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Bears seek to sweep Lions for second straight year

Dec 24, 2006 - 5:48 PM Chicago (12-2) at Detroit (2-12) Sunday 1:00 pm EST

DETROIT (Ticker) -- Roy Williams will not be making any guarantee this time.

The Chicago Bears, who have already clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, will visit the Detroit Lions, who are tied for the league's worst record, in a battle of NFC North rivals on Sunday.

Williams, one of the league's elite receivers with 70 catches for 1,127 yards and four touchdowns, created quite a stir when he guaranteed the Lions would win at Chicago in Week Two. He even went so far as to say Detroit was capable of scoring 40 points.

Instead, Rex Grossman passed for 289 yards and four touchdowns as the Bears rolled to a 34-7 victory. The Lions managed to get into the end zone only once and that came in the third quarter after the Bears had built a 24-0 lead.

Backup tight end John Gilmore caught two of Grossman's scoring passes. Bernard Berrian had five receptions for 89 yards, including a lunging 41-yard touchdown catch, and tight end Desmond Clark caught five passes for 85 yards, including a 31-yard score.

Williams finished with six receptions for 71 yards. The Lions fumbled the ball away three times and committed 14 penalties for 104 yards.

That game was pretty much a sign of things to come for both teams. The Bears cruised to their second straight division title while the Lions recorded their sixth consecutive double-digit loss season.

Last week, Grossman threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears' 34-31 overtime win over Tampa Bay. It was the first 300-yard game for a Bears quarterback since the 2002 season.

Clark enjoyed an outstanding day, hauling in season highs of seven catches for 125 yards and two scores.

However, the Bears squandered a 21-point second-half lead before winning in overtime.

"Obviously, it was not our best game," Bears Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "But we're happy to be home for the playoffs."

The Lions failed to get in the end zone in last week's 17-9 loss at Green Bay. Williams caught just one pass for 11 yards.

The Bears have won the last three meetings.