Jared Goff, Lions struggle in loss to Bears; what went wrong for Detroit’s offense
The Chicago Bears are now winners of three of their last four games after defeating the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions 28-13 on Sunday. Bears quarterback Justin Fields finished 19-of-33 passing for 223 yards and a touchdown as well as an 18-yard rushing score. Chicago receiver D.J. Moore also had a huge performance, hauling in six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown as well as a 16-yard touchdown on the ground.
But the story of the day was the Bears’ defense. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff struggled mightily, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble on a poor snap. He was 20-of-35 passing for 161 yards, one touchdown and those turnovers. Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown only had three catches for 21 yards.
The Bears improved to 5-8 on the season while the Lions dropped to 9-4.
This will be updated.
How the Bears scored the upset
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Matt Eberflus got his signature win as Bears coach. His team won consecutive games for the first time in his two years and also beat the Lions for the time. His defense dominated. There was no letdown from his group. There was no amazing comeback for the Lions in their second matchup. Instead, defensive end Montez Sweat, defensive tackle Justin Jones, linebacker T.J. Edwards and others shut down Detroit for the entire second half.
The Lions’ 13 points scored were their second lowest point total of the season. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds made interceptions and Edwards recovered a fumble. Safety Jaquan Brisker finished with 17 combined tackles and the Bears sacked Goff four times. — Adam Jahns, Bears beat writer
Moore continues to shine
Moore had the 16-yard touchdown run to open the game, but he had no other targets in the first half. It was a different story after halftime, as Moore had six catches for 68 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown on fourth down and a crucial third-down catch later in the game. The impact he’s had on Fields and the offense is immense, and he proved to be the gotta-have-it playmaker on Sunday — as he has all season — that the Bears have lacked in recent years. —Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer
Fields impresses
Caleb Williams? Drake Maye? How about keeping Justin Fields? The Bears quarterback ran for 58 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Fields also was 19-for-33 passing for 223 yards and one touchdown for a 88.3 passer rating. It wasn’t a perfect game for him but he was definitely the best player in it.
The Bears don’t dominate the NFC-North leading Lions without him. They have a major decision to make after the season since they’ll likely have the first pick in the NFL Draft courtesy of the Carolina Panthers. But if Fields plays like he did Sunday, then the best course of action could be keeping him and building around him. — Jahns
What went wrong for Detroit
That was a disaster of a game for the Lions. Their high-powered offense fell flat against the Bears, turning it over three times and twice more on downs. There was no offensive flow or rhythm, as the Lions didn’t score a point in the second half and totaled just 13 for the game. A reeling and shorthanded defense struggled to overcome turnovers and couldn’t always get off the field when it needed to. But if this is what we can come to expect from Detroit’s offense, the Lions are in trouble.
The Lions are not playing their best football in December. That much is clear at the moment. They’ve lost two out of three, and it would’ve been three out of four if not for a miraculous comeback against these same Bears last month. They weren’t as lucky this afternoon. This effort is not good enough. Not for the playoffs, and not for the regular season either, apparently. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer
