Recap: Lions complete miracle comeback, avenge Bears 34-30

Detroit News

Nolan Bianchi
 
| The Detroit News

Game summary

The Detroit Lions avenged a comeback loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 1 by finishing a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter Sunday, as Romeo Okwara’s strip-sack of Mitch Trubisky set the Lions up for a winning touchdown by Adrian Peterson as Detroit escaped Soldier Field with a 34-30 victory.

Final leaders

Passing

DET – Matthew Stafford: 27/42, 402 yds., 3 TD, Int.

CHI – Mitch Trubisky: 26/34, 267 yds., TD

Rushing

DET – Adrian Peterson: 16 att., 57 yds., 2 TD

CHI – David Montgomery: 17 att., 72 yds., 2 TD

Receiving

DET – Marvin Jones: 8 rec., 116 yds., TD

CHI – Allen Robinson: 6 rec., 75 yds.

Lions finish off Bears with fourth-down stop

Chicago takes over at its own 25. The Lions lead 34-30 with 1:37 left.

David Montgomery puts the Bears on the move with a 16-yard completion that’s supplemented by a horse-collar tackle, which gives 15 free extra yards. First-and-10 at the Detroit 44 already.

Cole Kmet picks up a yard before Montgomery gets 14 more.

Kmet gets to the Detroit 24 with a gain of 5. Trubisky’s second-down pass to Darnell Mooney in the end zone falls incomplete. Allen Robinson catches the third-down pass, but steps out of bounds short of the line to gain. Bizarre play by Robinson. 

It’s fourth-and-1: Trubisky hands to Montgomery, and he’s stopped short of the sticks. 

The play is being reviewed, but it looks like the Lions are going to win this football game. 

And it stands! The Lions are going to leave Chicago as victors.

FINAL: Lions 34, Bears 30 

Lions takeaway ball inside Chicago 10, take lead with 1:37 left

Chicago takes over at its own 11. The Bears lead 30-27 with 2:13 remaining.

David Montgomery rushes for 3 yards.

**Two-minute warning**

Trubisky is flushed from the pocket on second down, scrambling for 3 to bring up a crucial third-and-4 that could decide the game.

Timeout #1 Detroit (1:54 4th)

Trubisky is strip-sacked on third down as the Lions recover inside Chicago’s 10. Holy smokes, boys and girls.

Bears 30, Lions 27 (1:46 4th)

It’s first-and-10 Detroit at the Chicago 7.

Adrian Peterson rushes for 2 yards on first down.

Timeout #1 Chicago (1:37 4th)

Peterson rushes into the end zone for a  Lions touchdown, and Detroit is on top for the first time this game.

Lions 34, Bears 30 (1:37 4th)

Lions cut deficit to 3 with 2:18 remaining 

Detroit takes over at its own 4, trailing by 10 with 4:33 to go.

Matthew Stafford misses to T.J. Hockenson on first down but completes to the second-year tight end for a gain of 14 yards on second down.

Stafford then gets Danny Amendola in the mix, connecting for a 22-yard completion and then picking up 17 more on the next play to make it first-and-10 at the Chicago 43.

Marvin Jones hauls in a 5-yard reception on first down before Hockenson picks up 13 more on second down.

Stafford lines up on first-and-10 at the 25, takes the snap, throws to Jones in the end zone, and has his man for a touchdown pass.

It’s a 3-point game.

Bears 30, Lions 27 (2:18 4th)

Lions defense gets another stop, offense gets pinned deep

Chicago takes over at its own 45, leading by 10 with 6:38 left.

David Montgomery is brought down for a loss of 3. Anthony Miller hauls in a 9-yard reception on second down, bringing up third-and-4.

Timeout #1 Chicago (5:30 4th)

Trubisky is sacked on third down. The punt is downed at the 4. Detroit gets the ball back, but has a lot of work to go.

Bears 30, Lions 20 (4:33 4th)

Lions offense falling apart as time winds down in fourth

Detroit takes over at the 8. The Lions trail 30-20 with 7:22 to go in the fourth.

Matthew Stafford throws complete to Marvin Jones for a gain of 5. Stafford’s second-down throw to T.J. Hockenson is defended, knocked incomplete. Jones can’t haul in the third-down pass, and the Lions will punt.

