Grades: Lions Overcome Four Turnovers to Stun Bears

Detroit Lions' grades after win over Chicago Bears.

The Detroit Lions survived a divisional test Sunday, thanks to a late rally. 

After the offense sputtered and struggled with turnovers for three quarters, Jared Goff came alive in the final four minutes to lead the team to consecutive touchdowns. That, paired with an Aidan Hutchinson strip-sack, led the Lions to their third straight win and an 8-2 record. 

Here's a look at the grades for each position group based on performance in Sunday's game. 

Quarterback: C

Goff had maybe the worst first three quarters he's ever had as a Lion. His normally pinpoint accuracy was uncharacteristically wild and he seemed out of sync with every receiver not named Amon-Ra St. Brown. 

His first interception came when Sam LaPorta appeared to collide with a Bears defender. The second was in the direction of new wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones, and the third was tipped at the line of scrimmage. 

There were also multiple other opportunities for the Bears to pick off Goff, including a near-mistake in the red zone that would've been six points for Chicago and a third down miss when he and LaPorta weren't on the same page.

Yet, the fourth quarter heroics are undoubtedly a credit to Goff's resolve. He flushed away the woes of early in the game, leading two touchdown drives where the offense was clicking at an elite level. 

After struggling for so much of the game, he found his groove when it was needed most. The touchdown to Williams was perfectly placed between an underneath cornerback and an over-top safety. 

Goff's performance didn't inspire confidence for three quarters. However, when it mattered most, he proved why the Lions have placed unwavering trust in him and returned to the form that he's taken over the last season and a half. 

Running backs: B+

The Lions finished with 115 yards on the ground, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combining for a solid effort. This week, Montgomery got the bigger workload of carries with 12 compared to Gibbs' 8. 

Detroit featured both backs in the passing game, especially on the final two drives. Gibbs finished with six catches for 59 yards, while Montgomery had two for 22. Both players also reached the end zone, with Gibbs providing the first score and Montgomery the game-winner. 

In true Montgomery fashion, his best work came after halftime. He had 55 of his 76 rushing yards after halftime including his longest run of the game on the first snap after halftime. 

The Lions also debuted an interesting wrinkle, with Montgomery getting a direct snap and running a read option with Gibbs in the backfield. That's an element worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses. 

Wide receivers: B

Amon-Ra St. Brown fell short of 100 receiving yards for the first time in more than a month, but once again led the team in receiving. He produced eight catches for 77 yards and scored a touchdown late in the first half. 

The score was impressive, as he went to his shoestrings to secure a lunging catch and give the Lions the advantage going into the locker room. 

With the inconsistency in the passing game, St. Brown provided the only performance of note until late in the game. Jameson Williams hauled in a 32-yard score, his second of the year, to bring Detroit within a score late in the game. 

Williams appears to have etched himself into a consistent role. Campbell has spoken highly of the second-year wideout consistently as of late, and his rep count continues to increase each week. 

Donovan Peoples-Jones received just one target in his Lions' debut, which resulted in an interception. Josh Reynolds drew a pass interference penalty but wound up with just one catch for 11 yards. 

Tight ends: B

Sam LaPorta didn't notch his first catch until the Lions' penultimate drive. Given the workload the rookie has proven himself in, his lack of presence was rather surprising throughout Sunday's game. 

He ultimately finished with three catches for 16 yards, including an 8-yard catch on the final drive to move the chains on a second-and-4. He also hauled in the two-point conversion after Montgomery's game-winning score. 

Offensive line: B-

Without Jonah Jackson, the Lions turned to rookie Colby Sorsdal as the team's starting left guard. The results were so-so, as Sorsdal had his ups and downs. He was called for holding in the second half but contributed key blocks to open run lanes for Gibbs and Montgomery. 

Elsewhere, the Lions allowed two sacks. It's tough to pin blame on one individual, however, as each came as the result of well-timed Bears rushes. The first came when linebacker Jack Sanborn got free on a blitz, while Montez Sweat collected the second on a play-action play where he was unblocked. 

The Lions averaged 5.2 yards per carry on the ground, but the Bears tallied eight quarterback hits. Chicago's revamped defensive line, with the addition of Sweat, is no slouch and among the best in the league against the run. 

Aidan Hutchinson Earns Game Ball

Defensive line: C+

Mobile quarterbacks have long been a hiccup-inducing problem for Aaron Glenn's defense. On Sunday, that was the case as Justin Fields produced his third 100-yard rushing game in as many tries against the Lions since the start of last season. 

Fields gashed the Lions for 108 yards on 18 carries, most of which coming on designed runs with an occasional scramble. The scrambler got help from his offensive line maintaining good position on their designed keepers. 

The Lions were able to limit Chicago's run game elsewhere, though. Practice squad elevation Quinton Bohanna had one of the team's eight tackles for loss. Defensive tackle Alim McNeill chipped in a sack. 

Aidan Hutchinson wound up being the hero, though, as he recorded a strip-sack that ended with a safety to put the proverbial icing on the cake in Sunday's comeback effort. 

The effort in the trenches was far from perfect, but enough to keep Detroit afloat when the offense was sputtering. 

Linebackers: C-

Rookie Jack Campbell was uncharacteristically out of control in Sunday's game early, but settled down late. He entered the game with just one missed tackle per Pro Football Focus, but had multiple missed tackled against Chicago. 

He finished the game with nine tackles, including chipping in on key stops down the stretch along with Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes. Anzalone finished with a game-high 15 tackles, while Barnes had eight. 

Anzalone recovered a fumble to set up Jahmyr Gibbs' rushing touchdown. 

Secondary: B-

D.J. Moore's size and physicality presented a problem for Detroit's corners. He paced the Bears with seven catches for 96 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown catch in which he burned Jerry Jacobs. 

Cam Sutton forced a fumble but also committed a costly illegal contact penalty. Those unforced errors were a thorn in Detroit's side defensively, as Brian Branch also committed two penalties that both came on third downs to extend Chicago scoring drives. 

It wasn't all bad for the rookie, though, as he finished with three tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback hit. 

Special teams: D

The Lions committed their first major special teams error Sunday when Craig Reynolds fumbled on a kick return. This mistake led to Justin Fields' touchdown to D.J. Moore and allowed the Bears to take the lead. 

Reynolds came up injured on the play, and Khalil Dorsey lined up back deep on the ensuing attempt. The Lions punted just twice, and Jack Fox landed both attempts inside the 20-yard line while averaging 48.5 yards per. 

Defensively, the Lions forced just two points and neither were returnable. In fact, Reynolds' return was the only attempt in that phase by either team.

Coaching: B-

The Lions appeared to have a strong game plan, as each of their first two drives were lengthy and into Chicago territory before ending in interceptions. Ben Johnson's late-game play-calling was on point, as the Lions appeared prepared and limited mistakes in the four-minute situation. 

Defensively, Fields' mobility once again presented problems for Aaron Glenn's defense. The Lions did a good job against Chicago's traditional run concepts, but Fields' ability to maneuver the pocket and break loose made life difficult. 

The Lions will need to sure up that area, with several mobile quarterbacks such as Jalen Hurts potentially looming in the postseason. Detroit's effort wasn't good enough to beat a marquee opponent, but their resolve and tenacity allowed them to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.