[Bette]

The initial reaction as the final seconds ticked away Sunday was that Soldier Field played host to a surreal Halloween costume party. And exactly who were those gate crashers in the Honolulu blue and silver disguises? They possessed the efficient look of a playoff team, never once flinching as a determined yet graying former champion made one last desperate lunge for salvation. They've become a mixture of their quarterback's wild-eyed idealism blended with their taskmaster's rock-jawed stoicism.
The Lions reintroduced themselves to the NFL on Sunday after six and half seasons of comic irrelevance.
Imposters no longer, they stamped themselves a legitimate playoff contender with a thoroughly efficient 16-7 win in Chicago that placed them at 5-2 for the first time since Matt Millen took that screwy detour out of the broadcaster's booth. LIONS 16, BEARS 7: DREW SHARP: Trick? Or treat? Lions looked like a playoff contender

[Bette]

This was a big win for the Lions-- a divisional win at the opponents home.
Soldier's Field has not always been kind to the Detroit Lions.