie Morton possible. Frerotte was flushed from the pocket and scrambled to his right, giving his receivers time to try to free themselves from excellent coverage in the end zone from the Bears' secondary. Morton broke away from Bears cornerback Walt Harris in the back of the end zone, and Frerotte delivered an excellent strike to Morton that put the Lions up 21-0. Frerotte has settled down from his earlier struggles and has actually had a pretty impressive first half. He has completed 13-of-17 passes for 157 yards with two touchdowns, and even with his poor decisions early in the game, he never turned the ball over or put the Bears in much of a position to capitalize on this mental errors. Second quarter -- Two minute warning The Bears are in jeopardy of getting routed if they don't clean up their sloppy play and eliminate silly mistakes. Robert Porcher continues to get pressure on Jim Miller -- beating Bears right tackle James "Big Cat" Williams on a regular basis -- and his hand caused Miller to throw the ball almost straight up in the air for the easy interception by linebacker Scott Kowalkowski. The crowd is incredibly loud, and another Lions touchdown before the half could be a backbreaker for Chicago. Second quarter -- 2:22 remaining Greg Hill has received some excellent blocking up front from the Lions offensive line in the second quarter. Hill looked impressive on the Lions' six-play, 73-yard second-quarter drive that culminated with a 29-yard touchdown run with 2:45 to play in the quarter. Hill started the run off-tackle left as designed, but then broke back to the inside after getting some amazing seal blocks from the entire left side of the line. David Sloan and Ray Roberts ran a cross block to kick out the defensive end, and then Corey Schlesinger -- who is an excellent blocker despite his limitations running the ball -- cleaned up on the strong safety to spring Hill for the long scoring run. Second quarter -- 3:33 remaining The Lions have plugged up the middle despite the Bears' best effort to run the ball out of spread formations. Defensive tackle James Jones has plugged up the middle of the field, and support on the outside from Robert Porcher has helped neutralize what the Bears are trying to accomplish by spreading the field with three and four receiver formations on first and second down. Second quarter -- 5:05 remaining Detroit has been forced to change its offensive look with the injury to Sedrick Irvin earlier in the second quarter. Irvin sprained his right knee on a screen pass from Frerotte in the second quarter, and his return to the game is questionable. His injury has forced the Lions to go with two tight ends, and to use fullback Corey Schlesinger in more of a feature-back role. Schlesinger and Hill can give the Lions a good change-of-pace out of the backfield, but neither of them have the ability to avoid defenders and break the big one like Irvin does. Detroit could be more limited on offense if Irvin doesn't return to the game, and that may force Frerotte and the passing game to come up with more big plays. Second quarter -- 10:00 remaining Jason Hanson crushed the ball on his missed 53-yard field goal attempt, hitting the ball very solidly, but missing the kick to the left side of the uprights. The kick likely would've made it from 65 or 70 yards though, as the ball was two-thirds of the way up on the goalpost when it passed over the crossbar. The Bears put together a nice drive in the middle of the second quarter by continuing to utilize many different formations, and leaving the Lions wondering whether they will run or pass out of multiple-receiver sets. Chicago finally managed to get a first down with 11:30 to play in the second quarter when Miller hit Marty Booker on a quick out. The Bears then came back and tried to go for the homerun ball on the next two plays, but the Lions had excellent coverage and forced the Bears to punt. The crowd has stayed in the game thanks to the Lions' early lead and solid defensive play. On the Bears' latest third-down play, the crowd rose to its feet in unison and was so deafeningly loud that Bears quarterback Jim Miller had to resort to using hand signals to get his receivers lined up properly. Miller's pass to Marty Booker was broken up, forcing Chicago to punt again and giving the Lions the ball back at their own 10. Second quarter -- 12:19 remaining The Bears seem insistent on trying to spread out the Lions, but so far Detroit has been up to the challenge. Chicago didn't get a first down in the first quarter, a finished with only 28 yards of total offense. The Bears need to get back to the vertical passing game that has helped their offense become so explosive over the last month or so. Frerotte continues to make poor decisions in the offense, most recently dumping off a short pass to running back Sedrick Irvin that ended up six yards short of first down. Irvin went down with an apparent right knee injury on the play, which could be devastating to the Lions running game, since starter Ron Rivers is already out for the season with a knee injury of his own. Greg Hill will have to carry the load if Irvin's injury proves to be serious, and that would hamper the offensive game plan of Detroit, which has been shuttling the two in-and-out of the game the last few weeks in specific situations. First quarter -- 7:06 remaining The Bears appeared to be committed to the running game in their second drive after failing to move the ball on their first drive. Though Curtis Enis was stuffed for a loss of one and a gain of two on the first two plays of the drive, Jim Miller hit Marcus Robinson for an eight-yard gain to leave the Bears just short of a first down. Chicago is trying to spread the Lions defense out and then get the ball to the outside on the ground so that big running back Curtis Enis can get into one-on-one matchups on the outside with the backup cornerbacks of the Lions who have been pressed into action because of injuries. The Lions are mixing up their offense beautifully, having used three different running backs, and several offensive formations to keep the Bears guessing. Chicago. But they may be confusing one of their own players with their multiple formations and varied offense in the early going. Quarterback Gus Frerotte has looked uncertain under center in the early going, missing a wide-open receiver and forcing a pass into tight coverage that was nearly intercepted. Frerotte missed Herman Moore wide open deep across the middle on what would've been a sure touchdown if Frerotte made the throw. Instead he tucked the ball away and scrambled for a first down on third-and-eight, but a touchdown and a 14-0 lead surely would've pleased the coaches much more. Frerotte's decision-making has been the only bleak spot in what has been an otherwise excellent start for the Lions in this crucial NFC Central battle. First quarter -- 12:12 remaining The crowd noise in the Silverdome is something that the Chicago Bears will have to contend with all afternoon, and it got started about 15 minutes before game time when the Lions took the field. The Bears opening drive was halted after three quick plays. Chicago tried to spread the Lions defense out and take advantage of the fact that Mark Carrier, Bryant Westbrook and Kevin Abrams are all missing from the lineup. The Lions took the ball at their own 36-yard line and didn't waste much time getting on the board. After a short pass to tight end Walter Rasby, and two runs to Greg Hill and Sedrick Irvin, the Lions' new big-play threat got them into the end zone on a 45-yard scoring pass from Gus Frerotte. Crowell ran a post pattern and beat cornerback Terry Cousin with ease to the inside, crossing to the middle of the field and outrunning the weak-side safety for six. The early score for the Lions got the 80,000 fans even more fired up, and will make it difficult for the Bears if they don't get on the board soon.
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