The Detroit Lions (2-14) ended their dismal season with a loss to the Chicago Bears (7-9) at home.  The Lions’ offense played hard and did a pretty good job putting some points on the board, but they got no support from their defense and the Bears’ easily outscored them.  Mathew Stafford was out for the Lions, and Daunte Culpepper did a decent job filling in for him.  Culpepper probably had his best game of the season, going 23/34 for 262 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.  He got some support from his running backs, with Maurice Morris getting 65 yards on 16 carries and Aaron Brown getting 21 yards on only 3 carries.  It wasn’t enough though, because the Bears’ offense tore apart the Lions’ defense.

At halftime the Lions were only down 13-10, but they gave up 24 points in the second half and the Bears got an easy win.  They let Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler (who has struggled most of the season) go 22/36 for 276 yards and 4 touchdowns.  They also gave up 150 rushing yards to a Bears team that has been poor all season at running the ball.  This was another ugly season for the Lions, but it is an improvement from their 0-16 season a year ago.  They do have some things to be excited about, including the young Mathew Stafford who showed flashes of great play a few times this season, but the Lions are a long way away from being playoff contenders.

The Lions were really awful on offense yesterday turning the ball over six times and it killed them on the scoreboard.  Drew Stanton started the game for the Lions yesterday and he completed 11 of 21 passes for 130 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 23 yards (3.8 ypc) before getting yanked from the game.  Daunte Culpepper didn’t play too much better as he completed 7 of 12 passes for 51 yards and he also carried the ball 2 times for 16 yards (8.0 ypc).  Maurice Morris didn’t do much on the ground for the Lions in this game with 37 yards on 18 carries (2.1 ypc) but he also caught 4 passes for 29 yards (7.3 avg).   Calvin Johnson led the way in the passing game for the Lions yesterday with 7 grabs for 96 yards (13.7 avg) and he also carried the ball 2 times for 32 yards (16.0 ypc).  The Lions finished up with 289 total yards on offense (114 rushing, 175 passing) in this game.

The Detriot Lions were led by a pair of rookies (LB) DeAndre Levy (8 tackles, pass defensed) and safety Louis Delmas (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) on defense yesterday.  The 49ers finished up with 310 total yards on offense in this game (84 rushing, 226 passing).  The Lions are now 2-13 on the year.

The Detroit Lions could have packed it in at halftime in this game as they were trailing 17-0.  But, the Lions changed QBs and fought all the way to the end against the Cardinals before coming up just a tad short.  Daunte Culpepper started this game for the Lions and he completed 6 of 12 passes for 64 yards with a pick-off when he got yanked from the game.  Drew Stanton gave the Lions some fire in the second half as he completed 10 of 19 passes for 72 yards with 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 10 yards (3.3 ypc) with a TD run.  Maurice Morris led the way on the offense for the Lions as he had a huge game.  He carried the ball 17 times for 126 yards (7.4 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 5 passes for 35 yards (7.0 avg).  Calvin Johnson pitched in with 3 grabs for 35 yards (11.7 avg) today.  The Lions finished up with 282 total yards on offense (161 rushing, 121 passing) in this game.

The defense didn’t play good today but it was better than usual.  Safety Marvin White led the way for the Lions with 9 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Linebacker Ernie Sims also was busy in this game with 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  Safety Louis Delmas had another great game for the Lions with 8 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and he also intercepted a pass that he returned 100 yards for a TD.  The Cardinals finished up with 340 total yards on offense (117 rushing, 223 passing) in this game.  The Lions are now 2-12 on the year.

The Lions were pathetic today as they looked like they didn’t belong in the NFL.  Daunte Culpepper got the start and he was terrible completing 16 of 34 passes for 135 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for only 11 yards (1.6 ypc) today.  Kevin Smith carried the ball 21 times for 69 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg) today.  Dennis Northcutt (3 rec, 39 yards) and Calvin Johnson (4 rec, 37 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Lions today.  The Lions finished up with 229 total yards on offense (103 rushing, 126 passing) in this game. 

CB William James (9 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and S Marvin White (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed) led a pathetic effort by the Lions on D today.  The Ravens finished up with 548 total yards on offense (308 rushing, 240 passing) in this game.  The Lions are now 2-11 on the season.

Detroit Lions’ (2-10) Mathew Stafford re-aggravated his injured shoulder and did not return as the Lions fell to the Cincinnati Bengals (9-3) on Sunday.  Stafford wasn’t playing very well anyway, leaving the game with 143 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions on 11/26 passes.  Daunte Culpepper came in for some garbage time and did lead the Lions to a touchdown.  The Lions should have given Kevin Smith more carries, who did some damage with 75 yards on 16 carries.  They were down most of the game though, so they had to air it out more.

The Lions defense did not have an answer for Chad Ochocinco in this one.  Ochocinco caught 9 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.  They did do a good job getting two interceptions off Carson Palmer, but they could not stop the running game.  In Cedric Benson’s first return after missing two games (hip), he rushed for 110 yards and ate up the clock with 36 carries.  The Lions could not stop the Bengals simple game-plan, and the season continues with disappointment for the Lions.