The Lions won a football game this past Sunday for the first time since Week 16 of the 2007 season, and while there is renewed optimisim in the Motor City, the Bears are still clearly a better team at this point.

Chicago is dealing with injuries on both sides of the ball that have made depth a mild concern, specifically Desmond Clark at tight end and Pisa Tinoisamoa at linebacker. Clark injured his rib in Week 1 at Green Bay after twisting and turning to catch a pass down the middle from Jay Cutler. Tinoisamoa also came up lame against the Packers, spraining his knee on the first series of the game.

Both Clark and Tinoisamoa play pivotal roles, but even though the Midway Monsters want to get to 3-1 before their bye in Week 5, now is not the time to rush either one of them back into action.

Clark is not even the starting tight end anymore, with former first-round draft pick Greg Olsen elevated to the top of the depth chart. However, the Bears do employ as many two-tight end looks as any team in the league, which allowed second-year pro Kellen Davis to catch 5 passes for 38 yards and his first NFL touchdown in Week 2 against the Super Bowl champion Steelers. Davis was quiet in Week 3 at Seattle, but he and Michael Gaines – himself a former Lion – are capable of holding down the fort for another game.

The situation is much more dire at linebacker, where Brian Urlacher is lost for the season on injured reserve, Tinoisamoa has hardly played and Hunter Hillenmeyer got banged up against the Seahawks. But with Lance Briggs – fresh off NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors – playing the best football of his career and youngsters Nick Roach and Jamar Williams talented enough to start for a lot of teams, Tinoisamoa has already ruled himself out for the Detroit game. Since the bye will afford him seven extra days to get ready, expect Tinoisamoa to return to the lineup in Week 6 at Atlanta.

Lovie Smith and Co. have no excuses if they come up short against their rebuilding division rivals, but if they do happen to lay an egg Sunday at Soldier Field, chances are Clark and Tinoisamoa wouldn't have made any difference.