Recap: Detroit Lions offense collapses in 28-13 loss to Chicago Bears
Detroit put up another poor showing against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon but were unable to pull off a last-minute comeback this time around, losing 28-13.
It was a struggle in nearly every phase of the game. The offense was shut out in the second half and the defense struggled to contain Justin Fields. Chicago's quarterback finished with 223 passing yards, 58 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns (one rushing, one passing) in the victory.
Detroit's turnover struggles reappeared after disappearing briefly against the Saints. Quarterback Jared Goff threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. He also notched just 161 passing yards and a touchdown. It wasn't just a bad afternoon for Goff, though. The offense totally collapsed in the second half, often failing to manage even a first down. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, two of Goff's favorite targets, combined for just five catches and 44 yards.
The rushing attack was effective at times, though. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery each notched 66 rushing yards, with the former tacking on a rushing touchdown.
Detroit still sits atop the NFC North with a 9-4 record. The Lions are back in action next Saturday, welcoming the Denver Broncos to Ford Field.
Bears ice victory
Drive starts: DET 25 (14:12 4th)
Goff throws a 2-yard pass and a -2-yard pass. Reynolds notches a 9-yard catch on third down to make it fourth-and-1. The Lions go for it, but Gibbs loses four yards and Bears take over just outside the red zone.
Drive starts: DET 30 (12:13 4th)
Fields makes a clutch third-down play on the first set of downs, connecting with Moore for eight yards. However, the drive quickly stalls out and the offense settles for a field goal.
Bears 28, Lions 13 (9:20 4th)
Drive starts: DET 25 (9:20 4th)
Montgomery gets four straight touches for a total of 34 yards, putting the offense into Chicago territory. Goff's pass is deflected for an incompletion on first and nearly intercepted on second down. Montgomery picks up the first down on a screen pass, slipping past a bevy of defenders for 10 yards.
Raymond grabs a 5-yard pass, but it's wiped off the board with a false start. Goff tosses an incompletion on second down and gets sacked on third down. Facing fourth-and-17, he can't quite connect with St. Brown and possession is turned over to the Bears.
Drive starts: CHI 38 (5:16 4th)
Foreman rushes for a couple yards and Fields throws an incompletion. There's holding on third down and the Bears hand it off to drain more time off the clock.
Drive starts: DET 25 (3:32 4th)
Goff kicks off a must-score drive with a 27-yard pass, but he's sacked for a loss of 10 yards on the next play. After an incompletion, he's sacked again to set up fourth-and-29. After a defensive holding call gives him a second chance, but Goff throws an interception.
Drive starts: CHI 38 (2:31 4th)
The Bears notch a first down and ice the game.
Bears capitalize on fumble, take 25-13 lead over Lions
Drive starts: DET 23 (1:31 3rd)
Detroit's drive ends in disaster. Goff fumbles on second down and the Bears take over deep in Lions territory.
Drive starts: DET 29 (1:00 3rd)
Fields throws a 4-yard pass on first and a 16-yard pass to Foreman, putting the offense inside the 10-yard line. An incompletion and an unsuccessful screen pass don't matter, because Fields takes off out of the backfield for a 11-yard rushing touchdown.
Bears capture lead heading into fourth quarter
Drive starts: DET 25 (8:38 3rd)
After a false start on first down backs up the offense, Goff throws a couple incompletions and it's a quick third-and-long. Gibbs collects 12 yards on a dump off and the Lions are forced to punt
Drive starts: CHI 48 (7:36 3rd)
A holding penalty on first down backs up the Bears offense after an impressive punt return. A 5-yard pass and a 6-yard dump off to Kmet makes it third-and-manageable, but Fields throws an incompletion to Moore and the Bears are forced to punt.
Drive starts: DET 17 (5:29 3rd)
It's a quick three-and-out for Detroit's offense. A couple of meager runs are capped off with an incompletion and the punting unit takes the field.
