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ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson takes your Chicago Bears questions in the wake of their 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions during a live chat at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) Monday. Click here to submit your questions.

DETROIT -- Chicago Bears defensive tackle Stephen Paea wore a walking boot on his left foot after Sunday’s loss 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions, but isn’t expected to miss time with what he called a minor turf toe injury.

Moving over from his customary spot at nose tackle to the 3-technique tackle spot in place of Henry Melton, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, Paea contributed two tackles, including a stop for lost yardage. A three-year veteran, Paea came into the game with six tackles, half a sack and two tackles for lost yardage.

Although the injury isn’t considered serious, it’s likely Paea will appear on the injury report headed into next week’s game against the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field. Paea said the medical staff encouraged him to wear the walking boot to take pressure off the toe during travel back to the team’s facilities from Detroit.

But if Paea winds up missing time, the Bears could be in a difficult situation given there’s not much depth behind him and Nate Collins, who assumed a starting role due to Melton’s injury. As it stands, Paea, Collins and Zach Minter, who was inactive on Sunday, are the club’s only bona fide defensive tackles.

The Bears can move starting defensive end Corey Wootton inside to tackle. Defensive end Julius Peppers has also lined up at tackle on occasion.

The club’s franchise player, Melton contributed five tackles and a fumble recovery in three games before suffering the torn ACL during the team’s Sept. 22 win over Pittsburgh. Paea recognized the difficulty of trying to fill the gaps up front without Melton, a 2012 Pro Bowler.

“He’s done some great stuff,” Paea said of Melton. “Obviously, the next guy up has got to step up, including myself. I’ve played some 3 [technique] before. It’s just a matter of time, repetitions and practice.”

DETROIT -- Here are five things we learned in the Chicago Bears’ 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions:

1. High turnover games remain a reality for Jay Cutler: Cutler deserves some credit for not calling it quits when the Lions led 40-16 late in the fourth-quarter, but his four turnovers were a major reason why the Bears lost. There isn’t a coach alive that can permanently eliminate these types of games from Cutler’s resume. When interceptions happen, they tend to happen in bunches with Cutler. That’s part of the package. It will never change. However, Cutler has been clutch for the Bears in three games this season, and certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt that he can bounce back with a stellar effort against the New Orleans Saints next Sunday. And I liked the fact Cutler and the offense kept fighting until the bitter end, even when the game was painfully out of reach. But the reality is that Cutler will always be a high-risk, high-reward quarterback, no matter the team, coach or system.

2. The defense has dropped a notch: The Bears still have a knack for forcing turnovers on defense, but Reggie Bush became the third opponent (A.J. Green and Antonio Brown) to have a monster game against the defense in the past four weeks. With the exception of Adrian Peterson's crazy game at Soldier Field in 2007, Sunday might have been the worst tackling display that I’ve seen from the Bears’ defense in recent memory. Bush is a talented multipurpose tailback, but he’s hardly considered one of the best runners in the game. However, Bush looked all-world against the Bears at Ford Field. In the span of four games, we’ve witnessed the Bears’ defense suffer multiple breakdowns on multiple fronts. And the pass rush continues to be nonexistent. The Bears sacked Matthew Stafford one time on 35 passing attempts. The individual talent is still present on the roster but, collectively, there is something missing from the Bears’ defense.

3. Alshon Jeffery is on the rise: Jeffery’s five catch for 107 yards and a touchdown performance in Week 4 would have been one of the top stories if the Bears had won. Although Jeffery’s day at Ford Field kind of gets lost in the shuffle of the bitter defeat, it is worth noting that Jeffery has responded well after a so-so game in Week 2 versus the Vikings. Jeffery showed great hands on his 14-yard touchdown reception. And even though he’s not viewed as the fastest wideout on the field, Jeffery can beat a defender deep down the field. The great thing about Jeffery is that because of his size and wingspan, he is skilled at coming down with those 50-50 jump balls that can go either way. The Bears don’t seem to be lacking in the skill position department, and after Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte; Jeffery is having one of the Bears’ most productive seasons on offense.

4. Special teams hardly were special: For the second time this season, the Bears’ coverage units were burned for a big return. This time it was Detroit’s Micheal Spurlock taking a punt back 57 yards to set up an easy Lions’ scoring drive. Special teams are held to a high standard around Chicago, and fans aren’t used to seeing that phase of the team struggle. The Bears also had issues with their punting game, which is odd considering Ford Field is an indoor stadium with a controlled climate. Devin Hester didn’t help the cause much when the Bears had opportunities to return the ball, and Hester almost fumbled on one occasion. This really was a complete team loss. All three phases of their game contributed to the Bears’ defeat in Detroit.

