Detroit
21
Chicago14
| 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | Final | |
| Detroit | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Chicago | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Scoring | ||||
| 1ST QUARTER | ||||
DET - TD, JAMES STEWART 3 YD RUN (JASON HANSON KICK),
14:35. Drive: 10 plays, 95 yards in 5:55. Key
plays: Batch 56-yard pass to Stewart on
3rd-and-1 to Chicago 30; Batch 16-yard pass to
Anderson on 3rd-and-10 to Chicago 14; Batch
8-yard pass to Schlesinger on 3rd-and-6 to
Chicago 3. DETROIT 7-0 | ||||
| 2ND QUARTER | ||||
CHI - FG, PAUL EDINGER 46 YD, 3:13. Drive: 9 plays, 46
yards in 3:38. Key plays: Miller 19-yard pass
to White to Chicago 45; 5-yard offsides penalty
on Lions' Hall to midfield; Miller 6-yard pass
to Booker to Detroit 37. DETROIT 7-3 | ||||
| 3RD QUARTER | ||||
DET - FG, JASON HANSON 36 YD, 8:46. Drive: 12 plays, 73
yards in 4:55. Key plays: 18-yard pass
interference penalty on Bears' Harris to
Detroit 37; Batch 29-yard pass to Warren on
3rd-and-5 to Chicago 29; Batch 10-yard pass to
Morton on 3rd-and-7 to Chicago 16. DETROIT 10-3 | ||||
| 4TH QUARTER | ||||
CHI - FG, PAUL EDINGER 26 YD, 0:59. Drive: 9 plays, 33
yards in 3:33. Key plays: Miller 10-yard pass
to Booker to Detroit 30; Miller 3-yard run on
3rd-and-1 to Detroit 18; 6-yard pass
interference penalty on Lions' Claiborne to
Detroit 9. DETROIT 10-6
CHI - TD, LEON JOHNSON 1 YD RUN (PAUL EDINGER KICK),
9:26. Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards in 6:44. Key
plays: Allen 10-yard run to Detroit 45; Johnson
6-yard run on 4th-and-1 to Detroit 30; Miller
5-yard pass to Booker on 3rd-and-5 to Detroit
20; Johnson 5-yard run on 3rd-and-1 to Detroit
6. CHICAGO 13-10 | ||||
PLAYER STATISTICS
| PASSING | ||||||||||||
| Detroit | Cmp | Att | Yds | Td | Int | Chicago | Cmp | Att | Yds | Td | Int | |
| Batch | 18 | 28 | 214 | 0 | 0 | J Miller | 17 | 34 | 124 | 0 | 1 | |
| Mcmahon | 4 | 9 | 42 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| RUSHING | ||||||
| Detroit | Att | Yards | Chicago | Att | Yards | |
| Mcmahon | 4 | 25 | J Allen | 25 | 93 | |
| J Stewart | 11 | 21 | L Johnson | 5 | 10 | |
| Batch | 3 | 12 | Denson | 1 | 4 | |
| C Schlesinger | 4 | 11 | J Miller | 3 | 1 | |
| Warren | 1 | -2 | ||||
| RECEIVING | ||||||
| Detroit | Att | Yards | Chicago | Att | Yards | |
| C Schlesinger | 6 | 40 | M Booker | 9 | 74 | |
| J Stewart | 5 | 97 | White | 2 | 23 | |
| Warren | 3 | 38 | J Allen | 2 | 7 | |
| Trejo | 3 | 26 | Shelton | 2 | 4 | |
| Foster | 2 | 23 | Terrell | 1 | 9 | |
| Anderson | 1 | 16 | Baxter | 1 | 7 | |
| Morton | 1 | 10 | ||||
| Waerig | 1 | 6 | ||||
| TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS (UNOFFICIAL) | ||||||||
| Detroit | T | A | S | Chicago | T | A | S | |
| Claiborne | 12 | 0 | 0 | Colvin | 8 | 1 | 1 1/2 | |
| Green | 7 | 1 | 0 | Green | 7 | 0 | 0 | |
| Campbell | 3 | 2 | 0 | Urlacher | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| Fair | 4 | 0 | 0 | Mi Brown | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
| Lyght | 4 | 0 | 0 | Holdman | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| Porcher | 4 | 0 | 0 | Mcquarters | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Aldridge | 3 | 1 | 0 | W Harris | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bennett | 2 | 1 | 0 | Traylor | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| K Schulz | 2 | 0 | 0 | Br Robinson | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kriewaldt | 2 | 0 | 0 | Daniels | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| Pritchett | 1 | 1 | 0 | Powell | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Scroggins | 1 | 1 | 0 | Washington | 1 | 1 | 1/2 | |
| Parrish | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Azumah | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| MISSED FIELD GOALS |
| Detroit (Hanson 45, 48, 40); Chicago (Edinger 39). |
| INTERCEPTIONS |
| Detroit (Westbrook 1 for 0 yards). |
| FUMBLES LOST |
| Detroit (Mcmahon). |
| OPPONENT'S FUMBLES RECOVERED |
| Chicago (Mi Brown). |
A: 63,797; T: 3:14.
