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ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Kris Durham picked himself up off the Ford Field turf, looked around and for a brief second, thought he might have gotten into the end zone. After all, he was in there.

So were a couple of his teammates.

But their efforts to push Durham in on a 12-yard reception during the second quarter of Detroit’s 40-32 win against Chicago was a yard from a score, a yard from the second touchdown of his career and his first since the last time the Lions played the Bears at home.

He didn’t get in. But one play later, his quarterback, Matthew Stafford, did.

“Yeah, yeah, I wanted it,” Durham said. “I thought Dom (Raiola) and those guys really did a good job of getting me in the end zone but we got the touchdown. Since Matthew got it, I think he owes me another throw since he got the touchdown.”

Durham can joke about it now after receiving his most action and most targets this season for Detroit. This is how it has been for the native Georgian since he arrived in the NFL in 2011.

Be the fill-in when another receiver goes down, be it for Nate Burleson (now twice) or Patrick Edwards. Last Sunday was one of the few times when Durham entered a week knowing he’ll have an expanded role in Detroit's offense.

Burleson was out. With Edwards still hobbled with an ankle injury, Detroit was down to Calvin Johnson, Ryan Broyles and Durham as its main wide receivers. He played in 92 percent (61 of 66) of Detroit’s snaps Sunday -- two snaps less than Johnson and 20 more than Broyles. His performance mirrored his newfound playing time, catching three passes for 58 yards -- the most yardage he’s ever had in a NFL game.

“It gives me some confidence,” Durham said. “I think it gives Matthew some confidence in me. I was in the right place at the right time and made good throws, good catches.”

Durham’s extended action, though, was accentuated by what he did at the end of the game. He fielded both of Chicago’s onside kicks successfully, even if it is a bit more challenging than it may appear.

The receiver’s main focus is the ball and how it is going to come off the kicker’s foot -- something he compares to an infielder having to prepare at all times for bad hops on ground balls.

But Chicago kicker Robbie Gould makes it a little bit more challenging with some of his own deception.

“The way he approached the ball and the way he kicked it was pretty impressive,” Durham said. “He was running like he was kicking toward their right, our left, and he almost swung his leg across his body and kicked it back.

“It was impressive. I was impressed. Especially on the first one. I’m taught to stand my ground and wait for the ball to be kicked. When he approached it, I was like, ‘all right, this is going to Calvin.’ Then all of a sudden I see it kicking towards me.”

So he did what he always does in onside situations. He attacks the ball and tries his best to cover it up.

The first one, he said, was easy. It came right to him cleanly. The second one went “end-over-end” and took a weird bounce -- Durham said he took bad bounces off his shoulder a couple of times as a shortstop growing up -- forcing him to smother it before it caromed oddly.

As he did, he cradled the ball and protected it with his back. That’s when Chicago linebacker Jon Bostic came in and hit him with his helmet in his back, drawing the ire of Detroit coach Jim Schwartz.

Durham said Tuesday he’s fine and doesn’t really care if Bostic is fined for the hit. His reasoning is simple: Detroit won, so why should he care. And Durham’s teammates noticed his play.

“I thought Durham played extremely well (Sunday),” Detroit running back Reggie Bush said after the game. “He was a huge reason why we converted some of those third downs.”

Or as Durham said, he’s a team guy. He’s patient. He’s just waiting for moments like these -- always waiting. He waited in Detroit. Waited during his time at Georgia, when the favorite moment of his football career was a touchdown pass caught against rival Georgia Tech as a senior in 2010.

He’s always waited. In college, he didn’t catch more than 20 passes in a season until his senior year. In the pros, he’s seen most of his action when another player has been hurt.

“Some guy can go down in the pre-game, some guy could be sick,” Durham said. “You never know what is going to happen. There’s always different variables that can go wrong so you have to be ready.”

When Detroit needed him Sunday, he was.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson, who broke both bones in his left forearm in a one-car crash last week, published pictures of the interior of the car Tuesday afternoon.

Pizza included.

