The Chicago Bears (7-9) got their second straight win, beating the Detroit Lions (2-14) on the road, and have finally been looking like a decent football team.  Too bad it came at the end of the season though, as the Bears were a terrible football team from week 6-16.  Jay Cutler was a big disappointment this season, but he had a great game against the Lions.  He went 22/36 for 276 yards and 4 touchdowns.  Cutler found a late season surprise in Devin Aromashodu, who caught 2 of Cutler’s touchdown passes and is one of the few things the Bears can be excited about heading into the 2010 season. Cutler also hit TE Greg Olsen for some big plays, with Olsen finishing with 5 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.  Cutler got a lot of help from his running game too (very rare this season), with Matt Forte going for 101 yards on 16 carries and Kahlil Bell adding 44 yards on 11 carries.  This game was nothing to get excited about though, as the Lions were one of the laughing stocks of the NFL this year.

The Bears defense didn’t do a great job, considering they were playing a depleted Lions’ offense.  With Mathew Stafford out, Daunte Culpepper was under center for the Lions and he was pretty effective against the Bears’ defense.  He had 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 262 yards on 23/34 attempts.  The Bears also gave up 100 rushing yards on 25 carries, so it was not a strong effort by the Bears’ D.  It was nice to see the Bears wake up a little towards the end of season, scoring more points in their final two games then all of their other games (besides their first matchup against the Lions were they scored 40).  Still, this was a very disappointing season for the Bears and there will likely be a lot of changes in the offseason.

The Chicago Bears (6-9) are going up against the Detroit Lions (2-13) on the road Sunday and both teams are missing the playoffs once again this year.  The Bears are coming off one of their best games of the year after beating the Minnesota Vikings in overtime last week, and if they play like that this week the Lions have no chance.  The Bears defense needs to be ready to stop the run, something they have not done a good job of this season.  They give up 128 rushing yards per game, but the Lions don’t have much of a passing game so the Bears should be able to key in on stopping the run.  Mathew Stafford is out for the Lions, so it will be either Drew Stanton or Daunte Culpepper taking the snaps.  The Bears will be without cornerback Charles Tillman, but neither Lions’ quarterback has done well in limited playing time this season, so it could be a good day for the Bears’ defense.

The Bears may be without Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox, who both have been big threats in the return game.  Knox has been a threat in the passing game too, and with Devin Hester still out the Bears will be very depleted at receiver if Knox cannot go.  That will make things harder for Jay Cutler, but he and receiver Devin Aromashodu had a lot of success last game.  Matt Forte will have to step up, and although it has been a disappointing season for Forte, he did have his best game of the season against the Lions in their last matchup with 121 yards and a touchdown.  The Bears should definitely win and head coach Lovie Smith needs a convincing win if he wants any chance of returning next season.

PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 24, Detroit Lions 13