TEAM STATISTICS DET CHI |
FIRST DOWNS 17 18 Rushing 3 8 Passing 12 7 Penalty 2 3 3RD-DOWN EFFICIENCY 7-16 4-14 4TH-DOWN EFFICIENCY 0-0 1-2 TOTAL NET YARDS 295 232 Total plays 65 68 Average gain 4.5 3.4 NET YARDS RUSHING 67 108 Rushes 23 34 Average per rush 2.9 3.2 NET YARDS PASSING 228 124 Completed-attempted 22-37 17-34 Yards per pass 5.4 3.6 Sacked-yards lost 5-28 0-0 Had intercepted 0 1 PUNTS-AVERAGE 5-40.8 4-45.5 RETURN YARDAGE 90 44 Punts-returns 2-3 2-5 Kickoffs-returns 4-87 3-39 Interceptions-returns 1-0 0-0 PENALTIES-YARDS 10-79 5-56 FUMBLES-LOST 2-1 0-0 TIME OF POSSESSION 29:30 30:30
News: 12/3/01
If you ever wanted a sign that the Lions are, indeed, destined to go winless this season, you got it Sunday. Take note.
Kicker Jason Hanson, the rock for this organization the past decade, finally played like the rest of his teammates. This team is doomed.
Hanson was horrible and, clearly, the one to blame for the Lions' 13-10 loss to the lucky Chicago Bears at Solider Field.
Hanson, arguably the best field-goal kicker in the league, missed three, including a makeable 40-yarder with 24 seconds left that would have sent the game into overtime. Coming into the game, Hanson had missed three field-goal attempts all season and hadn't missed three in a game since 1994 at Dallas.
"It's starting to look and feel that way (like we're doomed)," Hanson said after the latest debacle. "But every game? It's no mystery why.
"Today, we missed three field goals and we lose. That's not a mystery. So in the grand picture, you almost start to say it's a curse. This is no curse. This is not getting it done every week."
The Lions are 0-11, matching their sad 0-11 1942 season. They are five losses away from setting the NFL record for futility in a season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 0-14 in 1976.
"That's kind of the way our season has gone," receiver Johnnie Morton said. "Anything that can go bad, has. It's been happening to us."
Long before Hanson decided not to be the one thing Lions fans could count on, his teammates were helping the Bears not lose a game they shouldn't have won.
It was like watching the same bad movie over and over.
There were the dumb penalties -- they committed 10 for 79 yards, none more costly than James Hall's neutral-zone infraction that kept the Bears' winning touchdown drive alive.
There was the poor execution. Receiver Scotty Anderson dropped a sure touchdown in the second quarter and missed two other passes in the end zone in the third quarter.
"I've never seen a team beat itself this consistently," defensive back Robert Bailey said. "Every week we talk about it. We shore up one area and something else goes wrong. It's baffling."
So is the fact that the Lions have lost 12 in a row, dating to last season. That's when the Bears came into the Silverdome and beat the Lions, 23-20, in the season finale to knock them out of the playoffs.
That loss also changed the Lions organization forever. It prompted the Fords to hire Matt Millen as president and CEO. Blame the Bears, in part, for life in NFL Hell.
