Bears and Lions Live Blog

Analysis and reporting from the game at Soldier Field between the Bears and NFC North-leading Lions.

Fourth Quarter

• Game, set and match, Foreman around right end for the first down. Bears win and have a winning streak for Matt Eberflus, the first one since before the final game of 2021.

• Goff's passer rating is 54.6. He's 20 of 35 for 161 yards. The second half has been a total nightmare for the Lions offense courtesy of the Monsters of the Midway.

• A run off tackle for 5 and more importantly TWO-MINUTE WARNIN!!!!
• Tremaine Edmunds wisely goes down to the turf after an interception. Smarter still would have been dropping the pick. It was fourth down. Bears have it at their own 38.

• Rasheem Green was offsides on an incompletion and that means they get another shot at Goff.

• Justin Jones with the sack this time and Lions use their last timeout with 2:44 remaining. After a 9-yard loss, it's fourth-and-29.
• Goff looking at third-and-20 at his own 42 affter short incompletion.
• Not this time. Sweat reaches out and drags down Goff for a sack. Lions use their second timeout and complain about horsecollaring.

• First pass and Goff has them in Bears territory already on 27-yard completion.s

• Detroit return on punt sets it at their 25 with 3:32 left.

4:00

• Finally some brains. They run up the middle and keep the clock running as they line up to punt. 
• Fields scrambles and doesn't get it and the Lions face a big decision to take a holding penalty on Darnell Wright or get back the ball. They took the penalty????
• Fields on second down has Moore wide open deep in the secondary crossing on play-action and overthrows him by 5 feet.

5:16

• Incompletion at the sticks on Goff underthrow. Bears own the ball and a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter.
• On third-down after an incompletion on second down, Sweat and Gervon Dexter with the sack and it's fourth-and-17 at the Bears 38.

• Lions taking their time but they're at the 26, then commit a false start. Kindle Vildor out with cramps and questionable to return.  A crowd of 62,185. Announced crowd. Nowhere near that actually.

• Third-and-10 at Bears 41 and Montgomery takes a screen for a first down at the Bears 31.

• Sweat gets through and nearly bats down a hurried throw to LaPorta. Then a deflected pass nearly picked in a crowd over the middle.
• Again Montgomery smashes through the middle for a big gain, this one to the Bears 42 and 11 yards. Lions running game had been dormant in the second half til now
• Montgomery on a 5-yard pass to the left. Then he breaks off a first-down run to the 43. A 13-yard run. 

• Grounder through the end zone and Detroit starts at its 25.

9:20: Bears 28, Lions 13

• Santos 28-yard field goal. A seven-play, 20-yard drive in 2:53. Kind of a waste again but the lead is 15. Bears 28, Lions 13
• Same play to Mooney again as before but Fields led him too far on this one and he couldn't get it. Bears will try a field goal.
• Boot pass impossible catch for Moore and he gets it somehow at the 10. Third-and-2.
• Another stupid attempt to run the QB at Hutchinson and it results in a 1-yard loss. They've done that at least half a dozen times today iwth the same result.
• Moore slanting with Lions all over him and it's a first down on a high throw and brilliant catch. Bears at Lions 18. Now 11 minutes left.
• Mooney drops a second-and-6 pass for a first down. Right through his hands, no excuse. Would have been at the 12.
• Tackle for loss. Jack Sanborn and Brisker snuff that one out really quick and the Bears have it back at the Lions 30 with a chance to take total command.
• Reynolds makes the catch a yard short of the sticks and Lions will go for it at their 34.

• Two short passes, the second one to Gibbs ended quickly by Edmunds' big hit and it's third-and-9.

• Sound familiar? Bears lead Lions by 12 in the fourth quarter.

14:12

• Fields rolls out of pocket right, sees an opening and 6 points after he turns on the jets. Bears going for two. Two-point pass left to Moore fails. Bears 25, Lions 13
•  2-yard loss on a WR screen to Moore and Bears have third-and-goal at the 11.
• Timing off a bit and Kmet in the open field had the TD if he caught it but couldn't haul it in from over his right shoulder when he was expecting left.

Third Quarter

• Quarter ends as Fields lofts a nice ball to Foreman out of the backfield which was run to the Lions 9. Great execution on both ends but then Foreman tried to go airborne like he did twice in one home game earlier this year and nearly was ripped in half.
• Foreman wasn't supposed to be a receiver but he ran a nice route and Fields lofted a perfect ball to him on the outside and then Foreman tried that ai
• Marcedes Lewis catches a short flip for 4. Fields was about to get sacked and just threw it out backhanded.

• Goff fumbles the snap and T.J. Edwards has it. Bears at Lions 29.

• Gibbs was tried on the same off tackle play he broke for 36 yards earlier, but was stopped after 6 by Stevenson, who got hurt on the play and left.

