Wind and the Detroit Lions couldn`t stop the Bears from boosting their
record to 10-0 Sunday.
With Steve Fuller quarterbacking in place of injured Jim McMahon, the
Bears ran over the Lions 24-3 in front of a chilled crowd of 53,467 at Soldier Field. The victory means the Bears can clinch the NFC Central Division title
next Sunday if they beat the Cowboys in Dallas.
Running backs Walter Payton and Matt Suhey each gained more than 100
yards. The last time two Bears rushed for more than 100 yards was Nov. 20,
1983, against Tampa Bay. That day, Suhey had a career-high 112 yards and
Payton had 106.
McMahon tossed some left-handed passes during warm-ups but saved his sore right shoulder.
The Lions, whose record fell to 5-5, won the toss and elected to kick
off. The Bears elected to give the Lions the 21-mile-an-hour wind in the first quarter. But the Lions had the ball for only seven plays, including two
fumbles.
As soon as they got the wind in the second quarter, Lions` quarterback
Eric Hipple threw an interception to Bears` safety Dave Duerson.
Fuller`s role consisted mainly of handing off, as the Bears ran 21
straight rushing plays before they called a pass.
The Lions came into the game ranked as the worst team in football
stopping the rush and did nothing to spoil their reputation.
Fullback Suhey (102 yards for the game) and halfback Payton (107) tore
off huge chunks of yardage until they got close to the goal line. Then, even
the Refrigerator couldn`t break the Detroit defense.
A 12-yard run by Suhey put the ball at the 4-yard line in the first
quarter and brought William Perry into the game.
The Fridge lined up at left halfback and was the lead blocker for Payton
on a power play. Payton was stopped at the 2.
The Bears needed seven plays including a holding penalty against the
Lions to get into the end zone. Perry played on three of them, including the
1-yard sneak for the score by Fuller.
Perry went in motion as a decoy when Fuller sneaked the final inches.
However, it appeared that Fuller fumbled the snap before he crossed the goal
line. Detroit coaches Darryl Rogers and Wayne Fontes ran all the way to the
goal line to protest.
Officials may have been making up for the previous play, when Fuller
appeared to score on a third-down quarterback draw.
The touchdown culminated a 63-yard drive that consumed 8:22 of the
quarter.
The ball was slippery in the cold and misty weather. Both sides had
trouble holding onto it.
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Fuller fumbled a snap on a 39-yard field goal attempt by Kevin Fuller
with the wind.
The Bears made it 14-0 with a 77-yard drive, thanks to a penalty against
the Lions` Mike Meade for running into punter Maury Buford.
The break gave the Bears a first down at the 46. Payton turned a short
pass over the middle into a 33-yard run behind blocking by center Jay
Hilgenberg.
Payton followed it with an 11-yard gain on another rollout pass by
Fuller.
Fullback Calvin Thomas, playing for the first time in four weeks, carried for 3 yards to set up his own 7-yard touchdown run up the middle on a
beautifully executed draw play.
The Bears controlled the ball for 21 minutes, 5 seconds of the first
half, leaving the Lions only 8:55. Fullback James Jones gained 39 yards in 10 carries, but he was the extent of the Lions` offense.
Suhey gained 54 yards and Payton 52 in the first half. Payton also caught 3 passes for 47 yards.
The Bears took the ball to start the second half, and the Lions took the
wind in order to get back into the game.
Suhey again ran well, but the Bears got into a hole when Buford shanked a 7-yard punt off the side of his foot and gave the ball to the Lions at the
Chicago 46.
After one Lion first down, the Bear defense held and the Lions went for a first down on fourth and 2 at the 23. Crowd noise stopped Hipple for a first
moments before he threw an incomplete sideline pass intended for Leonard
Thompson.
The Bears faced a third down on the ensuing series, and Fuller scrambled
out of the pocket. Just as he was about to make it, he lateraled back to wide receiver Willie Gault, but the toss bounced off Gault for a fumble. The Lions recovered at the Bear 33 and broke the shutout.