National Football League

Playoffs no certainty for NFC North-leading Bears

Published Dec. 6, 2010 9:51 p.m. ET

foxsports

Down three at the half after missing way too many tackles, the Chicago Bears looked as though they were headed toward a disappointing loss at Detroit instead of their fifth straight win.

That streak is still going. Where they're headed remains up in the air.

The Bears did enough to pull out a 24-20 win over the Lions after an ugly first half on Sunday, but they realize they'll have to do more if they're going to stay on top in the NFC North.

The schedule is about to take another tough turn with New England visiting this week, and the Bears (9-3) have little room for error if they're going to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2006 team's Super Bowl run.

''There could possibly be a 10-6 team, maybe even an 11-5 team, not make the playoffs this year,'' safety Chris Harris said Monday. ''We've just got to take care of business, win our division and not have to worry about that. We don't want to be that team on the outside looking in.''

There are no breathers left for the Bears - not even at Minnesota on Dec. 20. The Vikings have won two straight and could pose problems whether Brett Favre or Tarvaris Jackson is at quarterback, and after that, Chicago hosts the New York Jets at home before finishing at Green Bay.

''I'm sure they're thinking about, 'Man, we've got the Bears coming up,''' said coach Lovie Smith, who was back to his usual upbeat ways after laying into his team on Sunday.

Specifically, the defense.

One of the league's stingiest, it allowed 253 yards in the first half even though the Lions were going with third-string quarterback Drew Stanton because of injuries to Matthew Stafford and Shaun Hill. Most appalling was a two-play, 91-yard drive near the end of the second quarter that gave the Lions a 17-14 lead.

Detroit wasn't trying to score when it took over on its own 9 in the final minute. The Lions were willing to simply run up the middle and let time expire.

Instead, Jahvid Best got lost in the crowd and popped out to the right side for a 45-yard gain, and Calvin Johnson finished the quick drive with a 46-yard TD catch, brushing off Harris with one stiff-arm and flattening D.J. Moore with another on his way to the end zone.

And as they trudged toward the locker room at halftime, the Bears knew they were going to hear it from Smith. They also realized they deserved it.

''Point blank, we deserved it,'' Harris said. ''We were actually talking going into the locker room, 'Hey, let's take our medicine at halftime' because we definitely deserve it after giving up a touchdown on two plays right before the half, 91 yards. That's very uncharacteristic of this defense.''

Smith wasn't necessarily kicking over garbage cans or smashing coolers. Even so, this was as angry as Harris had seen him.

''Still mild-mannered. But maybe instead of talking at a five, talking at about a nine,'' he said. ''Lovie's not a guy that swears. ... When he's angry, you know he's angry and his point comes across. It gets across to the players the way it should.''

Moore added: ''You could see he was upset. You could see how the players were upset.''

The defense did a better job the rest of the way, holding Detroit to 49 yards in the second half and making several key stands.

The Bears forced the Lions to settle for a field goal early in the third after they recovered a fumble by Cutler at the Chicago 9, and in the fourth, the defense came up big when the Lions were threatening to regain the lead.

Cutler hit Brandon Manumaleuna with the go-ahead 7-yard TD pass after Ndamukong Suh got called for unnecessary roughness. Then Detroit's Stefan Logan returned the kickoff 60 yards to the 44. That drive stalled after Moore and Brian Urlacher combined on a 9-yard sack on first down at the 34. The Lions wound up punting on their final possession, and the Bears let out a sigh of relief.

They can't breathe too easily, though.

Notes: Smith said LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, who missed the Lions game, underwent minor arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Nick Roach, who started in his place, suffered a hip pointer on Sunday.