Drive starts: DET 48 (4:06 3rd)
Foreman earns a 7-yard rush on first down, followed up by an incompletion from Fields. Kmet comes down with a tough catch on first down, picking up eight yards for a first down.
Fields escapes pressure and tosses a -2-yard pass on first down. He takes off on a designed run on second down but gets crushed at the line of scrimmage. Fields takes another hit on third down, barely getting the ball out for an incompletion. The Bears go for it on fourth down and Fields finds a wide-open Moore in the endzone thanks in part to a free offsides play, taking the lead with a 38-yard touchdown reception.
Bears 19, Lions 13 (1:36 3rd)
Bears kick FG, tie game 13-13
Drive starts: DET 25 (15:00 3rd)
Goff throws an incompletion on first down and Montgomery gets four on second. Goff can't connect with Williams on third and the Lions punt it away.
Drive starts: CHI 28 (13:58 3rd)
Moore opens Chicago's first drive of the second half with a 4-yard rush and Fields connects with Mooney for 16 yards on the very next play, putting the offense near midfield. The Bears get another quick first down, thanks to a short rush and 11-yard pass. Fields tosses an incompletion and a 2-yard pass, but keeps the chains moving with a 13-yard sideline throw to Moore.
Just a couple plays later, Fields throws an 11-yard pass to Scott to put the offense inside the 10-yard line. A rush for no gain and an incompletion sets up third-and-goal for Chicago's offense, and Fields overthrows in the endzone and the offense settles for a field goal.
Lions 13, Bears 13 (8:38 3rd)
Detroit captures first lead of the afternoon
Drive starts: CHI 23 (6:59 2nd)
Detroit's defense finally steps up. After a 1-yard rush, Fields is sacked by Aiden Hutchinson and pressured into an incompletion on third down, forcing the Bears into a quick punt.
Drive starts: DET 47 (5:15 2nd)
A 4-yard rush from Gibbs and a 4-yard completion to Brock Wright sets up an early third down for Detroit's offense. Goff rips a pass in the middle of the field to LaPorta for a gain of 10 yards and a first. Gibbs gets another first down carry for four yards and Montgomery follows it up with a 2-yard rush. Gibbs rumbles ahead for three yards and the first down on third.
A couple of short rushes hands the offense yet another third down. Gibbs gets a screen pass and slips and spins his way for a first down. Goff throws a 5-yard pass to Kalif Raymond to put the offense inside the 10-yard line. Josh Reynolds caps off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown catch and the Lions capture their first lead of the afternoon.
Lions 13, Bears 10 (0:26 2nd)
Lions finally find endzone, trail 10-7
Drive starts: DET 25 (1:22 1st)
Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs takes a first-down carry for five yards and bursts through the defense on second, taking off for 36 yards.
A 5-yard completion is sandwiched by a pair of incompletions and Detroit's offense stalls out. The Lions go for it on fourth down, but Goff throws an interception and the Bears take over.
Drive starts: CHI 12(14:00 2nd)
Fields heaves a deep 41-yard pass to Kmet on first down and just like that, the Bears are at midfield. A couple of short-yardage rushes sets up third-and-2, but Fields gets just a yard and the Bears face a fourth-down. Detroit gets the stop on the fourth-down attempt and take over near midfield.
Drive starts: DET 38 (11:39 2nd)
Montgomery rushes for just a couple yards on first down, but bursts through the defense for a gain of 13 on second. The bell-cow back gets another first-down carry, this time rumbling ahead for eight yards. Goff throws an incompletion under pressure on second down, there's a false start and the Lions face third-and-8. Amon-Ra picks up the penalty yardage and Detroit goes for it facing fourth down. Goff connects with wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, who picks up 17 yards and keeps the offense moving.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams gets a 4-yard end around to put the offense in the redzone and Amon-Ra picks up five on second, putting the Lions in another third down situation. Goff flips it to Gibbs, who races past a few defenders for a 12-yard touchdown. Kicker Riley Patterson misses the extra point.
Bears 10, Lions 7 (6:59 2nd)
The Bears can't do much with such little time on the board and head to the locker room with a three-point deficit.
Chicago adds FG
Drive starts: DET 25 (10:17 1st)
Running back David Montgomery notches a 5-yard rush to open Detroit's first drive of the afternoon. He gets another carry on second, this time earning just a couple yards to set up third-and-3.
Quarterback Jared Goff throws a 13-yard dart to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta to keep the drive alive, putting the offense at midfield. After a 4-yard catch from Montgomery, a tripping penalty on second down backs the offense up 15 yards to make it second-and-long. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown grabs a pass and rushes ahead for a gain of 11 yards, but Goff is sacked on third-and-10 and the Lions punt it away.
Drive starts: CHI 9 (6:34 1st)
A 2-yard gain and an incompletion sets up third-and-long. Detroit's pass rush nearly gets home, but Fields scampers out of a few tackles and races through the middle of the defense for a gain of 19 yards. The Bears face another third down on the next set of downs, but a holding call on the defense hands the home team yet another first down.
Mooney snags a 28-yard catch on the very next play and an unnecessary roughing penalty on the Lions tacks on an additional 15.
Inside the redzone, Foreman rushes for just a yard and Fields throws an incompletion and it's yet another third down situation for the defense. The pass rush finally corrals the mobile quarterback, courtesy of Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Chicago settles for a field goal.
Bears 10, Lions 0 (1:22 1st)
Bears score on first drive of the afternoon
Drive starts: CHI 31 (14:54 1st)
Quarterback Justin Fields notches 1-yard carry on first down, followed up by a 6-yard dump off to make it third-and-3. Fields drops back to pass and scrambles ahead for a gain of 13 yards and a first down. Tight end Cole Kmet notches a 6-yard catch to open up the next set up downs and running back D'Onta Foreman gets the first down with a 13-yard rush.
Fields takes a first-down carry for 11 yards to put the Bears inside the red zone. He takes off again on the next play, scrambling out of the pocket for a gain of three yards.
Wide receiver DJ Moore takes a direct snap and rushes along the left edge for a 16-yard touchdown, giving the Bears an early 7-0 lead.
Bears 7, Lions 0 (10:17 1st)
Pregame
The Lions are on the road again this Sunday, traveling to Chicago to take on the NFC North rival Bears for the second time in a month.
It was a tight win for the Lions when the two teams faced off just a few weeks ago. Down double digits late in the fourth quarter, it took a thrilling comeback in the final few minutes for Detroit to come way with a 31-26 victory.
The Lions are 1-1 since that win, losing to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving and dispatching the New Orleans Saints last Sunday. The Bears are 1-0 since the loss at Ford Field, notching a gritty 12-10 road win over the Minnesota Vikings.
While Detroit still sits atop the North with a 9-3 record, the past few weeks have featured some shaky play on both sides of the ball. However, last week's win over the Saints saw Detroit fix its turnover-prone ways on offense. After throwing three picks and losing three fumbles in the two weeks prior, quarterback Jared Goff had a clean game in New Orleans. He finished with 213 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta was perhaps the brightest spot in the win. He put up a monster performance, notching 140 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The defense has still shown some causes for concern, though. Down 21-0 halfway through the first quarter, the Saints came storming back to within three points in the third, thanks in part to an offense that couldn't seem to get off the field at times. To make matters worse, defensive tackle Alim McNiell was placed on injured reserve this week. The key member of the defensive line will miss at least four games.
More:Lions activate three little-used defensive tackles vs. Bears; scratch Harris
Follow along for live updates from Detroit News contributor Alex Faber.
Lions at Bears
▶ Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Soldier Field, Chicago
▶ TV/radio: Fox/97.1 FM
▶ Records: Lions are 9-3, Bears are 4-8
▶ Line: Lions by 4