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Cutler shakes off injury, Bears beat Lions 13-7 - There was a big gasp going through the stadium as Jay Cutler writhed in pain on the field. He rose to his feet. The Bears defense rose to the occasion.
Why not the Bears? - Michael Wilbon: With a smothering defense and emerging offense, the Bears might be the NFL's best. The Bears, rather defiantly, keep succeeding with a throwback style of defense the NFL has done everything to eliminate.
Cutler brings family of slain Bears fan to game - Jay Cutler brought the family of William "Christopher" Petty, lost in a senseless murder in Jacksonville two weeks ago, to Monday night's game and before kickoff he took a few moments to talk with the family on the field.
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Bears-Lions game reports
Game box score - All the stats from the game.
Bears remain in first place in NFC North with 13-7 win over Lions - Sean Jensen: Cutler bolstered his toughness, the defense reinforced its collective dominance, the special teams and offense flashed just enough potential to strike fear around the league.
Bears beat Lions 13-7, improve to 5-1 - Fred Mitchell: A well-rested Bears team emerged to defend its home turf and possession of first place in the NFC North when the angry and re-energized Lions invaded Soldier Field on Monday night.
Bears take a punch, win 13-7 decision over Lions - Brad Biggs: Jay Cutler survives nasty hit and Bears defense delivers its share to Lions.
Bears bend, refuse to break in win over mistake-prone Lions - Chris Burke: The Bears have this rope-a-dope strategy down pat — they’ll let a team get its yards, pick up a few first downs even, but they’re always waiting for their next opportunity to rip the momentum away.
Bears defense comes up big in 13-7 win over the Lions - Brian McIntyre : The Bears used a strong running game to control the clock on offense and its defense forced six three-and-outs and created three turnovers inside the red zone in their 13-7 win over the Lions on Monday night.
Jay Cutler, Bears prove toughness in victory - Dan Hanzus: Jay Cutler is tough. So is the Bears' defense. It's a killer combo that makes Lovie Smith's team a legitimate favorite to win the NFC. The Lions had a front-row seat Monday night.
Bears stake claim for NFC's best team, Cutler eliminates any questions about toughness - Will Brinson: The Bears beat the Lions 13-7 on Monday night, potentially staking their claim to the best team in the NFC (if not the NFL). And if you're interested in criticizing Jay Cutler for not being tough, well, you can forget about doing that anymore.
Stifling defense leads Bears to win - Larry Mayer: The Bears didn't return an interception for a touchdown for the first time in four games, but that didn't detract from another dominant defensive performance Monday night at Soldier Field.
Larry Mayer's game blog - Bears fans trolling the Mayer. Q. "Hey Larry, if the moon was made of spare ribs, would you eat it? "
Bears tame Lions - Maggie Hendricks: Tough play by the Bears' offense and red zone turnovers by the Lions offense paved the way for Chicago to get a 13-7 divisional win on Monday night at Soldier Field.
[Video] Game recap - Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico break down the Bears' win over the Lions.
[Video] Game highlights - Defense leads Bears to win over Lions. "The video is not authorized for your location (GB)"
[Video] Game highlights - NFL.com's presentation of the best of the game.
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More game news & notes
Matt Bowen's game notes - Game notes from Chicago's 13-7 win over Detroit.
Bears defense keeps Lions off balance in 13-7 victory - David Haugh: The Lions didn't lose because they played dumber or dirtier than the Bears. They simply weren't better.
Lions’ No. 2 offense simply has no answer for Bears’ bullying ‘D’ - Sean Jensen: The NFL’s third-ranked defense against the NFL’s second-ranked offense. Something had to give.
Saluting the Bears defense - Rosendoompraise: I can't describe how spectacular the Bears defense was in nearly shutting out the Lions. I don't know if anybody can. Curse you, Mayans.
Brad Biggs' Four downs - Bears would just as soon not find out what they have in backup Jason Campbell, plus three more thoughts from the game.
[Video] Pompei & Haugh's postgame analysis - "Chilean students took to the streets of Santiago Wednesday protesting the high cost of higher education in the country nearly one year after the student protest movement began."? Sometimes a site's description of the page I'm gathering for the Den is a little... off.
NFCN Blog Rapid Reaction - Kevin Seifert's thoughts on Monday night's events at Soldier Field.
[Video] View from the Moon - Moon Mullin's thoughts and analysis of the Bears' win.
Not pretty, but Bears get the better of Lions - Moon Mullin: Bears defenders talk about stopping the run and making a team one-dimensional. Lions coach Jim Schwartz did that for them.
Bears, Lions provide NFC North clarity - Kevin Seifert: After a 13-7 defeat of the Lions in a game that wasn't that close, the Bears have the second-best record (5-1) in the NFC and are 10-1 in Cutler's past 11 starts dating back to last season.
[Video] PGL analysis - Dan Jiggetts, Jim Miller, Hillenmeyer and Chris Boden dissect the Bears win over the Lions: Defense dominates; Cutler tough.
