The game started off as expected: Behind a Mike Brown interception—his first since week one of last season—and a solid drive by Kyle Orton, the Bears put ten points on the board in the first quarter against the winless Lions. The makings of a rout were in place, but it was not to be. The second quarter saw Detroit cut through Chicago’s defense, moving the ball with relative ease and punching it in for six only minutes in. A costly Devin Hester fumble on the kickoff led to another easy touchdown for the Lions. And just like that, they had taken the lead. The Bears’ ten-point cushion had evaporated into a 23-13 deficit by the time Orton took the field hoping to engineer a scoring drive in the final minute of the half.

Still, the Bears’ fortunes were not done turning.