Bears vs. Lions: Chicago expecting physical game

It wasn't long ago that the Detroit Lions were considered the laughing stock of the National Football League.

After Matthew Stafford threw for over 5,000 yards in 2011, and led the Lions to a playoff appearance, the Lions are no longer the NFL's laughing stock -- and the Chicago Bears have taken notice.

Now that the Lions are good enough to be considered an NFC North rival, the Bears are expecting another physical game in Week 7, when Chicago plays host to Detroit on Monday Night Football.

Unless you see something hilarious in Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh ripping the helmet off Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. That didn't draw a fine or even a penalty, but six players were billed for offenses, including defensive tackle Nick Fairley's $15,000 fine for driving Cutler into the ground.

"It's football," Forte said on Wednesday. "It's supposed to be football. Nobody's out there to play patty-cake. If somebody's going to be physical on the other side of the ball, obviously on your side of the ball you want to be physical right back. It's going to be a physical game. We expect that."

Last year, the Bears and Lions split their season series, with the Lions winning in Week 5, 24-13, and the Bears winning in Week 10, 37-13. The home team won both games last season.

The Bears are riding a three-game winning streak into Chicago's Week 7 showdown against the Lions. A win by the Bears would move Chicago to 5-1 on the season, and 1-1 in the division, and would also move Detroit to 2-4 -- and 0-2 in the NFC North.