Tillman contains Lions star receiver - Larry Mayer: Shadowing Calvin Johnson all over the field, Charles Tillman held him to just three receptions for a season-low 34 yards.
Hayden a big presence in nickel spot - Jeff Dickerson: With Tillman shadowing Calvin Johnson all over the field, Hayden gave the Bears a better option to play outside at CB when the team was in nickel and Tillman was forced to cover the 6-foot-5 Johnson in the slot.
Running game lets Bears finally enjoy first-quarter groove - Adam L. Jahns: The defense gave the offense decent field position, but it was the running game coming alive — at least for one long gain — that gave the Bears some early momentum.
Game notes - Mark Potash on Cutler's scrambling, the defense, and Chris Williams finds a new team.
Bears quotes - Urlacher, Peppers, Bennett, Marshall talk after their 13-7 victory.
Earl Bennett hopes he won't get fined - Jeff Dickerson: Pregame conversation with teammate Brandon Marshall prompted the duo to wear orange cleats.
Photos - All the action from Soldier Field. Just Dave was right, Cutler does pull the same face when he's getting sacked (or throwing a pass, or doing just about anything on the field of play). Bonus: Hires version of today's Den photo here. Hamsters everywhere rejoice!
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Cutler Ribwatch 2012
Cutler returns after suffering bruised ribs - Larry Mayer: Those who know Jay Cutler best weren't surprised that he finished Monday night's game after taking a devastating hit from Ndamukong Suh.
Jay Cutler takes Lions' best shot - Dan Pompei: Cutler's toughness and relentlessness defined this game. His numbers were ordinary; his impact was not.
Cutler proves he’s tough & tumble QB - Rick Morrissey: As the second half wore on, Cutler began to look closer to his old self, but somebody needed to tell him to stay out of harm’s way. He wouldn’t. He won’t. The Bears took a big step, raised their record to 5-1 and were reminded again of how tough their QB is.
Cutler is tough. Period. - Dan Bernstein: Cutler prefers that his play speak for itself. Monday night, it did. Cutler played hurt, and played hard.
Jay Cutler shows toughness in game, compassion for family of slain fan - Doug Farrar: We suspect that those NFL guys eager to pop off about Cutler's injury (back then) will be a lot quieter this time.
[Video] Jim Miller: 15 on 6 - Jay Cutler's running in the first half made a big impact on the game.
Cutler to have ribs re-examined Tuesday after vicious sack - Moon Mullin: Cutler said he was wearing a flak jacket but that didn’t prevent the effects of Suh’s 300-plus pounds landing squarely on top of him..
Brandon Marshall: Suh's hit 'not cool' - Kevin Seifert: Marshall's comments should be viewed in the context of the next game between these teams. We know at least one player will be carrying a grudge into that one.
Ndamukong Suh defends hit on Jay Cutler - Vaughn McClure: Cutler called it a clean play and said he knew it was over for him once Suh grabbed him. The two exchanged words a couple of times after the play, and Suh maintained it was cordial. Plus, game notes.
Lovie Smith not worried about Jay Cutler's rib injury - Michael C. Wright: Said the team will continue to evaluate the injury, but added he doesn't "think anyone is hurt seriously where they'll miss any time."
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Grading the teams
Grading the Bears - Mark Potash hands out his marks following the win over the Lions.
Moon Mullin's grades: Offense - It might not warrant a spot on the refrigerator, but the Bears offense did what they had to do to escape with a victory over the Lions.
Moon Mullin's grades: Defense - The Bears defense was outstanding vs. Detroit Monday night, coming close to a complete shutout. Charles Tillman did a terrific job shutting down Calvin Johnson.
Moon Mullin's grades: Special Teams - Against a poor special teams unit in Detroit, the Bears special teams still couldn't take one to the house and Robbie Gould had a field goal blocked.
Michael C. Wright's Report Card - Grading the Bears in their 13-7 victory over the Lions.
Adam Hoge's grades - Grades following the Bears' good, but sometimes ugly 13-6 win over the Lions Monday night. Why did Tice call three pass plays with a 1st-and-goal at the 3-yard line and Cutler not 100 percent?
[Video] PGL analysis - The PGL crew pick their Bears Player of the Game.
Matthew Stafford, Lions' offense disappoint - Gregg Rosenthal: The Lions are lucky to be 2-4 and haven't played four quality quarters of football in a row all season. On Monday night, they didn't even play one.
Lions weak first-half offense continues to sink team's chances - Josh Katzowitz: Through six games, the Lions have scored an average of 4.7 points in the first half.
Tillman kept Lions' Johnson in check - Scott Powers: Johnson’s performance was his worst of the season. Charles Tillman was responsible for most of his problems, and Johnson and Lions coach Jim Schwartz acknowledged that.
Know thy enemy - Drew Sharp: Lions lay egg again on Monday Night Football.
Know thy enemy - Grading the Lions: Offense gets failing marks once again.
Know thy enemy - Chris McCosky's Four Downs: Lions' lack of early offense flabbergasting. Might as well change Charles Tillman's nickname from Peanut to Optimus Prime.
Hey Lions fans, what's goin' on?