Lions grades: Bush rebound spurs effective run game
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford had a couple impressive throws, but that's the only good thing there is to say about him in Sunday's win over the Bears. If the Lions were playing just about any other team, his two red-zone interceptions would've cost them game, and both were ill-advised passes to covered targets. Stafford's protection wasn't great, but his lack of mobility made it harder to escape the four sacks. Finishing 22 of 39 for 243 yards with no touchdowns is an awful performance against the NFL's No. 31 pass defense.
Grade: D
Running backs: The Lions could've used Sunday's version of Reggie Bush all season as he finally showed some burst, finishing with seven carries for 54 yards and six catches for 44 yards. He also had an impressive 21-yard catch to convert a fourth down and scored on a 13-yard run the next play. And after his one-quarter suspension ended, Joique Bell entered and proved once again why he's been the workhorse this year, finishing with 13 carries for 74 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown.
Grade: A
Wide receivers: Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate had a couple drops, but they made up for it with other big plays. Johnson was open regularly, and he should've had more than six catches for 103 yards — that's more of a game plan problem. Tate had five catches for 62 yards, including a couple really strong catches. The best contribution from Jeremy Ross or Corey Fuller, though, was a 46-yard pass interference Fuller drew.
Grade: B
Tight ends: Eric Ebron has one miscue on a route, but otherwise the tight ends were quiet, which can be a good or bad thing. The good: They blocked well enough for the Lions to have their best running game of the year. The bad: No Lions tight end had a target in the game.
Grade: C
Offensive line: The pass blocking was poor for much of the game, but the run blocking helped make up for it. Matthew Stafford took four sacks, all in the first half, so the line made some adjustments in the second half.
Grade: C-
Defensive line: It was a tale of two halves up front as the Lions didn't sack Jimmy Clausen or create much pressure in the first half. In the second half, though, Ndamukong Suh had two sacks, and he was the star of the defense once again with two tackles for loss, too.
Grade: B
Linebackers: Compared to other running backs, Matt Forte had some success against the Lions with 19 carries for 55 yards, but the linebackers were typically in position to stop him from breaking free. The linebackers also held tight end Martellus Bennett to just one catch.
Grade: B
Secondary: Bears receivers were open more than in the Thanksgiving meeting, but the Lions were fortunate there were several drops. For the most part, though, the secondary played well as Glover Quin and Rashean Mathis each broke up two passes and Glover Quin caught his NFL-best seventh interception. James Ihedigbo had two tackles for loss, too.
Grade: B
Special teams: The Lions' third unit gift-wrapped the Bears' two touchdowns. Late in the second quarter, a punt bounced off return man Jeremy Ross and right to Bears cornerback Sherrick McManis, giving Chicago the ball at the 11 to set up the first touchdown. In the third quarter, Julian Stanford was called for roughing the punter, and the Bears scored three plays later. Matt Prater made field goals from 30 and 39 yards, but also had a 37-yarder blocked in the fourth quarter.
Grade: F
Coaches: The Lions should've cruised to a victory, and as much as the players made mistakes, the coaching staff didn't have the right game plan. They should've thrown to Calvin Johnson every play until the Bears stopped him. They should've blitzed more to fluster Jimmy Clausen. Jim Caldwell's one-game-at-a-time message clearly wasn't received as the Lions didn't look like a playoff team.
Grade: D
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