5. Future is bright at right guard: Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is a monster on the interior of the Detroit defensive line. The smart money was on Suh making a couple of plays lined up against Bears rookie right guard Kyle Long. As expected, Suh was a disruptive force in the Bears’ backfield with two sacks and a forced fumble that got scooped up for a touchdown. But Long didn’t do anything to embarrass himself. He more than held his own during his individual battles with Suh. Consider this a learning experience for the rookie. Smart money also suggests Long does a better job against Suh when the teams meet at Soldier Field on Nov. 10. Call it a hunch.

DETROIT -- Darius Slay turned around and couldn’t believe what he thought he might be seeing.

In the second quarter, the Detroit Lions cornerback was defending Chicago tight end Martellus Bennett in the end zone when he felt something hit his leg and it wasn’t a player.

“I’m looking at it like, ‘Did somebody just throw a bottle at me,’ “ Slay said. “I looked back like, ‘What’s going on?’ But I felt it. I looked, like I’m looking around.”

What was actually thrown from the stands in Ford Field is up for debate. Slay said it was a bottle. Bennett said he thought it was either a "spray can” or “air horn” tossed from the crowd.

Bennett saw it coming, too.

“It was like one of those (air) horns or something,” Bennett said. “I saw it coming and the DB saw it, too. He was like, ‘What the [expletive]?’ “

This is a particularly tense issue in Detroit, where a drink thrown from the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004 ignited a brawl between the rival Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and fans.

This was another rivalry game in a different sport, but there was no brawl this time -- just a couple of confused and annoyed players.

“I was just kind of mad,” Slay said. “Because it was, ‘Who just threw a bottle at me?’ “

NFL Nation Bears reporter Michael C. Wright contributed to this report.

DETROIT -- Knowing the capabilities of running back Reggie Bush meant little in terms of stopping him for the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Ford Field.

Bush wrecked the Bears for 112 yards on 11 attempts in the first half to help Detroit build a 30-13 lead at intermission, before hanging on to capture a 40-32 win and first place in the NFC North. Chicago slowed down Bush in the second half, limiting him to 27 yards on seven carries. But by then, the damage had already been done.

“We just missed a lot of tackles,” Bears cornerback Charles Tillman said. “He did a good job of making his moves. You have to give credit where credit is due. He’s a good back.”

Bush made that known almost immediately. Julius Peppers stopped Bush for no gain on the running back’s first attempt, but he ran for gains of 9, 11 and 17 yards on his next three attempts.

Bush’s first two attempts of the second quarter gained 15 and 16 yards.

“I think they had a good game plan for us in the run game. They have Israel Idonije over there, who was a long time player for us, and who also happens to really know our defense,” safety Chris Conte said. “So they really had a great scheme going. But we just have to have a better effort individually. That’s all there is to it.”

Idonije played nine seasons in Chicago, and at least one of the team’s current players suspects his former teammate tipped off the Lions to what the Bears were doing defensively. The player said that Bush broke most of his big gains when Chicago called for its “power” stunt. A stunt involves defensive linemen altering the path of their rush in a coordinated fashion in an attempt to confuse opposing offensive line, which in turn, makes it more difficult for them to block.

Because of Bush’s production during when Chicago ran that stunt, the Bears abandoned the call altogether, according to the player.

Bush broke a highlight-reel run for a 37-yard touchdown with 2:43 left in the second quarter to help the Lions go ahead 30-10 after the extra point, and there’s a good chance Detroit caught the Bears on that play in their “power” stunt.

“A sweet run,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “It was a play that, honestly, we have been working in practice all week knowing that they were going to blitz us. Instead of getting out of it, we just ran right into it. Dom [Raiola] made a great call up front. [Tight end Brandon] Pettigrew had a great block. We sealed off the backside, and then Reggie did the rest.”

The Bears played a good portion of the opening half in a nickel defense, which features five defensive backs, and just six players in the box to defend the run. Bush admitted to becoming “very excited” upon seeing Chicago’s personnel grouping.

“When we have them in nickel, and there’s six guys in the box, we’ve got to take advantage of that,” Bush said. “We definitely felt that was an area we could take advantage.”

Detroit certainly did that.

Bush said on some runs he “really didn’t get touched a whole lot until I got to the secondary.” By then, all Bush had to do was turn on the speed or juke the defender in space.

“If we don’t tackle, we’ve got trouble,” said Bears safety Major Wright, “especially with a back like that. Today, he came out and had a good game because we didn’t tackle him. Reggie Bush is special. He has speed. He can shake you. He can do everything.”

The Bears knew as much going in. The problem is they couldn’t do anything to stop it, which is a concern moving forward for a Chicago defense whose main goal always is to stop the run first.

The Bears played without franchise defensive tackle Henry Melton, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Nate Collins played the nose tackle spot, with Paea moving into Melton’s place as the three-technique.

