Week 14: Chicago Bears close out Detroit Lions 28-13 weeks after blowing lead vs. NFC North-leading rival on road
The scenario was familiar Sunday at Soldier Field: a 12-point Chicago Bears lead in the fourth quarter against the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions.
Three weeks earlier, in the Nov. 19 game at Ford Field, the Bears let the same lead slip away in a loss.
This time, the Bears finished, pulling off a 28-13 victory for their first two-game winning streak since late in the 2021 season.
The Bears defense got three takeaways against Lions quarterback Jared Goff and came up with some major second-half stops, including three sacks in a span of six plays in two late fourth-quarter drives. Goff completed 20 of 35 passes for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Meanwhile, in his first start at Soldier Field since Oct. 15, Bears quarterback Justin Fields completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries.
The momentum-changing play came on fourth-and-13 at the Lions 38-yard line with 1 minute, 42 seconds to play in the third quarter.
Fields found DJ Moore for a 38-yard touchdown pass and a 19-13 lead after the extra point was blocked. Moore got behind Lions cornerback Jerry Jacobs and caught the ball near the 5-yard line before cruising in. The touchdown came on a free play after Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was flagged for a defensive offside penalty before the pass unfolded.
On the Lions’ ensuing drive, Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards recovered a fumbled snap between Graham Glasgow and Jared Goff. The Bears took over at the Lions’ 29-yard line. It was the Bears’ second takeaway after cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s first-half interception. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds also had a late interception to help seal the win.
Five plays after the fumble recovery, Fields scrambled for an 11-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion pass failed, and the Bears led 25-13. (The Bears had led 26-14 in the first game in Detroit.)
But the Bears lengthened the lead instead of letting the Lions climb back into the game.
On fourth-and-1 on the Lions’ next drive, the Bears stopped running back Jahmyr Gibbs for minus-4 yards, giving the Bears the ball at the Lions 30. Bears kicker Cairo Santos made a 28-yard field goal to put the Bears up 28-13.
Santos also made a 25-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to tie the game after the Lions led 13-10 at halftime.
Here’s how the game unfolded.
Inactives announced
Bears wide receivers Velus Jones Jr. and Tyler Scott are both active for Sunday’s game against the Lions after they were listed as questionable Friday.
Jones missed practice Friday with an illness and Scott was limited in practice with hamstring tightness.
Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue also will play after he dealt with a knee issue during the week.
The Bears previously declared out wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, who has a pectoral injury. Safety Quindell Johnson, offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, wide receiver Collin Johnson and defensive end Dominique Robinson are also inactive. Quarterback Nathan Peterman is inactive and will serve as the emergency third quarterback.
For the Lions, center Frank Ragnow was previously declared out because of injuries. Cornerbacks Steven Gilmore and Chase Lucas, wide receiver Antoine Green and linebackers Charles Harris and Trevor Nowaske are also inactive.
Halftime: Lions 13, Bears 10
Lions quarterback Jared Goff led a 53-yard touchdown drive over five minutes near the end of the first half to give the Lions a 13-10 lead against the Bears at halftime.
Goff hit wide receiver Josh Reynolds for an 8-yard touchdown pass to cap the drive, which included three third-down conversions. The Lions took the lead after trailing 10-0 in the second quarter.
Goff completed 12 of 16 passes for 93 yards in the half, and Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 65 yards on seven carries.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields, making his first home start since Oct. 15, completed 4 of 8 passes for 81 yards and had seven carries for 50 yards. He was sacked three times for a loss of 29 yards.
Bears wide receiver DJ Moore scored on a 16-yard touchdown run on the opening drive to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. Moore took the direct snap, faked a handoff to Fields, cut toward the left sideline and ran it in for the score. The 69-yard drive included four Fields carries for 28 yards.
Bears kicker Cairo Santos pushed the Bears lead to 10-0 when he made a 46-yard field goal with 1:22 to play in the first quarter.
The drive included Fields’ 28-yard pass to Darnell Mooney and a flag for unnecessary roughness on linebacker Alex Anzalone after he pushed Mooney when he already was out of bounds. That brought the Bears to the Lions 16-yard line.
But D’Onta Foreman ran for 1 yard, Fields threw the ball away on second down and Jalen Reeves-Maybin sacked Fields for a loss of 13 yards on third down.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson got his fourth interception of the season on Goff’s pass to Sam LaPorta early in the second quarter. The Bears followed with Fields’ 41-yard pass to Cole Kmet. But the offense stalled from there, with Moore getting stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Lions 38.
The Lions got on the board midway through the second quarter when Gibbs scored on a 12-yard run. Kicker Riley Patterson missed the extra point, and the Bears held a 10-6 lead.
Justin Fields ‘focused on what I can control’ with Bears future
Justin Fields didn’t feel the need to debate whether the speculation about his Bears future is fair.
He has been around Chicago long enough to know the noise comes with the territory, even as it heads toward a fever pitch this month. With five games to play in the NFL season, the Bears have major decisions ahead, and many involve the quarterback position as Fields nears the end of his third season. Read the full story here.
Start over? Stay the course? Bears GM Ryan Poles is nearing a series of landmark decisions.
Will the Bears draft a QB in 2024? What to know about top prospects Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
‘You can tell these shoes really mean a lot to people’
When Sneakerhead University first opened its doors on State Street in fall 2022, co-founders Shay Belvin and Mykol Branch had one room with three tables, a bucket of 12 paints and a desire to preserve sneaker history and tell stories using sneakers.
A little more than a year after its modest opening, The SHU Experience led more than 100 members of the Bears organization in customizing Nike Air Force Ones as part of the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats initiative.
It’s the eighth year NFL players have an opportunity to participate in the campaign, which allows them to design and wear custom cleats that support a charitable organization of their choice. But for the first time, everyone associated with the Bears was invited to participate. Read the full story here.
Mooney is ‘forgotten piece’ for Bears
One way for the Bears to get more out of their passing game, which has been more productive this season with the arrival of DJ Moore, will be to get Darnell Mooney more involved over the final five games.
Mooney has mostly been ignored in the passing game, a fact overshadowed to a large degree by the performance of Moore, who has 70 receptions for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns, putting him on pace to join Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery among one of the best seasons in franchise history. Read the full story here.
Bears rookie report
A look at how the 10 Bears 2023 draft picks — and one key undrafted rookie — have fared through 12 games. Read the full story here.
Bears stadium update
The Bears continue to check out a variety of sites in and around Chicago — including the site of Soldier Field — as potential homes for a new stadium, officials said Wednesday.
The Bears are doing due diligence on the viability of the south parking lot at Soldier Field as the location for their next stadium, according to unnamed sources cited by The Parkins & Spiegel Show on WSCR-AM 670 The Score.
The parking area south of Soldier Field includes a garage and a ground-level lot. The area is party central for tailgating fans. The area once was recommended by a mayoral task force as the site of the proposed Lucas Museum. Read the full story here.