I'm releasing these pix for 2 reasons: 1) I walked away from a totalled vehicle #Blessed 2) I have to… http://t.co/87oB5sxLsI

— Nathaniel E Burleson (@Nate13Burleson) October 1, 2013

On his instagram account, where he posted the pictures of the Happy's Pizza boxes and the slices thrown about the car, he wrote this: "I'm releasing these pix for 2 reasons: 1) I walked away from a totalled (sic) vehicle #Blessed 2) I have to hear all the pizza jokes...lol I'll start-Yes I am the 5th Ninja Turtle. #LovePizza #LetTheJokesBegin"

Burleson, who was with the Lions on the sideline for their 40-32 win over Chicago on Sunday, is receiving the Ed Block Courage Award at a dinner Tuesday night in Detroit for his return from a broken leg last season.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is putting together one of the all-time great passing seasons through the first month of this year and even his opponents are impressed by it.

Among them is Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“It’s awesome. I’m happy for him. He’s a great player,” Stafford said. “One of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks of all time and a guy that growing up I watched and really tried to study his game as much as you can. The guy’s a great thinker, a great mind and obviously can put the ball wherever he wants.”

Manning has completed 75 percent of his passes this season (117-of-156) for a NFL-best 1,470 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The real eye-popping stat -- he’s thrown zero interceptions and has a passer rating of 138.

His numbers could be even better, too, as Manning’s pass-catchers have dropped 5.1 percent of his throws. Three of Manning’s receivers -- Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker -- all have 24 or more receptions through four games.

“He’s got some weapons there this year that he hasn’t had in a while,” Stafford said. “And he’s making teams pay for it.”

Manning leads the league in almost every passing category, but Stafford is actually doing better than him in a couple of areas.

Manning is second to Stafford in sacks per drop-back -- Stafford has been sacked 1.9 percent of the time to Manning’s 3.1 percent. Stafford also is getting rid of the ball faster than Manning, throwing the ball 2.75 seconds after the snap to Manning’s 2.82 seconds.

A weekly examination of the Vikings’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 17 | Last Week: 26 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The Vikings don't get much of a bump this week after hanging on to beat the No. 29 Pittsburgh Steelers at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, but they left London feeling much better about themselves following their first win of the season. It was the first time the Vikings -- who didn't win a game in which they lost the turnover battle last year -- didn't give the ball away, and Matt Cassel passed for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns in relief of Christian Ponder, who missed the game with a rib injury.

The Vikings' quarterback situation will be the hot topic during and after their bye week, with Cassel having posted a passer rating Sunday that was higher than any single-game rating Ponder has posted in his career. The Vikings might feel beholden to Ponder, whom they took 12th overall in the 2011 draft, but they need to take advantage of a schedule stretch that all of a sudden looks soft if they want to turn their season around. The Vikings' next five opponents -- Carolina, the New York Giants, Green Bay, Dallas and Washington -- have a combined 5-13 record this season. That group includes two of the past three NFC champions and two division winners from 2012, but if the Vikings can get themselves on track in time to catch those teams while they're reeling, they might be able to edge back into the playoff race in what has so far been a mediocre conference.

A weekly examination of the Packers’ ESPN.com Power Ranking.

Preseason: 5 | Last week: 12 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The bye week did nothing to change the Packers’ position in the Power Rankings, but it did see them lose ground in both their division and their conference. At 1-2 and still stinging over their Week 3 loss at Cincinnati, the Packers not only remain behind the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears -- both 3-1 -- in the division standings, but they also fell to third among NFC North teams in the Power Rankings. The Lions leapfrogged them, going from 16th to 10th, after beating the Bears, who fell from fourth to ninth. Among NFC teams, the Packers fell one spot, to sixth in the conference.

This week, the voters ranked the Packers anywhere from eighth to 16th. It is worth noting that both of the Packers’ losses have come against teams than stand ahead of them in the rankings. The San Francisco 49ers, who beat the Packers in Week 1, came in at No. 8, while the Bengals were 11th.

As always, you can rank the 32 teams yourself.