Collins and Paea admitted the Bears are depleted up front without Melton in the mix, but each repeated the team’s next-man-up mentality for dealing with injury. Paea called Bush “another Adrian Peterson, if not quicker,” while Collins mentioned that an inch of daylight for the running back is often too much.

“He’s got quicks. He’s got jukes,” Collins said. “The running plays they had, if there was just a little sliver, he could still get through it quick going downhill. A guy like that, it’s hard enough to tackle him. But when he gets a little space, gets going and gains speed, that makes it even worse.”

DETROIT -- Observed in the locker room after the Chicago Bears’ 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions:

Stunt issue: Reggie Bush busted big gains almost every time the Bears used what they call a “power” stunt. A stunt is when defensive linemen alter the path of their rush in a coordinated fashion to confuse offensive linemen, which, in turn, makes them more difficult to block. According a player in the locker room, the Lions capitalized nearly every time the stunt was called, and that caused Chicago to abandon the call entirely.

The player suspected that former Bears defensive end Israel Idonije, now with Detroit, tipped off the Lions about what they were doing.

“He totally knows our defense,” the player said.

Paea in boot: With the Bears recently placing Henry Melton on injured reserve, the sight of Stephen Paea wearing a walking boot seemed shocking. Paea wore the boot as a precautionary measure, he said, and characterized the injury as “minor turf toe.”

Paea could show up on next week’s injury report, but he’s doesn’t anticipate missing time.

Bennett makes rounds: Tight end Martellus Bennett walked around shaking hands with all his teammates after the game and telling them “good job.” Bennett said he does it after every game to enhance camaraderie in the locker room.

DETROIT -- A few thoughts on the Chicago Bears' 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions:

What it means: Chicago tried to downplay the significance of this game, calling it just another outing. But internally, several within the organization called this an important indicator of just how far the team had advanced. The Bears failed their most significant test to date in spectacular fashion, but the division title remains in reach. What’s important now is how the team reacts to the setback.

Too much too early: The Bears allowed 27 points in the second quarter alone, marking the first time they’d given up that many in the second quarter since Dec. 21, 1985. Chicago gave up 26 in the second quarter to New England in 2010.

The 27 points in the first half were the most they surrendered in a half since Dec. 18, 2011, when Seattle scored 31 points in the second half.

Rush defense sinks Bears: Reggie Bush rushed for 112 yards on 11 attempts in the first half, including a 37-yard highlight-reel touchdown that gave Detroit a 30-13 lead.

Bush’s production opened up Detroit’s offense and exposed vulnerabilities in Chicago’s defense. The Bears allowed Bush to gain too much yardage up the middle, and once he reached the second and third levels, he made defenders miss too easily. The absence of Henry Melton might be more significant than expected.

Points off Cutler: The Lions scored 17 points off Jay Cutler turnovers in seizing a 37-16 advantage as the third quarter expired.

Nick Fairley returned a Cutler fumble four yards for a touchdown, while an underthrown pass intended for Brandon Marshall resulted in a Glover Quin interception that set up a Calvin Johnson touchdown. In the first quarter, Louis Delmas snagged one of his two interceptions on a pass intended for Alshon Jeffery. That interception, which didn’t appear to be Cutler’s fault, set up a David Akers field goal.

Tillman ailing: Playing with an injured knee and groin, cornerback Charles Tillman held Johnson to three catches for 25 yards and a touchdown in the first half but appeared to be in discomfort. Tillman left in the second quarter, was replaced by Zack Bowman and returned after halftime, only to be pulled again. Tillman’s health remains an issue.

What’s next: With a few players banged up after Sunday’s game, it’s likely coach Marc Trestman gives the Bears a day off before bringing them back Wednesday as the club prepares to host the New Orleans Saints.

Join our ESPN.com NFL experts as they break down the Chicago Bears' visit to the Detroit Lions. Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 1 p.m. ET. And, be sure to visit our NFL Nation Blitz page for commentary from every game, as well as fan photos and the latest buzz from Twitter. See you there.

DETROIT -- The Chicago Bears released their list of inactives for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, and as expected, cornerback Charles Tillman wasn’t on it, which means he’ll try to play despite nagging knee and groin injuries.

Tillman practice missed time in the week leading up to the team’s 40-23 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 22, and also sat out of two workout sessions on Wednesday and Thursday heading into the matchup against the Lions.

Other inactives include receivers Marquess Wilson and Joe Anderson, cornerback Sherrick McManis (quadriceps), offensive tackles James Brown and Jonathan Scott, defensive end David Bass and defensive tackle Zach Minter, who was expected to take on a more significant role with the team placing starting defensive tackle Henry Melton recently on the injured reserve.

Provided Tillman can play effectively, the Bears should benefit from the cornerback’s presence. In the past six meetings between these teams, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson has produced only one 100-yard outing against the Bears (Oct. 10, 2011), while scoring just two touchdowns with Tillman as the primary defender covering him.

