Bears force four turnovers in win over Lions

CHICAGO – There was a big gasp going through the stadium as Jay Cutler writhed in pain on the field. He got up and the defense provided a big lift.

Cutler returned after bruising his ribs, and Brian Urlacher made a key fumble recovery to help the Chicago Bears beat the Detroit Lions 13-7 on Monday night for their fourth straight win.

It was certainly not an easy night for the NFC North leaders, particularly their quarterback, but they came away with the win after a week off and possibly buried Detroit (2-4) in the process despite getting a major scare along the way.

That happened in the second quarter when Cutler was sacked by Ndamukong Suh and wound up going to the locker room to have his ribs examined.

“He’s a tough guy,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “Most people thought Jay would get up. Unless it’s a broken leg or something like that, he’s going to get up. … That was a gutsy effort by him. He was in some pain, but he fought through it.”

Cutler came back to start the second half and was 16 of 31 with 150 yards and a touchdown in the game, but with the defense locking down the Lions, the Bears (5-1) prevailed. It was a huge blow for last-place Detroit, a team many expected to contend for the division championship after making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.

The Lions simply never got in gear, and when they had chances, they blew them. The biggest came early in the third quarter, when Joique Bell fumbled at the goal line with the Bears leading 13-0.

Urlacher recovered and Chicago hung on from there, sending Detroit to its fourth loss in five games.

Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 81 yards and scored a touchdown on Chicago’s first possession. Matt Forte ran for 96 yards on 22 carries, and with the defense doing its part once again, Chicago never really was threatened in this one.

It was a rough night for the Lions, with Matthew Stafford going 28 of 46 for 261 yards after leading a late charge in last week’s win over Philadelphia. Calvin Johnson had trouble shaking the Bears’ Charles Tillman and finished with three catches for 34 yards. He dropped a deep pass over the middle on the game’s first possession when he was wide open.

“Charles Tillman, that’s tough to do playing against one of the best players in the league, matching up with him all night,” Smith said.

The Lions lost receiver Nate Burleson to a knee injury in the third quarter on a hit by Tim Jennings after a catch.

There weren’t many scares for the Bears, with one big exception.

They were leading 10-0 in the second quarter and had just taken over at their 26 when that happened.

Cutler, who had his helmet ripped off on a hit by Suh after a run last year at Soldier Field, got driven to the turf by him on an 8-yard sack. He came up kneeling and holding his head as trainers tended to him, then ran to the sideline.

Jason Campbell came in for one play, but Cutler returned right after that and threw an incomplete pass on third down before Chicago punted. But after Julius Peppers recovered a fumble by Mikel Leshoure to stop a Lions threat, Campbell was behind center. Cutler was having his ribs examined, but he was back to start the second half, some fans cheering as he trotted onto the field.