CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Dick Jauron's job is on the line and his Chicago Bears played with a sense of urgency.
Chris Chandler passed for 207 yards and a score and Jerry Azumah returned the opening kickoff of the second half 89 yards for a touchdown to lead the Bears to a 24-16 victory over the Detroit Lions in a battle of struggling NFC North rivals.
Jauron was named Coach of the Year after leading the Bears (2-5) to a 13-3 record and a division title in 2001. Since then, they had gone just 5-17 before Sunday, placing Jauron's job in peril.
"I think every game is a must win," said Bears star linebacker Brian Urlacher. "If we want to get to where we want to be, we have to win the rest of our games."
The loss was the sixth straight for the Lions (1-6) after a season-opening win over Arizona. They have lost 14 of their last 15 overall.
New Lions coach Steve Mariucci has the security of a five-year, $25 million contract. Not much is expected from Detroit, which won a total of five games over the last two seasons under Marty Mornhinweg. But Lions management would like Mariucci to put a halt to a road losing streak that has now reached 20 games.
Mariucci inherited Detroit's 16-game road losing streak and extended it to 20 with losses at Green Bay, Denver, San Francisco and Chicago.
Detroit's road schedule doesn't get any easier from here, with trips to Seattle, Minnesota, Kansas City and Carolina - all of which are first-place teams.
"We need to play with the people we have," Mariucci said. "We need to develop their skills on a daily basis and put them in a position to succeed. We need to develop their confidence."
Chandler, a 16-year veteran, Azumah and three rookies - cornerback Charles Tillman, receiver Justin Gage and running back Brock Forsey - played a prominent role in Chicago's second win in three games at newly-renovated Soldier Field.
"We had guys step up today," said Chandler, who started his second straight game for the injured Kordell Stewart and completed 20-of-31 passes. "We've had to deal with a lot of injuries, but it's getting better."
Tillman, a second-round pick from Louisiana-Lafayette, set up the Bears' first touchdown with a 32-yard interception return to the Detroit 24. Fellow rookie Michael Haynes, a first-round pick, hit Lions quarterback Joey Harrington as he threw and Tillman stepped in front of Az-Zahir Hakim for the interception.
Three plays later, Chandler hit Gage, a fifth-round pick out of Missouri, with a 21-yard touchdown with 7:22 left in the second quarter.
Gage also caught a 37-yard pass to set up a 37-yard field goal by Paul Edinger on the last play of the first half, giving the Bears a 10-0 lead at the break. Gage used his 6-4 frame to wrestle the ball from veteran cornerback Otis Smith.
Azumah started the second half with Chicago's first kick return for a touchdown since Glyn Milburn scored on a 94-yard return against Green Bay on December 13, 1989.
"Zoom's kickoff return was unbelievable," Jauron said. "To see it finally go the distance was great. It was blocked well, but he (Azumah) had to make a number of guys miss."
Azumah also had an interception
Forsey, a sixth-round pick out of Boise State who was playing because starter Anthony Thomas and backup Adrian Peterson are both nursing injuries, scored on an eight-yard run with 5:23 left in the third quarter to increase the lead to 24-0. Forsey finished with 56 yards on 19 carries.
"Those guys we talked about a lot," Jauron said of his rookies. "Justin has made a terrific jump. He's a fine player and we have great expectations for all of them."
The Lions staged a late rally as Mariucci stuck with Harrington, who was 23-of-40 for 180 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
Reggie Swinton started the comeback with a 96-yard kick return for a touchdown after Forsey's score and Joey Harrington connected with Hakim on the two-point conversion.
Harrington's three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mikhael Ricks and two-point conversion toss to Scotty Anderson pulled the Lions within 24-16 with 53 seconds left in the game.
Detroit appeared to recover the ensuing onsides kick. But after a review, officials ruled Lions receiver Bill Schroeder touched the ball early and gave Chicago possession.
"If you want to feel sorry for us, nobody else does," said Lions defensive back Jimmy Wyrick. "I don't know what that accomplishes to say we don't have enough this or enough that. The game is still going to be played every Sunday."
