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Lions shoot for first win against Bears

Nov 2, 2008 - 2:06 PM DETROIT (0-7) AT CHICAGO (4-3), 1:00 pm EST

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Victories have been impossible to come by for the Detroit Lions - unless you count the moral ones.

The Lions look to break into the win column when they visit the Chicago Bears in an NFC North matchup Sunday.

One of the league's two winless teams, Detroit has come close to tasting victory the past three weeks, including a 25-17 loss to the Washington Redskins this past weekend.

The Lions carried a six-point lead into halftime but surrendered 16 unanswered points to absorb their eighth straight regular-season loss dating to 2007.

Two weeks earlier, Detroit fell to Minnesota, 12-10, on a last-second field goal.

"It's almost like we flounder off at the end every time we get a chance," Lions defensive tackle Shaun Cody said. "I don't know what it is, what's going on, but it's a shame because we put ourselves in an opportunity to make it a game and make it close to winning but we just can't finish it off."

In the first matchup between the teams this season, the Bears ripped off the first 31 points in a 34-7 laugher in Detroit.

Chicago quarterback Kyle Orton shredded the Lions' defense for 334 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Bears held the ball for over 38 minutes.

Lions quarterback Jon Kitna suffered back spasms in that game and was replaced in the second half by Dan Orlovsky, who inherited the starting job after Kitna went on injured reserve.

Although Orlovsky threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in that game, he has played reasonably well in the past three contests with three scoring passes and zero interceptions.

The Lions have been unable to muster any kind of consistent running game, with beleaguered coach Rod Marinelli switching between rookie Kevin Smith and veteran Rudi Johnson.

One of the few bright spots for Detroit has been second-year wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who has hauled in a touchdown reception in each of the last three games.

The Bears are coming off a bye week following a wild 48-41 victory over Minnesota. Orton threw for 283 yards and two TDs, giving him 10 scoring passes and four interceptions on the season. He has not been picked off in his last three games.

Orton's production has helped offset a struggling running game. After a fast start to the season, rookie Matt Forte has averaged under 53 yards rushing in his past four games, although he did score three touchdowns.