A weekly examination of the Bears’ ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 13 | Last Week: 4 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

Chicago fell from the top five of ESPN.com’s Power Rankings but remained in the top 10 at No. 9 after Sunday’s 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Interestingly, the Lions check in at 10th, moving up six spots from 16, while the Green Bay Packers stayed at 12th and the Minnesota Vikings rose from 26th to No. 24 after their 34-27 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in London.

The Bears rank below the 49ers, Dolphins, Colts and Chiefs, who are eighth, seventh, sixth and fifth, respectively.

Chicago deserves to stay in the top 10. The Bears committed four turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown. With 47 seconds left to play, remarkably, they still held a sliver of hope for tying the game when Robbie Gould lined up for the onside kick.

All but one of ESPN.com’s panelists voted for Chicago to remain in the top 10. The club received two seventh-place votes, one for No. 6, two for No. 10 and one for 12th.

The panelists put the Bears in the correct spot here. They overcame a horrid start, and too many turnovers in difficult circumstances on the road, yet had a chance at the end.

RISING

1. Alshon Jeffery, WR: Jeffery did a little bit of everything in the Week 4 loss in Detroit. He came up with a tough touchdown catch despite blanket coverage (he dropped a sure touchdown the play before), showed the ability to beat a defense deep with a 44-yard reception, and proved he can also be a weapon in the run game with a 27-yard end-around. With the exception of the Bears' win against the Vikings on Sept. 15, Jeffery has been a reliable target for Jay Cutler the entire season. Jeffery figures to reach 60 catches in 2013 if he continues to avoid injury -- he missed six games his rookie season. Jeffery's confidence seems to be growing every week.

2. Julius Peppers, DE: The Bears' failure to sack the quarterback is still alarming, but Peppers had his best game of the year on Sunday, by far. According to NFL statistics, Peppers finished with six tackles and the Bears' lone sack and quarterback hurry. Peppers also dropped Reggie Bush for no gain on the Lions' first offensive play from scrimmage, and overall, the defensive end appeared to be moving better than in previous weeks. With the Bears' depth on the defensive line tested due to injuries, it's vital Peppers contribute some impact plays to the defensive effort moving forward.

3. Earl Bennett, WR: Bennett's role in the offense is expanding. The wide receiver participated in 49 plays and caught a late fourth-quarter touchdown from Cutler, Bennett's second score in the past two weeks after hauling in the Week 3 game-clincher versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bennett isn't targeted often, he has seven catches on the season, but when the ball does come his way, the wideout generally makes a play. Bennett is clearly the fifth option on offense, but he is sure-handed and dependable.

FALLING

1. Jay Cutler, QB: The Bears lost to the Lions for two reasons; (1) Cutler turned the ball over four times, and (2) the defense failed to tackle Bush. Cutler will throw interceptions. That is a fact. Sunday marked the seventh time since 2009 that Cutler tossed three or more interceptions in a game. The Bears claim Cutler's mistakes were all physical, that his decision-making was sound in the 40-32 defeat. If that's the case, then all of Cutler's miscues are correctable. But these performances are always a concern with Cutler. The Bears might be able to beat a bad Minnesota team at home when the quarterback turns the ball over three times, but on the road against a quality opponent, the Bears have no shot to win if Cutler gives the ball away at such an alarming rate.

2. Entire defense: The whole group gets the nod for Bush rushing for 112 yards on 11 carries in the first half alone. The Lions seemed to have a solid gameplan for how they wanted to attack the Bears, but that does not excuse the poor tackling. Bush was making Bears defenders miss all over the field. The Bears have allowed way too many big plays on defense this season. The turnovers and defensive touchdowns are great, but this group is expected to produce better results. Even without Lovie Smith, Rod Marinelli, Brian Urlacher and now Henry Melton, there are enough Pro Bowl-caliber defensive players on the roster to prevent these kinds of breakdowns. And where is the pass rush? This all better improve in a hurry with Drew Brees coming to town on Sunday, otherwise the Bears' 3-0 head start to begin the season could evaporate over the next month.

