DETROIT – Brian Urlacher finished dressing Sunday afternoon and made a beeline through a group of waiting reporters, saying nothing more than wishing Bears beat writers a pleasant trip back to Chicago.

As it turns out, the Bears’ charter back to O’Hare International Airport on Sunday evening would be the final team flight after their playoff hopes were deflated when Minnesota topped Green Bay to grab the NFC’s final playoff spot.

A 26-24 Bears win over the Lions at Ford Field kept the Bears’ postseason hopes alive – but only temporarily. As has become customary throughout a season that started with so much promise but that ended in disappointment for the fifth time in the past six years, defense again played a serious role.