Wondering about a player, a past game or another issue involving the Bears? Senior writer Larry Mayer answers a variety of email questions from fans on ChicagoBears.com.
When was the last time the Bears scored 32 points in a game and lost?
Phillip G.
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Before Sunday, the Bears had won 30 straight regular-season games when scoring 32 or more points. The last time they lost was on Nov. 5, 1995 when they were beaten by the Steelers 37-34 in overtime at Soldier Field. The last time the Bears lost in regulation time when scoring at least 32 points was on Oct. 8, 1989 when they were defeated by the Buccaneers 42-35 in Tampa.
I was surprised that the Bears played defensive tackle Landon Cohen Sunday in Detroit and de-activated rookie Zach Minter. Why was that decision made?
Greg D.
Evanston, Illinois
The Bears chose to play Landon Cohen over Zach Minter because of Cohen's experience. He has appeared in 27 games with five starts in five NFL seasons with the Lions (2008-09), Jaguars (2010), Patriots (2010-11) and Cowboys (2013), recording 32 tackles. The 6-3, 300-pounder has also spent time with the Seahawks, Cardinals and Eagles. Cohen played for Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker with the Jaguars and was part of a similar scheme under Rod Marinelli with the Lions and Cowboys. This season Cohen played in the first two games for Dallas, recording one tackle. Said Bears coach Marc Trestman: "We felt he could give us more on game day than Zach could. I don't know how many reps he had, but he was fairly active in there when he was in there."
I noticed that the Bears used tackle Eben Britton as an extra offensive lineman on several plays against the Lions. Was that just to try to counter Detroit's defensive line?
Paul G.
Akron, Ohio
The Bears employed Eben Britton as an extra lineman at times against the Lions for two reasons: to provide an another big body in the run game and to take some of the outside pass protection responsibilities away from tight end Martellus Bennett because Bennett has been bothered by a sore shoulder. Said coach Marc Trestman: "Part of it was we were trying to take a little bit of the load off of Martellus' shoulder and move him outside-they have great pass rushers outside-and I thought Eben did a more than sufficient job in taking care of the outside lanes. That's part of the reason why we did it, and we added to the running game."
