Chicago Bears Fall to Lions 20-14 in Clausen’s Debut
Dec 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jimmy Clausen (8) calls a play during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Different quarterback, same result as the Chicago Bears dropped their 10th game of the season, falling 20-14 to the Detroit Lions. The Lions came out like a team that clinched a playoff berth when the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Washington Redskins. It was an ugly, chippy game in the home finale. The worst of the ugliness and chippiness came when Lions center Dominic Raiola stomped on the leg of Bears rookie DT Ego Ferguson.
The Raiola stomp: https://t.co/WWh2LwwfjJ
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 21, 2014
That should be a suspendable offense.
For the Bears, it was Jimmy time, as in Jimmy Clausen. Jay Cutler was benched earlier in the week and Clausen was handed the keys to Marc Trestman’s junker. Clausen didn’t crash the car and actually played pretty well. If not for several drops by his receivers, Clausen would have had a heck of a game. He finished the day going 23/39 for 181 yards with 2 TD’s and a late-game desperation interception for a QB rating of 77.
The Fox broadcast embarrassed themselves in trying to throw Cutler under the bus throughout the game. They took subtle and not so subtle shots at Cutler in their praise for Clausen. They went so far to show Clausen high-fiving his teammates on the sidelines after a successful scoring drive, implying Cutler doesn’t do that. It was so transparent and frankly pathetic.
Clausen outplayed Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for 243 yards with 2 red zone interceptions and zero TD’s. Maybe he was out celebrating a trip to the postseason that was clinched last night? Part of Stafford’s struggles could be tied to the Bears defense, which came out and put forth a solid effort. The Bears defense recorded 4 sacks and a pair of interceptions in holding down the Lions high-scoring offense.
With the loss, the Bears hit the double digit mark in losses. It’s the first time they’ve had a least 10 losses since 2004, Lovie Smith’s first season as Chicago Bears head coach. I don’t know what else the McCaskeys need to see from this coaching staff to pull the plug on the whole regime.