What a disaster of a first quarter. The Bears looked ready to play. The Lions didn't. No excuses. That was brutal by the Lions.
- Horrible play for Lions' guard Rob Sims. They moved Jared Allen inside, and he beat Sims and forced the fumble as Matthew Stafford was throwing. Then Sims jumped on the ball, and let Allen take it away from him, getting the recovery. Like Dominic Raiola, Sims has played his best football. Thing is, the Lions really needed a big game from their veterans in the middle of the offensive line because both Riley Reiff and Larry Warford out with injuries. They sure didn't get it during the first quarter.
- There is a lot of clamoring for the Lions to stretch the field and throw deep, but their pass protection is terrible.
- Matt Forte is a modern day Marshall Faulk. Not sure if his versatility running the football and catching it doesn't make him the most valuable back in the NFL. How many times has Forte burned the Lions on screen passes?
- We saw an example of what Eric Ebron is capable of on the pass Matthew Stafford side-armed to him in space. He is a brilliant talent, but that isn't the issue. It's a matter of consistency. It will be interesting to see if that is an aberration or a trend. The Bears are dropping one safety impossibly deep in coverage, rolling coverage to the outside on both sides of the field and leaving the middle of the field open as a soft spot. Perfect for the tight end to have a big game.