3. Adam Podlesh, P: He had a rough afternoon at Ford Field, there is just no other way to put it. Despite punting in a controlled climate, Podlesh averaged only 40.2 yards per kick with a net average of 28.8 yards. Heading into Week 4, Podlesh had been averaging 44.6 yards per punt with a 42-yard net average. Punters will have bad games from time to time. Podlesh had a mild slump last year but finished the season exceptionally strong. The hope is he puts the Lions game behind him and bounces back against the Saints. Field position figures to be at a premium against the high-powered Saints' offense, so Podlesh pinning the Saints deep in their own territory whenever possible will be an important key to victory.

The numbers are, frankly, staggering.

Detroit has the best third-down defense in the NFL, yielding conversions just 21.3 percent of the time this season.

Even Lions coach Jim Schwartz was impressed with that number.

“We certainly spent a lot of time on third down and we want to get off the field on third down,” Schwartz said Monday. “It’s just the rate we’re going at now is pretty tough to sustain.

“We have guys that rush. We have some guys in the back end that can get the ball. We have some guys that have played pretty smart and matched up routes. I think the combination of the two, we have blitzed from time-to-time I think that’s been effective when we have.”

Third down defense is merely one reason why Detroit is 3-1. Here are some other interesting numbers contributing to the Lions’ 40-32 win Sunday over the Bears. Statistics and figures from ESPN Stats & Information were used in compiling this post. Follow ESPN Stats & Information on Twitter @ESPNStatsInfo

121 -- Yards gained by Reggie Bush on Sunday between the tackles.

81 -- Percentage of Bush’s rushes this season between the tackles, at 5.7 yards gained per rush.

8.9 -- Average yards needed for a first down for Chicago on third downs Sunday.

1 -- Third downs converted by Chicago on Sunday in 13 attempts.

9.8 -- percent of the time Detroit blitzed Jay Cutler on Sunday, the lowest blitz percentage in the NFL last week.

5 -- Targets to wide receivers other than Calvin Johnson (Johnson had 10).

20 -- Targets to Detroit’s running backs and tight ends.

2.36 -- Points per offensive drive for Detroit.

28.4 -- Average yards gained per drive for the Lions. This is somewhat skewed because the Lions only had an average of 57.1 yards to go for a touchdown Sunday.

46.7 -- Percentage Chicago went three-and-out on Sunday against Detroit.

In addition to acknowledging his role in the Chicago Bears' 40-32 loss on Sunday to the Detroit Lions, quarterback Jay Cutler dispelled rumors that illness factored into his performance.

Cutler committed four turnovers -- three interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown -- as Chicago had its first loss of the season on Sunday at Ford Field, with the quarterback completing just 27 of 47 passes for 317 yards and a passer rating of 65.6.

"I felt good. I felt fine. Do I look all right?" Cutler asked Monday on ESPN 1000's "The Jay Cutler Show". "I wasn't sick. If I [were] sick, I wouldn't say anything. It didn't happen. Nothing had any impact on the way I played. I missed some throws; wish I could have three or four of them back like we talked about. But we can't. So it only counts as one game, just like the other ones."

Cutler entered the game with his average pass traveling 3 yards through the first three outings, but he threw 45 percent of his passes more than 10 yards downfield against the Lions, with the average pass traveling 12.3 yards. That, not to mention Detroit's pass rush, played a role in Cutler committing four turnovers and converting only one third down in 13 attempts.

Bears coach Marc Trestman said Cutler made good decisions, but failed to throw the ball accurately on too many occasions. By attempting longer passes, Cutler increased the level of difficulty on his throws. During the first three weeks of the season, Cutler opted for more high-percentage attempts (shorter throws) which increased his completion percentage.

Cutler acknowledged the true test for the team now is how the Bears rebound against the Saints after the difficult loss at Detroit.

"I think that's fair," Cutler said. "That's how this is: You never really are in the present in the NFL. You're either talking about what's coming up or you're talking about what just happened. You're never really living in the moment and talking about the now, and ‘What can we do now to get better?' That's what our job is as players, and that's the perspective we've got to keep. Obviously you've got to look at what's ahead of you. But after that game is over, you've looked at it, it's over with. The only thing right now that we can control is getting ready for the Saints. I think we learned a lot about our team already in the second half of that Detroit game; the way that offensively we kept fighting."

