Consecutive Bears Wins for First Time Since 2021

WATCH BEARS AND LIONS HIGHLIGHTS: The Bears defense denies a second straight Detroit comeback from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit in a convincing 28-13 win.

The scoreboard said the Bears had a 12-point fourth-quarter lead Sunday on the Detroit Lions and the players all noted afterward how they couldn't help but remember last time they were up 12 in the fourth quarter at Detroit three weeks earlier.

There would be no Jared Goff miracle comeback this time, only the cold Soldier Field turf at the bottom of sacks by Montez Sweat, Justin Jones and Yannick Ngakoue, then an interception by Tremaine Edmunds.

The Bears offense got it together enough in the second half and the defense dominated then in a 28-13 win over the NFC North leaders as they won consecutive games for the first time since 2021.

"I think it's a big deal," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. "It's been a long time coming. To win two in a row, and it's two division opponents, which is big. The guys are super excited, but we could feel this coming.

"The improvement was happening over time, and I just kept telling them, if you keep doing right, it's going to be right and good things are going to happen."

They started happening quickly Sunday with a 10-0 lead but before halftime the Lions had rallied for 13-10 lead and seemed to take over the game after a Bears failed fourth-and-1 gamble on a pitch to DJ Moore. The Lions stormed back from that point and then it all ended for Detroit.

Three straight three-and-outs to start the half and then a lost snap from center by Goff gave the Bears (5-8) the opportunity in the third quarter. They seized control and didn't look back in beating the Lions (9-4).

"Obviously last time when we played Detroit we just didn't finish," said defensive tackle Justin Jones, who had 1 1/2 sacks. "They've got a hell of a team over there. We just had to make sure we played all 60 minutes this time."

Detroit managed a 12-yard second-quarter Jahmyr Gibbs TD run and 8-yard TD pass from Goff to Josh Reynolds, but then only four first downs to go with 76 yards for the entire second half.

Beside Edmunds' fourth-quarter interception and T.J. Edwards' recovery of the third-quarter fumbled snap, the Bears had an interception from Jaylon Johnson and four total sacks, one each for Sweat and Ngakoue, and half of one for Gervon Dexter Jr. to go with the 1 1/2 by Jones.

"We choked them out," Sweat said. "We strained, strained, strained. The offense got us some first downs. The pass rush got home and the back end was covering up.

"Maine finished with a pick, we finished with a couple sacks, man it's poetry."

It could have been different but Fields and the offense supplied points instead of turnovers of their own. No fourth-quarter fumbles this time.

Fields completed 19 of 33 for 223 yards and the key score of the game, a 38-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore after the Lions jumped offsides in the third quarter with the game tied at 13-13. The fact that they jumped offsides on a fourth-and-13 play didn't say much for Detroit's mental discipline, and the Bears burned them.

Moore took off downfield and was open and Fields hit him in stride for the TD.

"Yeah, I mean, basically we were just lined up in a formation, and we tried to just get them to jump offsides," Fields said. "Just one-on-one and did a dummy protection adjustment to make it feel like a real play, and of course the second one we got somebody to jump."

The 5-yard penalty should have had them lining up instead for a 50- or 51-yard Cairo Santos field goal but the Lions fell for the dummy play and jumped offsides.

"It was supposed to be a freeze play and I saw the dude on the other side, that's the D-end, jump," Moore said. "Shoot, I took off from my side. I'm like, 'man, they ain't stopping us now.' "

It was basically like the plays Aaron Rodgers burned the Bears and so many other teams on over the years.

"Most teams are knowing that's going to come," Fields said.

Moore had scored on a fake end-around to Fields as the wildcat quarterback in the first quarter with a 16-yard run around left end, and Santos made a 46-yard field goal for the early lead. Then they had only Santos' 25-yard field goal early in the third quarter to show to point when Fields threw the TD to Moore.

Three weeks earlier a 12-point lead wasn't sufficient, so the offense added more after Moore's TD catch. Fields scrambled left an on third-and-goal from the 11 48 seconds into the fourth quarter and ended a five-play 29-yard drive following the fumbled snap from center by scoring.

"I mean, yeah, we know as a team that there are going to be ups and downs during the game, and we try to just stay even keeled whole the whole time," Fields said. "I think the guys did that.

"I think personally we did leave it out something on the field. I think we could have been better in some areas, but at the end of the day, we got the W, and that's all that matters."

Santos kicked a clinching field goal of 28 yards with 9:20 left for the 15-point lead and they left the rest safely in the hands of a defense that held Goff to 20 of 35 for 161 yards.

When the smoke cleared and safety Jaquan Brisker had an astounding 17 tackles, they were talking about bigger things than winning consecutive games.

"We just want to get to the playoffs," Jaylon Johnson said. "So we know what we need to do to get to the playoffs. So we're going to do what we can and keep fighting like we've been doing all season."

Actually, it might be better to do it the way they have the last two games.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven