Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game highlights from 31-26 instant classic

The Detroit Lions overcame a 12-point deficit in the final two minutes to defeat the Chicago Bears 31-26 for the franchise's first 8-2 start since John F. Kennedy was President.

The Bears fell to 3-8 on the year with the loss despite a strong performance by starting quarterback Justin Fields in his return from injury.

The game kicked off at 1 p.m. from Ford Field. It was televised on Fox and livestreamed on Fubo. The Lions were 7½-point home favorites and failed to cover the gambling line.

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Lions vs. Bears game recap

Final: Lions complete 12-point comeback to defeat Bears 31-26

Aidan Hutchinson put an exclamation mark on the comeback with a strip sack of Justin Fields that eventually led to a safety after Hutchinson forced Darnell Wright to kick the ball out of the back of the end zone. It was the finishing touch of a 17-point five minute stretch to complete the comeback.

The comeback moved Detroit to 8-2 for the first time since 1962. The Lions had to overcome three Jared Goff interceptions and four turnovers total to secure the victory. Goff finished 23-of-35 for 236 yards, two touchdowns and three giveaways. David Montgomery led the way with 76 yards on 12 carries in addition to his walk-off touchdown, and Jahmyr Gibbs added 95 total yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown finished eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The Lions defense struggled to contain Justin Fields in his return but came up with massive stops at key moments to help facilitate the comeback. Cam Sutton and Aidan Hutchinson both forced fumbles that directly led to points and the Lions defense forced an immediate three-and-out in the final minutes to facilitate the two-touchdown comeback.

0:29, fourth quarter: David Montgomery scores go-ahead TD against former team, Lions lead 29-26

David Montgomery may have the walk-off touchdown against his former team to complete a 12-point comeback in the final five minutes. On 1st-and-goal from the two and no timeouts remaining, Detroit trusted Montgomery and the offensive line to push through the Bears' front for the go-ahead touchdown. Detroit's defense forced a three-and-out that only took 15 seconds off the clock, giving the offense 2:30 to complete the comeback. Jared Goff shook off the three interceptions to deliver another perfect two minute drive. It started with back-to-back 12-yard gains by Montgomery, followed by a pair of completions to Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta. Montgomery took back over for two plays that went 10 yards then Amon-Ra St. Brown to get inside the Bears' 10-yard line. Gibbs ran down to the two, before Montgomery finished it off to complete the crazy comeback.

2:59, fourth quarter: Jameson Williams scores on 32-yard shot, Bears lead 26-21

Hello, Jameson Williams!

Williams came up with his second catch at the most crucial moment of the game with the Lions desperately needing a touchdown to try to salvage the game. He ran a deep flag route and found a gap of open space between the safety and cornerback to get open. Goff fired the ball to the wide-open Williams in the corner of the end zone and he twisted to haul in his second touchdown of 2023. The six-play drive took just over a minute, preserving the Lions' chances at making the improbable comeback.

4:15, fourth quarter: Cairo Santos hits 4th FG, Bears lead 26-14

The Lions did nothing on its next drive and had to punt after three plays. The Bears answered with a 14-play drive that took 8:45 off the clock and ended with another Cairo Santos field goal, this time from 39 yards. Chicago did not complete a pass on the drive but ran all over Detroit's defense to slowly move down the field. Detroit had yet another chance to get off the field on third-and-long but surrendered a 29-yard scramble to Justin Fields to extend the drive. Fields is up to 104 rushing yards on 18 carries to go along with 169 passing yards.

14:12, fourth quarter: Bears add FG, extend lead to 23-14

The Bears picked up 20 yards following the turnover but had to settle for another field goal to extend the lead. Cairo Santos hit the 40-yard kick to move to 3-for-3 on the day and extend the lead to two possessions.

2:25, third quarter: Jared Goff throws third interception

Jared Goff will want to burn any tape existing of this game once it ends. Desperately needing a big drive to change momentum, the Lions instead gifted the ball back to the Bears for the fourth time today. Goff tried to fit the ball in a tight window between Bears linebackers, but Tremaine Edmunds stepped in front for the easy takeaway. He returned the ball to the Detroit 43-yard line to set up Chicago to build on its lead.

4:41, third quarter: Justin Fields finds D.J. Moore for deep TD, Bears lead 20-14

The turnovers finally proved to be costly for the Lions. On 2nd-and-21 following a holding penalty, Fields climbed the pocket and delivered a strike to D.J. Moore, who beat Jerry Jacobs over the top, for a 39-yard touchdown.

6:32, third quarter: Craig Reynolds fumbles ensuing kickoff, Bears recover

Detroit's offense didn't get a chance to take the field before the team turned it over for the third time today. On the kickoff following the field goal, Craig Reynolds brought the kickoff out of the end zone, made it past the 25 but coughed it up after taking a big hit from Tyrique Stevenson. The ball dropped to the turf and the Bears fell on it to take over at the Detroit 40 with a chance to retake the lead. Reynolds stayed on the ground with the injury and walked off the field slowly with trainers.

6:41, third quarter: Bears hit FG, cut Lions lead to 14-13

The Lions couldn't do anything on its first drive of the second half and had to punt back to Chicago instead of adding to the lead. The Bears put together another long drive, this time 10 plays spanning over six minutes, to reach the Detroit 35-yard line for a 52-yard field goal by Cairo Santos. The Lions nearly got off the field earlier after forcing an incompletion on third down, but an illegal contact penalty on Brian Branch extended the drive. Branch also delivered a massive tackle for loss after splitting through the line on a pitch play.

Halftime: Amon-Ra St. Brown scores last-second TD, Lions take 14-10 lead into locker room

Amon-Ra St. Brown came up with a massive play at the perfect time for the Lions to take a four-point lead into the locker room after a sloppy half by Detroit. Jared Goff shook off the litany of mistakes early to deliver a perfect two-minute drive where he heavily targeted St. Brown over the middle and Jahmyr Gibbs on the edge of the field. With 11 seconds left in the half on 3rd-and-goal, Goff fired a low dart towards St. Brown, who was double covered, at the front of the end zone and the star wide receiver dropped to his stomach to scoop the ball before it hit the turf for the touchdown.

It wasn't a pretty 30 minutes by the Lions by most measures, but the offense and defense came up with timely plays to overcome the early deficit. The defense came up with back-to-back big stops after a pair of Goff interceptions on the first two drives of the game. The offense shook off the early woes to score touchdowns on the last two possessions of the half. Goff is 11-of-17 for 107 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. St. Brown has six receptions for 53 yards, Gibbs has 49 total yards and David Montgomery has rushed for 21 yards.

The defense looks better than last week and came up with Detroit's biggest play so far when Cam Sutton forced a fumble to flip the momentum of the game. But the unit has struggled to keep contain on Justin Fields. The Bears quarterback is 11-of-16 for 103 yards but has frequently extended drives with his legs — he is up to 43 yards rushing on 10 carries.

1:47, second quarter: Bears retake 10-7 lead on short FG

Justin Fields continues to cause problems for Detroit and led the Bears on another long drive, this time ending in a field goal. The Bears ran 15 plays and slowly worked the ball up the field on runs up the middle, Fields scrambles and short completions. The Lions nearly got off the field near midfield, but D.J. Moore made an impressive play to break an ankle tackle and carry two defenders past the sticks for a first down on 3rd-and-12 to keep the drive alive. The first down effort gave the Bears a red zone opportunity, but the Lions stood strong the next three plays to force a field goal. Cairo Santos hit the short 31-yard kick to give Chicago the lead again.

9:23, second quarter: Jahmyr Gibbs scores on pitch, tie game at 7

Ben Johnson's creativity shined in the red zone to help create the Lions first score of the game after the turnover. After picking up a key first down on an Amon-Ra St. Brown inside pitch play, he followed it up with a misdirection pitch to Jahmyr Gibbs who outran the Bears defenders to the pylon for a two-yard touchdown. The entire offensive line slanted right to fake blocking for linebacker turned fullback Malcolm Rodriguez in motion, but Goff flipped the ball the other way to Gibbs, who beat two unblocked defenders in the sprint to the end zone. The Lions were lucky to not have a third interception in as many possessions, as Jaylon Johnson dropped a would-be pick-6 on the goal line the play before the Gibbs touchdown.

Gibbs has now scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games, tied for the longest streak for a Lions rookie in franchise history along with Barry Sanders in 1989 and Kevin Jones in 2004.

13:18, second quarter: Cam Sutton responds with forced fumble, Alex Anzalone recovers

The Lions defense came up with another big stop after the interception, this time it came in the form of a turnover. On 2nd-and-17, Justin Fields hit rookie Tyler Scott on an out route, and as he turned upfield, Sutton delivered a devastating hit to jar the ball free. The ball shuffled on the ground between Bears and Lions players before Alex Anzalone finally corralled it in front of the sideline. The Lions took over at the Bears' 34-yard line.

14:30, second quarter: Jared Goff intercepted again in Bears territory

Jared Goff is having a bad start today. Detroit got the ball back after a clutch stop from the defense just outside of field goal range following the first turnover, but gave the ball right back on another Goff interception. The Lions were at the Bears' 35-yard line following a long pass interference penalty, but Goff threw the ball to the wrong team on the next play. After scanning the field, Goff tried to fit a pass in a tight window to Donovan Peoples-Jones, but T.J. Edwards, who was in zone right next to the receiver, stepped in front of the pass for the turnover.

6:14, first quarter: Jared Goff intercepted by Tyrique Stevenson

The slow start got worse for Detroit on their first drive. Jared Goff missed Sam LaPorta, who was bumped off his route, on an in-breaking route while under pressure and threw the ball to Bears rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who recorded his first NFL interception. The Lions had a decent rhythm going before the turnover, picking up two first downs, but the interception wiped that away. The Bears took over at its own 45.

9:23, first quarter: D'Onta Foreman scores on opening drive, Bears lead 7-0

Justin Fields looks healthy and ready to play today. The Bears sliced right through the Detroit defense on its opening drive for an easy 10-play, 75-yard opening touchdown drive. D'Onta Foreman, who torched the Lions as a Panther last year, finished the drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone after a Will Harris pass interference penalty. The Lions could not provide any resistance and didn't even reach a third down on the possession. Fields was 3-of-4 for 38 yards and chipped in 28 rushing yards on three carries and generated five plays of 10+ yards.

Pregame notes

The Lions have won six straight division games dating back to last year, including a pair of wins over the Bears. Detroit is aware of the talent the Bears possess despite the record and are preparing to avoid a letdown at home.

The defense is looking to bounce back after being gashed by Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen last week. The Lions still boast a top-10 run defense but have struggled to slow down the passing game and generate a consistent pass rush. This week should be a more favorable matchup against a Bears offense which ranks near the bottom of the league in passing (187.7 yards per game) but ranks fifth in rushing (135.1 yards per game).

The return of Fields adds another compelling wrinkle to the game. The former first-round pick has struggled at times but possesses the home run ability to score a long rushing touchdown at any time, like he did against the Lions in the first matchup last year. The Bears also return starting running back Khalil Herbert (ankle) from injured reserve.

The Lions’ offense, one of the best in the NFL, comes into another favorable matchup ranking second in total offense (406.4 yards per game) and sixth in points (26.8 points per game). The Bears defense is second in the league in rushing yards allowed, but has struggled against the pass and ranks in the bottom 10 in points allowed (25.5 per game). Chicago acquired and extended stout pass rusher Montez Sweat (6½ sacks this season) at the trade deadline from Washington.

It will be the first chance for David Montgomery to play against his former team. The Bears drafted him in the third round in 2019, but he left on a three-year contract with the Lions in the offseason. He is coming off a strong performance featuring a Barry Sanders-esque 75-yard touchdown run in a game that showed the true strength of Detroit’s two-headed backfield with him and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Lions injury report

The running game benefitted from a fully healthy offensive line but will have to navigate another injury up front. Left guard Jonah Jackson is out again with a wrist injury. Run-stuffing defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs is also out after missing all week with an illness. Receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is active for his first game since being acquired at the trade deadline from Cleveland.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears score, game highlights and recap