1:36: Bears 19, Lions 13

• Fields tries to draw them offsides, it works and then he hits Moore on a bolt down the sidelines for a wide open 38-yard touchdown. PAT blocked and nearly gets returned for two Detroit points. A seven-play, 50-yard drive. Bears 19, Lions 13.

• Fields held the ball too long on third down, got hit and threw it as he fell wildly. For some reason it wasn't intentional ground. So Bears are going for it on fourth-and 12 at the Lions 38.
• Zone read and Fields read wrong when he kept it. Nearly got decapitated.
• Fields panics and tosses up the ball with Hutchinson closing in and for some reason Khari Blasingame caught it for a 3-yard loss. That was one you let fall.
• Lions squandered the timeout as the replay shows Kmet kept possession. Ball at the 35 of Detroit with 3:03 remaining in the quarter.
• Fantastic catch in tight coverage by Kmet for 8 near the sidelines. Alex Anzalone in tight coverage and the Lions are challenging that he had the ball. Maybe they're right from the way the Bears ran up to the ball.
• Good interior blocking and Foreman smashes ahead 7 on first down, but then Fields had Moore wide open outside and threw it wide with the pressure coming.
• Taylor with another nifty little return as he took a short punt on the short side of the field for 9 yards to get the ball to midfield. Taylor and special teams making an impact in the cold and wind on the lakefront.
• It's LaPorta again over the middle and he's blanketed by Stevenson and by Tremaine Edmunds. An incompletion means Fox punting from inside his 5.
• Two straight runs and the Lions net -1. They face third-and-11 at the 16.
• The Lions were doing well when they went back to the ground game to set the tone, maybe they will try that againa.
• Josh Blackwell with an outstanding special teams play. Their gunner on the left side got downfield and stopped Kalif Raymond on a terrible low punt by Trenton Gill. If he missed, Raymond had another 20 yards before anyone would  have got to him. Lions at their own 17.
• The holding penalty ultimately killed their drive as Fields' third-down pass is tipped but he had no one open. Bears punt from their 49.
• Kmet catches another short one and turns the wrong way. If he went left instead of right, he had another 15 yards or more.
• On first-and-20, the high pass to Kmet goes for 4 yards and he's tackled by former Bears DB Kindle Vildor of all people.

• Fields scrambles all over and throws 20 yards downfield to Cole Kmet but Lucas Patrick was holding so they move back to the Chicago 38.

7:36

• Bears at their own 48 after Tucker's neat return behind some good interior blocking on the return.
• The punter, Fox, saves the day for the Lions as Trent Tucker breaks a 31-yard punt return, the best by the Bears this year. He might have gone another 20 yards but got tackled by the punter in the open field.
• It was worth the try. Detroit calls short clear-out to Gibbs and he gets back 12 but they have to punt. 
• Big interior pressure returns from Andrew Billings and Goff panics and throws it away. So Lions face third-and-15.
• Lions false start and they begin the drive at the 20. On first down Brisker gets his hands on a pass but mis-timed his jump or it  could have been pick-6.

• Lions have done the job on Moore in this one as he has two catches for 15  yards. Fields looks and isn't seeing him open. So Kmet, Mooney, Velus Jones and Tyler Scott have stepped up.

8:38: Bears 13, Lions 13

• Kerby Joseph swatted away a possible TD to Moore in the corner on second down and Fields threw it away on third down after holding it a long time so the Bears settle for a Cairo Santos 25-yard field goal. A 12-play, 65-yard drive in 5:20. Bears 13, Lions 13
• Tyler Scott with a catch-and-run to the 7 and a first-and-goal. But then Herbert is stopped for no gain on first down.
• A pass interference at the 18 as Velus Jones Jr. is interfered with. Someone who watches the Bears would tell the Lions not to bother.
• Moore goes skyward and hauls down a Fields pass on third down before falling out of bounds at the Lions 23. 
• Moore returns with the Bears at the 37 and nearly escapes a tackle on second down passbut is hauled down after a 2-yard completion.
• A completion to Darnell Mooney gets the Bears into Lions territory and Velus Jones Jr. comes through for a first-down catch over the middle with Moore still out. 
• DJ Moore injured on a 4-yard end around on the first play and is on the siidelines now. 

13:58

• Bears get the needed three-and-out thanks to third-down pressure from Tremaine Edmunds on the blitz. His heave downfield came early and well off the mark.

Second Quarter 

• No other way to put it than the entire game changed on one poor play choice with poor execution on fourth down. T 

• A seond-down sack ends the half.
• Not only was that drive well executed and patient but the Lions left the Bears with no time and now Detroit gets the ball to start the second half.