Bears 30, Lions 20 (6:38 4th)

Lions get stop in own territory after Stafford interception

The Bears take over at Detroit’s 46 after the interception. They lead 30-20 with 9:22 left in the fourth.

David Montgomery rushes for 9 yards. The Bears are flagged for holding on the next play, making it second-and-11. Mitch Trubisky hits Cole Kmet for a pickup of 7.

Cordarrelle Patterson drops the third-down pass, and the ensuing punt is fair caught at the 8.

Bears 30, Lions 20 (7:22 4th)

Stafford throws interception with game on the line in fourth

Detroit takes over at the 25, trailing by 10 with 11:23 to go.

Matthew Stafford is forced to get it away on first down with Khalil Mack in his kitchen. Adrian Peterson rushes for 3 yards on second down as Detroit keeps things moving on third down with a 23-yard completion to Danny Amendola, bringing up first-and-10 at the Chicago 49.

Stafford hits T.J. Hockenson for a pickup of 6 on first down. Stafford’s next pass is picked off, and things aren’t looking good for your Detroit Lions here in the fourth quarter.

Bears 30, Lions 20 (9:22 4th)

Trubisky, Bears offense finds groove en route to 10-point lead in fourth

Chicago takes over at the 28, leading 23-20 with 3:49 to go in the third quarter.

Cordarrelle Patterson finds a hole on first down, reaching the 41 of Chicago for a gain of 13. 

Patterson gets 2 on first down and David Montgomery gets 2 more on second down. Everson Griffen is flagged for a neutral-zone infraction before third down, making it third-and-1. Tough penalty to take at this moment. Trubisky tucks it and runs for a 2-yard pickup on third down that moves the sticks.

It’s first down, Bears, at the Detroit 48.

Jamie Collins drills Montgomery for a loss of 1, bringing the third quarter to a close.

END 3RD: Bears 23, Lions 20 

Anthony Miller’s 4-yard reception brings up third-and-7. Darnell Mooney catches a pass over the middle, gets up the sideline, and picks up 21 yards on his way to a new set of downs at the Detroit 24.

Montgomery gets 6 on second down after an incompletion on first down. Patterson stretches for the first down after hauling in a short pass on third down. Tough.

Patterson runs for 3 more on the next play, bringing up second-and-7 at the 11.

Trubisky finishes the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cole Kmet.

Bears 30, Lions 20 (11:23 4th)

Lions impress with touchdown drive, cut deficit to

Detroit takes over at Chicago’s 34 after the stop. The Lions trail 23-13 with 9:02 left in the third quarter.

Marvin Jones makes a 12-yard reception to open the drive, then picks up 7 on the next play to bring up second-and-3 at the Chicago 47: Adrian Peterson rushes for 3 yards to move the chains.

It’s third-and-10 after an incompletion on first down and 0-yard run on second down. T.J. Hockenson scoops a pass off the carpet for a pickup of 9, as the Lions rush to the line to try for it on fourth down with a QB sneak. Stafford gets across the line, and it’s now first down at the Chicago 34.

Hockenson makes a terrific catch on first down to pick up 24 yards to the Chicago 10.

Kerryon Johnson is chased out of bounds after a gain of 1 on first down. Stafford takes, looks, rolls left, and fires a pass to Jesse James for a 9-yard passing touchdown.

Bears 23, Lions 20 (3:55 3rd)

Lions defense amps up pressure, makes quick stop

The Bears take over at their own 20, leading 23-13 with 11:31 to go in the third quarter.

Mitch Trubisky hits Cole Kmet for a pickup of 13 that moves the chains after a 1-yard quarterback run on first down.

Trubisky’s jump ball down the sideline is into double coverage and almost picked, but falls incomplete. A false start makes it second-and-15. Justin Coleman makes an open-field tackle on David Montgomery for a loss of 1 on second down. A third-down pass is caught by Darnell Mooney, but only for a gain of 6.

Good stop by the Lions defense, who bumped up the pressure to start the second half.

Bears 23, Lions 13 (9:02 3rd)

Stafford sacked on third down to end opening drive of second half

Detroit takes over at the 19 to start the second half.

Adrian Peterson rushes for 3 yards on first down. Mohamed Sanu hauls in a 15-yard reception to make it first-and-10 at the 37.

Peterson gets 3 on first down and 2 on second down. Stafford is sacked for a loss of 2 on third down.

