Back in April when the NFL schedule was announced, Detroit Lions fans immediately circled Oct. 10 on their calendars. That day is when the Lions will meet the Chicago Bears in their first Monday night game in 10 years.
The Lions were essentially banished from Monday nights after losing to the St. Louis Rams by a score of 35-0 on Oct. 8, 2001, and no Lions team before this year really had enough promise to even garner consideration for a Monday night game. This year, however, lots of promise surrounded the Lions after they finished 2010 on a four-game winning streak, and they actually delivered on it by starting 2011 with a four-game winning streak.
The Lions will take their 4-0 record into Monday night's game and look for their first 5-0 start since 1956. To achieve that amazing feat, they will have to beat the Bears, which enter Monday with a 2-2 record.
The Bears have had the Lions' number the last few years. In fact, the Lions haven't beaten the Bears since 2007, when Detroit swept Chicago. The Bears have won every game since then, including two last year. The first win came in Chicago during Week 1 of the season and featured the controversy over Calvin Johnson's play in the end zone that was ruled incomplete. The next game came in Week 13 in Detroit, and it is actually the last time the Lions have lost a game of any kind. Since then they have won eight straight regular season games, and they also went undefeated in this year's preseason.
With the Monday night spotlight shining on the Lions and the city of Detroit, this is a key game. The Lions not only want to win to improve to 5-0 and beat a division rival, but this is a chance to show the nation that their 4-0 start was no fluke.