Over the years, you have expected others to be the goat. The list of disappointing Lions who could get it done is as long as Jay Leno's chin. But Hanson? No way. It's amazing that he would lay an egg in a situation in which the Lions really needed someone to make a play.
"He's money, the money man," Bailey said. "He's probably been the most consistent player on this team for years and years and years when you talk about kicking and putting up points on the board compared to other kickers in the league. And for that to happen today, it's shocking. It really is."
So was the idea that the Lions could go winless. But when it happens, remember this game. This is the one that will have made it all possible.
With an opportunity to send the game into overtime, Hanson missed his third field goal attempt of the game wide right and the Lions fell to 0-11 with a 13-10 loss to the Bears.
"Basically, I didn't do my job," said the 10th-year kicker.
The Bears benefited from Hanson's misses and improved to 9-2 for the first time since 1991.
Afterwards, Bears coach Dick Jauron made no apologies for the latest win in what appears to be a charmed season.
"I feel real good after that win," Jauron said. "We'll keep that lucky label as long it sticks to us. It was definitely a tough game and it came down to the last kick."
"I think that is atypical of Jason," said Bears quarterback Jim Miller. "Nine times out of 10 Jason is going to make those."
Rookie Mike McMahon replaced injured starting quarterback Charlie Batch in the third quarter and drove the Lions 49 yards to the Chicago 21. But with 24 seconds left, Hanson missed a 40-yard attempt well wide to the right after new holder Leo Araguz handled a high snap.
"In this league, it's snap, hold and kick. It doesn't matter if you have a new holder or not," said Lions rookie coach Marty Mornhinweg.
Hanson earlier shanked field goal attempts from 45 and 48 yards, marking the first time he missed three in a game since 1994, and converted one from 36 yards out.
"The second one was perfect and I pushed it right and on the other two, the combination was not right," Hanson said. "I've been in the league 10 years and I know how to adapt and I didn't adapt."
Normally one of the NFL's most accurate kickers, Hanson was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1997 and 1999 and ranks second to Eddie Murray in franchise history in points. But he has missed 10-of-24 attempts this season.
The Lions matched their worst mark since they finished the 1942 campaign with an 0-11 record.
The 2000 San Diego Chargers were the last team to start a season with 11 losses.
Chicago scored 10 fourth-quarter points for its latest come-from-behind win. Three of them have come at Soldier Field.
Paul Edinger kicked a 26-yard field goal 59 seconds into the fourth quarter and Leon Johnson scored on a one-yard run with 5:34 left to give Chicago its first lead of the day.
"We'll take it. It was not pretty," said Miller, who threw for just 124 yards and was intercepted once. "Things just seem to be going our way."
Edinger, who cost the Lions a playoff berth last season with a 54-yard field goal with two seconds left in Chicago's 23-20 win at Detroit in the 2000 season finale, was 2-for-3 on the day. Afterwards, he defended Hanson.
"It's Jason Hanson, he's a great kicker," Edinger said. "He just wasn't there today. It happens."
The Lions suffered injury to go with the insult of another defeat, losing Batch for four-to-six weeks with a third-degree right shoulder separation. Batch landed on the shoulder after he was sacked by safety Mike Brown late in the third quarter.
Batch completed 18-of-28 passes for 214 yards in three quarters and left with the Lions holding a 10-3 lead. McMahon, who nearly rallied the Lions in the Thanksgiving Day loss to Denver, was 4-of-9 for 42 yards in relief.
Detroit's James Stewart was unable to run against the NFC's No. 1 rush defense, but caught five passes for 97 yards. He was held to 21 yards on 11 carries, including a three-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Stewart's score capped a 10-play, 95-yard drive which he highlighted with a 56-yard catch.
Meanwhile, Chicago's James Allen rushed for 93 yards on 25 carries.
Edinger kicked a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 26-yarder in the fourth, but also missed from 39 yards in the fourth.
Hanson's 36-yard field goal in the third quarter capped a 12-play, 73-yard drive. The key plays were an 18-yard pass interference penalty against cornerback Walt Harris and a 29-yard pass from Batch to Lamont Warren.