Johnson averages 4.5 receptions per game against the Bears since 2010 for an average of 71.3 yards. Tillman, meanwhile, has racked up 37 tackles, broken up eight passes and intercepted two in addition to forcing two fumbles in his last six games against the LIons.

With Tillman banged up, how long he’ll be able to play comes into the equation, and more importantly, whether he can be effective enough to slow down Johnson.

Here's a look at five things to watch during Sunday's game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions at Ford Field:

Cutler’s poise: Crowd noise should be a factor, along with Detroit’s formidable defensive line, which in the past hasn’t been immune to engaging in extra-curricular activity, whether verbally or through rough play. Quarterback Jay Cutler is also known to be chatty with opposing defensive linemen. But don’t expect him to be drawn into whatever Detroit’s defense tries to instigate. Cutler needs to do what he’s been doing through the first three games: play sound, fundamental football within the confines of the system, and not take unnecessary chances.

“[Detroit’s] front four are good,” Cutler said. “So we have to take care of that. I’ve got to be on time. The receivers have got to get to their spots. Everyone, collectively, we can’t let down this week.”

If Cutler and the offensive line successfully weather Detroit’s initial punch, the Bears could be in for an afternoon of high production on offense. For the most part, Cutler picked apart the Lions in the past with a bad offensive line. Now that he’s got a solid line, Cutler could be deadly in this one.

Rookie O-linemen: Right guard Kyle Long and right tackle Jordan Mills face difficult challenges against Detroit’s front four; especially Long, who will match up with Ndamukong Suh. The Bears will try to help out the rookies on occasion through the play calling and deploying extra help their direction. Long’s matchup appears to be tougher than Mills’, not only because of Suh, but due to Detroit’s wide-nine alignment, which will often put the right guard on somewhat of an island. The rookies won’t win every battle in Sunday’s game, but what’s important is maintaining poise, and coming out on top in the majority of them.

“Sometimes we can slide the line [toward Suh]. Sometimes we can do it with the back. Sometimes, the guards are going to have to handle [Suh] by themselves,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said. “Then you can help with play selection, where you’re running the football, moving things around and making it a little more difficult in terms of where Jay is going to finally be in a passing spot, and throwing the ball quickly.”

CB Charles Tillman: Normally, there wouldn’t be reason for trepidation regarding Tillman’s matchup with Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson. After all, in the past six meetings between these teams, Johnson has produced only one 100-yard outing against the Bears (Oct. 10, 2011), while scoring just two touchdowns. Johnson averages 4.5 receptions per game against the Bears since 2010 for an average of 71.3 yards with Tillman as the primary man in coverage. Tillman, meanwhile, has racked up 37 tackles, broken up eight passes and intercepted two in addition to forcing two fumbles in that span. The problem now, however, is that Tillman is banged up, having missed two days of practice due to an injured right knee and sore groin. It’s likely Tillman will start on Sunday, but how long will he be able to play, and more importantly, how effective will he be?

Pass rush: Chicago generated more pressure from the front four last week at Pittsburgh, but the group needs to be even better against Detroit’s fourth-ranked offense. With defensive tackle Henry Melton out of the picture, that task becomes tougher with Stephen Paea playing the three-technique and Nate Collins moving to nose tackle. But defensive coordinator Mel Tucker showed against the Steelers he can manufacture pressure with blitzes from the linebackers and stunts up front.

“Whether it’ll be more coverage, more pressure, base, blitz or whatever it is, it’s whatever we think we need to do to get the job done to get them stopped. That changes sometimes from game to game or within a game. So we’re equipped to do whatever we need to do to get them stopped.”

Interestingly, the Lions are converting just 32.4 percent of third downs. If Chicago applies sufficient pressure against Detroit, that number is likely to drop even lower, which drastically increases the Bears’ chances for victory.

LB’s versus Bush: Detroit hurt the Minnesota Vikings substantially with the screen pass to Reggie Bush in the season opener. In addition to rushing for 90 yards on 21 attempts, Bush caught four passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in that game.

“Reggie Bush is a talented running back,” Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said. “Not only does he run the ball well but he catches the ball well. He runs well in space. He knows how to make defenders miss. He's a tough guy to also bring down. He's good. He can create mismatches, if you split him out and put him against some linebackers. But he's someone that you need to be aware of and know where he is on the field.”

With the additions of James Anderson and D.J. Williams to play next to Briggs, the Bears certainly became a more athletic group of linebackers which might be better equipped than most teams to handle Bush. If Chicago neutralizes Bush it basically shuts down Detroit’s second-most dangerous player behind Johnson.

CHICAGO BEARS (3-0) at DETROIT LIONS (2-1)

Noon CT Sunday at Ford Field on FOX