Trestman said Cutler "expressed his sense of accountability" for his performance Monday during meetings at Halas Hall.

"I'm encouraged," Trestman said. "I see him do so many things in practice, moving his feet and doing the right things. But he's got to hang onto the ball on the quick throw he had to the left backed up. He dropped the ball down. He put it in one hand. He's got to have it in two hands, and he's got to throw it away or move on. He was trying to make something happen late and he let his fundamentals go. These are things he's done better this year, and we're going to work at them. We're in Game 4 and know we've got to get better. That's what we'll attempt to do this week."

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers safety Morgan Burnett used the bye week for two purposes: to get a haircut and get back on the field.

By the time he returned to Green Bay on Monday, he had achieved both.

Gone were the dreadlocks the 24-year-old has sported since his sophomore year of high school. So was any noticeable problem with his hamstring, an injury that has kept him out of the first three games of the season.

He insisted there was no connection; buzzing his hair wasn’t any kind of attempt to change his fortune after missing game action for the first time since 2010.

“It’s something I felt was time,” said Burnett, who last week tweeted a picture taken shortly after his haircut.

“My mom’s been on my case for about five years ago it, so it really made her day. I did it for her.”

The Packers are approaching Burnett’s return to practice with caution. He sustained the injury in the Aug. 23 preseason game against Seattle but after sitting out the preseason finale was set to go for the opener at San Francisco. He wasn’t even listed on the injury report until two days before the 49ers game and hasn’t played since.

“Morgan Burnett hasn’t played in a long time,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after Monday’s practice. “Said he feels great. Curious to see him go through a week of practice.”

Last season, Burnett not only played in every game, he was the only player on the Packers’ defense to play every snap of every game.

“Just really don’t get caught up about missing three games and feeling like you’re behind the eight ball,” Burnett said. “Just do your job, let the game come to you and don’t go chasing things and forcing things that are not there.”

Without Burnett and slot cornerback Casey Hayward, who remains sidelined because of a hamstring injury, the Packers pass defense has suffered. They ranked 28^th in the league in passing yards allowed per game through Sunday’s games.

This week, they face one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL, Detroit’s Calvin Johnson.

If Burnett makes it through the week without any setbacks, it will be his first action since he signed his four-year, $24.75 million contract extension in July.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When Eddie Lacy was last seen on the football field, he was the Green Bay Packers’ workhouse running back.

The rookie second-round pick from Alabama received the majority of the carries in the season-opening loss at San Francisco and appeared to be in a similar role in Week 2 against Washington before he was knocked out of the game with a concussion.

Lacy has been cleared to return after missing the Week 3 game at Cincinnati, but will his role be the same?

Since Lacy departed against the Redskins, two different Packers running backs rushed for 100 yards. James Starks ran for 132 yards against Washington, while rookie Johnathan Franklin ran for 103 yards a week later after Starks sustained a knee injury against the Bengals.

With Starks’ status uncertain, the Packers may go into Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions with their pair of rookies, Lacy and Franklin, as their top two backs.

“Man, that would definitely be a blessing and hopefully an inspiration to a lot of people,” Franklin said Monday, when the Packers returned to work following their bye week. “We’ve just got to keep working. We can’t get caught up in the one-two punch or caught up in the rookie this or the rookie that. We’ve just got to get better. This is bigger than us. This is about the Green Bay Packers.”

It wouldn’t be the first time under coach Mike McCarthy that the Packers featured a pair of rookie running backs. Early in the 2007 season, before the emergence of Ryan Grant later that season, the Packers relied on rookies Brandon Jackson and DeShawn Wynn, who were second- and seventh-round draft picks, respectively. But neither did enough or stayed healthy long.

Perhaps, though, this is what the Packers envisioned when they drafted Franklin two rounds after taking Lacy last April. Franklin might be the perfect complement to Lacy. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Franklin looks like an elusive runner outside the tackles and in the open field, while the more powerful Lacy (5-11, 230) appears to be a stronger inside runner.

“I think as far as running style, it really depends on the game plan, who you are playing and how you rotate those guys in,” McCarthy said. “Some people try to run certain schemes with certain backs. Some people play them differently based on personnel groups. Those are game plan questions.”

DETROIT -- Reggie Bush's big 37-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of Sunday’s 40-32 win over the Chicago Bears almost didn’t happen.

Bush fumbled the play before and the ball was recovered by Detroit receiver Calvin Johnson, extending the Lions drive with 2:52 remaining in the first half.

The Lions went to the line on the next play, calling another handoff to Bush. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was in shotgun with Bush a step behind him and to his right. Center Dominic Raiola saw something in the Chicago defense that told him to make a call with his veteran left guard, Rob Sims.

“I saw a weak dog and I saw a nickel coming off the edge,” Raiola said. “We said all week we wanted to hit one right into the mouth of their blitz and that’s really what it was.

“It was a call we practiced all week and we hit it.”

Raiola told Sims to engage the defensive end, Julius Peppers. In doing so -- and getting a good push on Peppers out to the left, he almost made it appear as if he and left tackle Riley Reiff were doubling Peppers on the snap.

They weren’t, as Reiff’s man, linebacker James Anderson, blitzed far on his side. This opened up the first part of a massive hole for Bush, who by the time he reached the line of scrimmage had almost the entire width between the hashmarks to run through and make his initial cut.

In the pre-snap, Bears defensive tackle Nate Collins was initially lined up right over Raiola, but on the snap he slid over to engage right guard Larry Warford. Warford sealed Collins away from the hole.

This allowed Raiola a clean path to the second level, where he was able to block linebacker Lance Briggs.

“We were working on that,” Sims said. “We knew they were going to try and slant Julius and we just, Dom made a good call. Dom told me to go out to (Peppers) and I did and we caught them in it.

“That’s the thing with them, they are really good at moving and when you can catch them in it, you can make some hay. And Reggie don’t need much.”

Bush had a wide open lane to run through. He ran almost right at the Raiola-Briggs block before cutting back to the right side and into the second and third levels of the defense.

It appeared as if defensive end Cornelius Washington was the man who was supposed to mark up Bush at the snap, but he was on the edge of the defense and looked like he hesitated on the snap out of the backfield and ended up chasing Bush from behind. He had a chance to tackle him, but missed.

Then Bush made another quick cut right and -- this is really what made the run -- jumped over a diving Major Wright. Had Wright kept his feet, he would have had a better shot at the Detroit running back.

Once Bush made that move, he had one more assist. Wide receiver Ryan Broyles put a good seal block on Chicago cornerback Tim Jennings to give Bush a deep crease in the secondary.

Jennings would end up almost catching up to Bush, but those few extra strides helped turn the play into a touchdown.

“A sweet run,” Stafford said. “It was a play that honestly we had been working on in practice all week knowing they were going to blitz us, which they always do.

“Instead of getting out of it, just running right into it. Dom made a great call up front, (Brandon) Pettigrew had a great block to seal off the back side and let Reggie do the rest.”

Letting Bush do the rest is becoming a common theme for the Lions these days. Detroit’s offensive line had done such a good job against Chicago on Sunday, the 37-yard touchdown was merely one of the big runs Bush was able to find.

The touchdown was the longest run of the day for Bush, who had four rushes of 14 yards or more and 139 yards overall.

“Reggie Bush is special,” Wright told reporters after the game. “He has speed. He can shake you. He can do everything.”

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- If the Green Bay Packers were counting on last week’s bye to cure all of their injured players, they were probably disappointed on Monday.

When the team returned to practice following its week off, there were still six players sidelined.

They were:

• CB Jarrett Bush (hamstring)
• CB Casey Hayward (hamstring)
• FB John Kuhn (hamstring)
• RB James Starks (knee)
• OLB Clay Matthews (hamstring)
• TE Jermichael Finley (concussion)

However, running backs Eddie Lacy (who has been out since he sustained a concussion in Week 2 against the Washington Redskins) and Johnathan Franklin (who sustained a foot injury late in the Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals) both were practicing on Monday.

So was safety Morgan Burnett, who has yet to play this season because of the hamstring injury he sustained in the preseason.

In a sign that perhaps Starks’ knee injury might keep him out for a while, the Packers promoted rookie running back Michael Hill from the practice squad shortly before Monday’s practice. He took the roster spot that came open when the Packers released receiver/kick returner Jeremy Ross last Monday.

We’ll have more on Lacy’s return, plus the rest of the news of the day, when coach Mike McCarthy and players are available following practice later on Monday.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman said on Monday that he is unsure if rookie linebacker Jon Bostic will be disciplined by the NFL for the hit he delivered to Detroit Lions wide receiver Kris Durham as he lay on the ground following an onside kick with 43 seconds left to play in the Bears’ 40-32 defeat at Ford Field on Sunday.

“I did not see it, I really didn’t see it,” Trestman said. “I haven’t heard about it and I haven’t heard from the league about it. We’ll see what happens the next couple of days.”

Bostic was not penalized by the officials, but the hit upset Lions coach Jim Schwartz who referenced the incident during his postgame news conference on Sunday.

“Kris Durham made a couple big plays at the end, probably no bigger than recovering the last onside kick,” Schwartz said. “He took a big shot for it, too. We talk a lot about player safety and he’s lying prone on the ground and is getting himself up and takes a helmet right to the back and we don’t get any call there. It’s a little hypocritical to talk about player safety when we allow that to not get called. Kris toughed it out, and he had to hold onto that ball and he did. He did a nice job today”

The NFL fined Bostic $21,000 in August for lowering his head and making forcible contact with a defenseless San Diego Chargers wide receiver, Mike Willie, during a preseason game at Soldier Field. Bostic appealed the fine.

An examination of four hot issues from the Chicago Bears’ 40-32 loss to the Detroit Lions:

Run defense: The Bears allowed Reggie Bush to gain 112 yards in the first half, then held him to 27 yards in the second half. With Henry Melton out, the Bears played Stephen Paea at the 3-technique spot and moved Nate Collins to nose tackle. The Bears might want to consider trying Collins at the 3-technique and Paea at nose.

After the game, Paea wore a walking boot due to minor turf toe on his left foot, and maybe that injury diminished Paea’s effectiveness.

“I’ve played some 3 [technique] before, but it’s just a matter of time, repetitions and practice,” Paea said.

Jay Cutler: This could come off as odd, but despite Cutler’s horrid performance (65.6 passer rating with three interceptions, plus a fumble returned for a touchdown), this game might have shown growth on the quarterback’s part.

Detroit scored 17 points off turnovers, and Cutler appeared to be the culprit on every giveaway but one (his first interception). How the quarterback handled himself in the heat of battle and afterward gives reason for optimism. Despite the mistakes, Cutler held up well and nearly brought the Bears back. After the game, Cutler showed accountability for his contribution to the loss and told it how it was, which signals he’ll take the appropriate steps to correct the issues.

“I have to give us a better chance to win. I mean, three picks. It’s hard to come back from that,” Cutler said. “[I] have to play better.”

Third-down conversions: The Bears converted just one of 13 third downs, and no matter how well the defense plays, it’s difficult to overcome that deficiency. It’s not all on Cutler. In the second quarter, Jordan Mills was whistled for a false start on third-and-10. Two series later, Cutler was in a third-and-21 situation after a 9-yard sack on second down. In the third quarter, a 27-yard gain on third down was negated by a Kyle Long penalty. Then, on the next series, Cutler was sacked and fumbled for Nick Fairley’s 4-yard touchdown.

“The big thing was third down,” Bears coach Marc Trestman said. “We did horribly today [on third down], and that starts with me.”

Too much pressure: Cutler was sacked three times and spent most of the day under duress. This team has invested too much into protecting Cutler for this to continue.

"Either we didn't execute on the play or we didn't give Jay enough time to throw the ball," running back Matt Forte said. "Give credit to them for giving a great rush, but we didn't do our part."