With Anthony Thomas out a second straight week with a hamstring injury, Johnson was used in short yardage and goal-line situations and scored the winning touchdown with 5:34 left, capping a 14-play, 55-yard drive. Johnson kept the drive alive with a six-yard run on a 4th-and-1 play to the Detroit 30.
The win kept the Bears tied with St. Louis for the best record in the NFC.
"They still don't respect us," said Bears cornerback R.W. McQuarters. "You look at any TV show, or anything, people are saying 'Bears got lucky again this week'. How long are they going to keep saying that? We're not playing with rabbits foots in our pockets."
Are the honolulu blue and silver just cursed this year??? In a game that just abut nobody gave them a chance to win, the Lions played their best game of the year and led for the vast majority of the game. The offense and defense both were on the same page for the 1st time this season; however, Jason Hanson, who has been almost a sure bet when he steps onto the field, missed three field goals for the 1st time in seven years. Hanson missed a potential game tying field goal with under a minute to play. As the 2002 season seems like it can't get any worse, it was announced that Charlie Batch had a 3rd degree shoulder separation that will almost certainly keep him out the rest of the year. The defense held the Bears without a touchdown until the 4th quarter, but as the Bears went to punt on 4th and 6, James Hall, who had two prior penalities, jumped offsides, which setup a 4th and 1. That was a back breaker as the Bears converted the 4th down and ended up getting a touchdown. For the 8th consecutive game, the Lions had a chance to tie or win in the final minutes of the game, and for the 8th time, they failed!
Offense: --- C+. Batch had another good game as he lead the Lions to their only touchdown in the game with a 95 yard drive in the 1st quarter. James Stewart had his longest play from scrimmage in his career, a 56 yard reception, but had a tough day against the leagues #1 run defense. Eight different players caught passes, but it was Scottie Anderson's drop pass when he was wide open at the Bears 25 that hurt, since the Lions were already up seven. Although the offense only scored one touchdown, they were effective moving the ball and got into field goal range four times. Mike McMahon, who came in when Batch was injuried, fumbled the ball in his first possession, but regained his confidence and led the Lions into field goal range at the end of the game. He'll most likely start the remaining games, giving Morninweig a good idea if he has what it takes to run an NFL offense.
Defense: --- B+. The defense played by far their best game of the year. Robert Porcher made some key plays and although the defense didn't have any sacks, they did a good job to contain the Bears offense. Chris Claiborne played a great game, although his pass interference call helped setup the Bears go ahead touchdown. Holding the Bears to just three points for over three quarters was very surprising. But, it was James Hall, who has so far been a flop after having a great pre-season, that was called for three penalities, two of which were for offsides that helped keep two Bear drives alive and resulted in 10 points. Hopefully the defense can build on their performance against the Bears since the rest of the year has been nothing but a nightmare.
Special Teams: --- F. Who ever would of thought that Jason Hason would miss three field goals within 50 yards and would shank a potential game tying field goal of 40 yards, which he hits 95% of the time. But, the Lions aren't 0-11 for nothing. Just when the offense and defense finally play a decent game, Hanson has his worst game in seven years. Jett's replacement Leo Araguz struggled punting the ball and had trouble placing Hanson's kicks. Terry Fair strugged returning the ball. The special teams really missed Desmond Howard and John Jett. Hopefully this was just a one game fluke for Hanson.
Coaching: --- F. The Lions continue to take stupid penalities, which have definitely cost the Lions a few games this year. There are no excuses for all the offsides, holding, pass interference calls that this team continues to make week after week! Morninweig finally gets a chance to start Mike McMahon since Batch is lost for the season. I just hope Morninweig and Millan realize that this teams main weakness is not the QB position, but rather the defense.
Overall: --- C. Its starting to become a repeating record for the honolulu blue and silver: come close every week, but find some new way to blow it. Its ashame the Lions lost to the Bears since they actually deserved to win their first game. But, in this disasterous year, there is always something that stops them from winning a game. Up next for the Lions are the Bucs, who have won two striaght games. It'll be hard to see the Lions getting their first win of the year in Tampa Bay, especially with Batch out for the year. Still, even with McMahon starting, the Lions should find a way to beat Minnesota or Dallas at home. If not they'll go down as the worst team in NFL history!
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