In the wide-open NFC North, the ability to win division games is going to be paramount for the remainder of 2008.

That means there's no time like the present for the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, who will meet at Ford Field on Sunday in the latest installment of their 79-year-old rivalry.

The Bears enter Week 5 at just 2-2, but that mark is good enough to have them tied with the Packers for first place. Chicago finished a treacherous opening month of the '08 campaign with a 24-20 win over the visiting Eagles last Sunday night, the second time this year that Lovie Smith's club had come away a winner in primetime. The Bears opened the season with a 29-13 upset at Indianapolis.

If Chicago wishes to regain its playoff form following last year's 7-9 disappointment, knocking out the struggling Lions, who swept them a season ago, is a must.

Detroit has limped to an 0-3 record out of the gate, failing to play consistent football on either side of the ball and being blown out by a combined margin of 113-59.

Those aren't the only bad numbers for the Lions, who are also last in NFL total defense (430.3 yards per game), rushing defense (207.7 yards per game), scoring defense (37.7 points per game), yards allowed per rush (5.6), and turnover margin (-5). In addition, Detroit is one of two teams that has yet to record an interception, along with the Cowboys, and is tied for last in the league in takeaways (1), along with the Giants.

The team's largely uncompetitive play prompted team owner William Clay Ford to fire longtime general manager Matt Millen on Sept. 24.

Millen had been in charge of the Lions since 2001, and during his tenure the team had produced an NFL-worst record of just 31-84.

That move alone doesn't figure to have an immediate impact, since head coach Rod Marinelli will have to finish out the rest of the campaign with a roster largely devised by Millen.

But if the Lions can manage to tap into some of the magic they found during a 6-2 first half of 2007, they could find themselves in the mix in a division without a standout team at this stage.

Beating the Bears will be job number one if Detroit wishes to save its season from the abyss.

SERIES HISTORY

Chicago leads the all-time series with Detroit, which dates back to the 1930 season, 87-64-5, but as mentioned, was swept in a home-and-home against the Lions last season. The Bears were 37-27 losers when the teams met at Ford Field in Week 4, and dropped a 16-7 decision at Soldier Field in Week 8. The Bears swept home-and-homes in both 2005 and 2006.

Smith is 4-4 against the Lions as a head coach, while Detroit's Marinelli is 2-2 against both Smith and the Bears as a head man. Smith and Marinelli both served as defensive coaches on Tony Dungy's staff with Tampa Bay from 1996 through 2000.

WHEN THE BEARS HAVE THE BALL

The Bears were able to down the Eagles last Sunday night despite a four- turnover game from quarterback Kyle Orton (766 passing yards, 5 TD), who has played to mixed reviews in his month as the team's starter. Orton has made some big plays and has an acceptable 78.0 passer rating, but has also been picked off four times and sacked 10 more. Complicating matters for the Purdue product this week is the questionable status of wideouts Brandon Lloyd (15 receptions, 1 TD) and Marty Booker (3 receptions, 1 TD), both of whom are nursing knee problems. If neither can go, Rashied Davis (9 receptions) and Devin Hester (5 receptions, 1 TD) would see most of the reps at wideout, with tight ends Greg Olsen (10 receptions, 1 TD) and Desmond Clark (7 receptions) contributing over the middle. Olsen and Hester both caught TD passes in the win over the Eagles. The Bears' most consistent offensive force has been running back Matt Forte' (347 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 2 TD), who leads all rookies in rushing yards and had 85 yards on 24 total touches versus the Eagles.

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