Bears 23, Lions 13 (11:31 3rd)

Halftime leaders

Passing

DET – Matthew Stafford: 12/21, 196 yds., TD

CHI – Mitch Trubisky: 11/15, 147 yds.

Rushing

DET – Adrian Peterson: 8 att., 36 yds., TD

CHI – David Montgomery: 11 att., 62 yds., 2 TD

Receiving

DET – Quintez Cephus: 2 rec., 63 yds., TD

CHI – Allen Robinson: 5 rec., 71 yds.

Lions trial by 10 at halftime after unsuccessful Hail Mary attempt

Detroit takes over at the 35 with 30 seconds left in the half and two timeouts.

Matthew Stafford throws the ball away on first down with nobody open. Stafford’s second-down throw is to Kerryon Johnson, complete for a gain of 5. 

Timeout #2 Detroit (0:18 2nd)

Jonah Jackson is flagged for a false start. That negates the 5-yard gain from the previous play. Stafford finds Marvin Jones for a 22-yard gain to the Chicago 47.

Timeout #3 Detroit (0:11 2nd)

Timeout #2 Chicago (0:11 2nd)

Stafford tries to air it out to Jones, but the pass is deflected away. With two seconds left, the Lions try a Hail Mary, that’s almost caught by Eddie Jackson and T.J. Hockenson, but falls to the turf.

END 2ND: Bears 23, Lions 13

Bears add to lead with 36 seconds left in half

The Bears take over at their own 32 with 2:17 remaining in the half and three timeouts. Chicago leads 16-13.

Mitch Trubisky hits Allen Robinson for a 10-yard completion on first down.

**Two-minute warning**

Trubisky drops in a 15-yard completion to Anthony Miller over the middle, and the Bears are continuing to move the ball with ease.

David Montgomery goes down after a gain of the 6 on the next play. Trubisky to Miller again on second down, this time for a pickup of 19 to Detroit’s 18-yard-line.

Timeout #1 Chicago (0:55 2nd)

Trubisky’s attempt to the end zone is incomplete, but there’s a penalty on the Lions for defensive holding. It’s now first-and-10 at the 13. 

Trubisky and Miller connect for a completion of 9 to the Detroit 4.

Timeout #1 Detroit (0:40 2nd)

Montgomery scores his second touchdown of the day.

Bears 23, Lions 13 (0:36 2nd)

Stafford drops dime to Cephus as Lions cut lead before half

Detroit takes over at the 28 after an 11-yard return by Jamal Agnew. The Lions trail 16-6 with 4:20 left in the second quarter.

Matthew Stafford misses a hurried screen pass to Kerryon Johnson on first down. Stafford completes the screen to Johnson on second down, picking up 3. A false start makes it third-and-12. Nevertheless, Stafford finds Jones for a 25-yard completion to keep the drive alive.

It’s first-and-10 at the 49.

Detroit hurries to the line and Stafford winds up big, finding Quintez Cephus on a 49-yard touchdown pass for the first of Cephus’ career.

Bears 16, Lions 13 (2:22 2nd)

Lions defense gets stop it needs as Kearse breaks up third-down pass

The Bears take over at their 12, leading 16-6 with 8:06 to go in the second quarter.

The rushing attack keeps going strong, as Cordarrelle Patterson rushes for 7 yards on first down and David Montgomery rushes for 10 on second down. 

Mitch Trubisky hits Allen Robinson for a 7-yard pickup on first down. Patterson moves the chains with a 3-yard run on second down.

Patterson is stuffed for no gain, and it’s third-and-10 after an incompletion by Trubisky on second down. Jayron Kearse breaks up a third-down throw near the line to gain on third down and ends the Bears drive.

Bears 16, Lions 6 (4:20 2nd)

Lions drive stalls near midfield as offense remains out of sync

Detroit takes over on offense at the 31, trailing Chicago 16-6 with 10:10 to go in the second quarter.

Matthew Stafford’s first-down pass to Marvin Jones is incomplete. Adrian Peterson rushes for 5 yards. Illegal contact on the Bears on third down gives the Lions a free first down.

Kerryon Johnson rushes for 2 yards before Stafford misses a deep shot to Jones on second down. A throw to Quintez Cephus on third down misses the mark. The Lions will punt.

Bears 16, