DETROIT – An embarrassing second-half performance sunk the Detroit Lions in their rematch with the last-place Chicago Bears.
There were unforced turnovers, costly penalties, and far too many unproductive possessions after halftime as the Lions watched their last chance to compete at the top of the NFC go up in smoke.
With the loss, Detroit falls to 9-4, and its lead in the division could drop to two games, depending on what happens with the Vikings and Packers.
Poor defensive start
The Bears know as well as anyone how the Lions have played on defense since the bye week, so they chose to receive the ball after winning the coin toss. That decision paid off, as Justin Fields marched the ball easily down the field for an opening touchdown.
Fields ran the ball four times for 28 yards on that drive, and wide receiver D.J. Moore took a direct snap 16 yards untouched for his first career rushing touchdown.
Alex Anzalone missed a key tackle that would have set up a second and long on the first series, Derrick Barnes lost contain on a read option, and nobody along the defensive line could get a hand on Fields.
The Lions picked up a first down on their opening drive, but a 15-yard tripping penalty on Graham Glasgow doomed them.
After a punt, the Bears took the ball from their own 9-yard line and drove right down the field for another score. The key play was a 3rd and 8 at Chicago’s 11-yard line. Anzalone and Aidan Hutchinson nearly got to Fields twice, but neither could bring him down. Instead, he ran for 19 yards to move the chains.
A few plays later, Fields converted another third down with a pass to Robert Tonyan. A defensive holding on Anzalone moved the chains anyway.
Anzalone picked up a 15-yard late hit penalty on the very next snap -- a 28-yard completion to Tonyan.
Detroit finally managed to get a third-down stop in the red zone, as Jalen Reeves-Maybin sacked Fields to force a 46-yard field goal.
Just like that, the Lions were down 10-0, with 112 yards allowed and 35 penalty yards enforced against them.
Mistakes doom another drive
The pressure fell on the offense to answer, and Jahmyr Gibbs was initially up to the task. He carried the ball for gains of 4 and 36 yards on the first two plays to get into Bears territory.
But then, the Lions didn’t notice that the game clock had one more second than the play clock, and they took a delay of game penalty right at the end of the first quarter. That knocked the offense off schedule and led to a 3rd and 10.
Jared Goff found Gibbs wide open in the flat to his right, and the rookie running back likely would have picked up the first down. But he dropped the ball, and on the ensuing 4th down play, Goff telegraphed a pass to Sam LaPorta and threw an easy interception.
Tide turns in 2nd quarter
The Bears were backed up on their own 12-yard line, but Fields hit Cole Kmet for a 41-yard gain across midfield on the very first snap of the next drive.
The Lions stuffed Fields a yard short of the sticks on a 3rd and 3, setting up a critical 4th and 1. Instead of sticking with Fields, the Bears did the Lions a favor and pitched the ball deep into the backfield to Moore, who got stuffed by Ifeatu Melifonwu at the 39-yard line.
David Montgomery picked up 23 total yards on three consecutive runs to start the drive, but a botched screen pass and a false start on Jonah Jackson set up a 3rd and 8. Amon-Ra St. Brown took a screen five yards to set up 4th and 3.
The pocket was closing in on Goff when he found Donovan Peoples-Jones deep across the middle for a 17-yard gain to move the chains. It was the first catch for Peoples-Jones since being acquired at the trade deadline
Gibbs got some redemption for the dropped pass, taking a 3rd and 1 pitch 12 yards for a touchdown.
Riley Patterson missed the extra point, but that couldn’t slow Detroit’s momentum. For the first time, the Bears went three-and-out thanks to a tackle by John Cominsky, a sack by Hutchinson, and a second-straight pressure by Hutchinson that forced an incomplete pass on 3rd and 18.
The offense took over at its own 47-yard line, and Gibbs, LaPorta, and Goff took it from there. Detroit marched 53 yards on 11 plays and scored on a Josh Reynolds 8-yard catch that left only 26 seconds on the clock.
As a result, the Lions took a 13-10 lead into halftime.
Another 3rd quarter collapse
Dan Campbell has repeatedly talked about wanting the Lions to be better in the third quarter, but their struggles continued on Sunday.
The offense had a chance to really take control of the game coming out of the break, but instead, it went three-and-out.
Chicago took over at its own 28-yard line put together a strong drive. The most important play was a 3rd and 8 on the edge of field goal range. Jerry Jacobs got beat by Moore for a first down, and then committed a pass interference penalty on the next snap.
But Kerby Joseph made a great play on Moore in the end zone and the Lions ultimately stopped the Bears on the 7-yard line. A field goal tied the game at 13.
Detroit’s second drive of the quarter was as uninspiring as the first: false start, dropped interception, poor pass by Goff, dump-off pass well short of the sticks.
Once again, the Lions couldn’t pick up a first down, and they were forced to punt. Despite a 51-yard boot by Jack Fox, the Lions allowed a 31-yard return all the way to near midfield.
Levi Onwuzurike came through with a big play to stop the bleeding, drawing a holding penalty on first down. Reeves-Maybin knocked down a pass on 3rd and 9 to force a punt.
But it didn’t matter. For the third time in a row, the Lions went three-and-out, going backwards a yard before punting the ball back to the Bears in their own territory.
The defense made a stand once again, forcing a 4th and 13, but then Hutchinson made one of the most unimaginable mistakes of the season.
Chicago was trying to draw the Lions offsides, and the ball clearly was not going to be snapped, but Hutchinson jumped across the line of scrimmage, giving Fields a free play. He hit a wide open Moore for a 38-yard touchdown that completely changed the game.
The extra point was blocked, but the Bears took a 19-13 lead when the game should have remained tied.
On the second play of the ensuing drive, Goff dropped a snap that hit him right in the hands, and the Bears took over at the 29. Five plays later, on the second play of the fourth quarter, the Bears made it 26-13 with a Fields touchdown scramble on 3rd and goal from the 11.
Lions go down quietly
From there, the game was all but over. The Lions went down without much of a fight.
The offense remained without a second-half first down, turning the ball over on downs with an incredibly slow developing run play on 4th and 1 that never had a chance.
Chicago got the ball on the 28 as a result and kicked a field goal to extend its lead to 28-13.
The Lions finally picked up a few first downs, but their last gasp fell short courtesy of a drop by St. Brown on 2nd and 10.
A chance to make the final score look more respectable ended with a Goff interception on 4th and 24 just before the two-minute warning.
What loss means
The NFC North race is far from over. The Lions missed an opportunity to decrease their magic number to 2 games, and the Vikings and Packers remain within striking distance.
It’s also costly to lose another divisional game, in case a tiebreaker comes into play.
The Broncos, Cowboys, and Vikings (twice) remain on the schedule, so the Lions are not facing an easy ride to the postseason.