:26

• Josh Reynolds wide open over the middle for the 8-yard Td slanting in. He beat Tyrique Stevenson and no one stepped up inside to provide help. An 11-play, 53-yard drive in 4:49. Lions 13, Bears 10.
• Lions use their first timeout with 30 seconds left and the ball at the Bears 8.
• Bears had wide screen figured out and stumbled all over themselves trying to get there and Gibbs got the first down at the 13.

• Finally the Bears get a net postive on a running play. They hold Gibbs to a yard and it's third-and-5 at the 20.
• Tight end dive on fake toss to Gibbs. LaPorta rushes for 4. Old fullback dive play is what it was. 

• March continues with inside 3-yard run by Gibbs to the 25. The Bears bottled that one up but Gibbs froze them with a nice little jump cut.

• Bears defense badly needs a big play as they have been on their heels since the offense failed on the fourth-down pitch attempt.
• After a Montgomery run for 3 yards, Lions face third-and-3. Lions playing good ball control but you expect them to take one downfield soon. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!
• Gibbs tackled from behind by Sweat and was fortunate to hold the ball on 4-yard gain.
• After a Brock Wright catch of 4 yards, Goff finds LaPorta over the middle in tight coverage again for the first down at Bears 35.

• Gibbs gets away from a TFL around right end for a 4-yard gain.
• Momentum going Lions' way now. Bears defense needs to answer. They had the line of scrimmage to start and held it until that fourth-down stop. Now it seems to have reversed on both sides of the ball.

• Great play by Roschon Johnson as Fields' throws as he was hit was wobbling. Johnson just hit it and knocked it out of bounds incomplete. No sense catching it 10 yards behind the line with the defense all over him.

• Needlessly getting Fields beat up with a 1-yard run around left side. Then he got sacked on the next play by Hutchinson as he held the ball too long.

• Ended a streak of five quarters without allowing a TD.

6:59: Bears 10, Lions 6

• Is that the Bears outdoor weather advantage working on the missed conversion?

• Gibbs on a weak-side counter toss play and no one is home. A 12-yard TD. But Riley Patterson misses the extra point. A nine-play, 61-yard drive for a TD. Bears 10, Lions 6

7:15

• Third-and-1 at the Bears 12 for Detroit.
• Brisker walked off on his own but you always worry about concussions when he's down because he has had them.

• Edmunds with a  touchdown-saving tackle in open field on an end around to Jameson Williams and the Lions settle for 4 yards but then St. Brown gets  on another end around and Jaquan Brisker gets hurt making the tackle. 
• A 17-yard throw against the Bears zone deep to Donovan Peoples-Jones.
• St. Brown with another short pass and Lions will go for it on fourth-and-3.
• Sweat comes free from Sewell and nearly has the sack but Goff throws it away. Th
• e Lions then get penalized for false start and they face third-and-8.
• Lions offensive line now taking control on the ground, which doesn't happen much to this Bears defense. A 7-yard run.
• Montgomery breaks a second-down run to the Bears 45 for 13 yards.
• The story of the last game was wasted opportunities nearly came back to bite them. They can't afford that against a team as good as Detroit.

11:39

• Fields comes up a yard short on third-down run, then the Bears try a tricky toss play to Moore on fourth-and-1 and it gets stuffed. Detroit ball at its 38. A wasted opportunity after the deep ball to Kmet.
• Bears out of the hole in a hurry with a  41-yard pass to Kmet deep out of the pocket. Now at Lions 45.

14:00

• Dan Campbell gamble on fourth-and-10 goes awry as Jaylon Johnson intercepts it. Eddie Jackson got an illegal block in the back in though so the Bears start at their own 12. Johnson fumbled on the return but it was out of bounds when Lions recovered. Either way, Bears ball.
• Bears showed a double blitz in the A-gap but Lions threw it out to Gibbs and he might have gone all the way, but he didn't have the ball.  
• T.J. Edwards broke up a short flip to Amon-Ra St. Brown on first down but the Lions got it to Kalif Raymond for a 5-yard gain. Lions face third-and-9 at the 35.
• Sweat not on the field. Rasheem Green has rotated in at defensive end.

First Quarter

• Jahymr Gibbs breaks a 36-yard run off right tackle to the Bears 35. Turned on the afterburners and they were lucky to get him. Before the quarter ended, Lions then got hit with delay of game. Quarter ends.
• Lions start at their 25.

1:22: Bears 10, Lions 0

• Santos with a 46-yard field goal. A 10-play, 63-yard drive in 5:12. Bears 10, Lions 0
• A delayed blitz on third down and Fields nearly got sacked out of field goal range. 
• After a 1-yard run by Foreman, the Bears get Roschon Johnson in and run a rather limited play with one real target available rolling right. Fields threw it away. They called a timeout before the play so that was a waste. 
• Big play to Darnell Mooney. Fields threw it out to the side and somehow Mooney came away with it and streaked down the sideline. Then he was hit out of bounds at Lions 31 after a 28-yard gain by Alex Anzalone. An obvious penalty. Bears at the Lions 16.

• Robert Tonyan  with a third-down catch for the fitrst down across the middle. at the 41. Defensive holding was called but it was good to see them run a straight play out of the pocket and pick up the first down on a throw.
• Another third down coming after two Foreman runs in middle of line netted 6.
• Field with easily his most frantic play of the year and scramble. Looked like a safety but he escaped and got into the open field. Gains 19 to the 30 on third down. 
• Third-and-8 for the Bears after a second-down incompletion by Fields as he rolled left and tried to hit Foreman 20 yards downfield on the run. Not a high percentage play.
• Fox's excellent 54-yard punt leaves Bears back at their 9. That's Jack Fox, not to be confused with the Lions senior defensive assistant coach named John Fox. Yes, that John Fox Bears fans.
• Down goes Goff on sack by Ngakoue on third-and-10. Lions punt. Pressure on the inside got to Goff. He doesn't like that interior pressure one bit.
• Tripping call on Graham Glasgow, the replacement for Frank Ragnow at center. Bears get a penalty called on an opponent.
• Tremendous throw by Jared Goff and catch in coverage by Sam LaPorta for 13 yards and a first down conversion. Bears had that one smelled out but couldn't stop it.
• Couple of Montgomery runs leave the Lions 3 short of a first down. Run defense gave up 115 yards rushing last Lions game.
• Cold not bothering Cairo Santos apparently. His kickoff landed out of the back of the end zone.

10:17: Bears 7, Lions 0

• First rushing TD for Moore in the NFL.
• Lions all went after Fields going from left end to right end on the fake and Moore had no one left to tackle him on the left side. 
• DJ Moore a wildcat run around left end for a 16-yard TD with Fields lined up at receiver. That's a trick they haven't pulled off before. An eight-play, 69-yard drive in 4:43. Bears 7, Lions 0
• Fields a planned run around right end and tremendous block from Darnell Mooney who had come into the game graded the worst run blocking wide receiver in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. That's kind of ridiculous
• D'Onta Foreman wide open hole and sort of ran into the tackle  but  also had 13. He was available only  a short time in the first Lions game.
• Fields steps up and scrambles for 13 by shrugging off a tackler to get the first down on third down. It's their most dependable third down option.
• Once again, no flag on Jack Campbell for hitting Fields well after he slid. Guy can't get a flag thrown.
• Velus Jones goes just beyond his average with the opening return. 28 yards and Bears at the 31.

• Once again the Bears have to receive to start the game. Not a good break. They have to let the Lions have it to start the second half.

Pregame

• Why is it when Eberflus said they have to throw deep more and you know that Tyler Scott has an injury issue, the image is of Velus Jones Jr. running a wkeepeird route and then dropping it in the end zone while sitting on his rear? If they can find a way to keep him from being involved on offense, they need to do it. 
• Losing Equanimeous St. Brown is more important than many may want to acknowledge. He was a force as a blocker in the first Bears-Lions game even if he had only two catches for 19 yards. The Bears had their season high of 183 yards rushing in the game and he really helped when Fields was on a planned run around end or on a scramble. He has only been available in five games but the Bears won three of those five. They have only won once this season when he wasn't active. They had 171 yards rushing against Denver in the first game he was active this year.
• The great Justin Fields and Caleb Williams debate will rage on but there is no doubt Fields fared better against good competition than Williams did in college. Williams faced only five teams in the top 25 in his career and was six TDs and six INTs. Definitely wasn't impressed with the way he handled himself during the stretch of losses at the end of this USC season, and you can't discount that he isn't 6-foot-1. Or at least the speculation is he won't hit 6-1 at the combine. That means he's Rex Grossman's height. He was 6-foot, 1/2 inch.
• Eddie Jackson said this week the Bears "haven't been put away yet," in terms of the playoffs. Somehow everyone avoided a Jim Mora Jr. moment. More important than this is just winning in general. They need to show ownership they can win games. It's that simple. It's tough to say at this point if there is a number associated with it, but beating teams like the Lions or Browns would count extra credit as you're talking about better teams. Cleveland has the No. 1 defense in the league next week. The Lions are No. 14 but were a top 10 defense earlier before injuries started to set in. And then there is the Packers game, which would always carry more weight. 

• One of the better and more nutty exchanges on Twitter with a former Bears coach. Definitely. Marc Trestman needs to get himself a computer or cell phone so he can look up actual records instead of spewing guesses that he was better in Chicago than he actually was. At least he was on there, because you won't find many coaches they've had who would be involved on there.

Marc Trestman fighting for his life to remember his primetime record accurately pic.twitter.com/VNa9gr0Srd

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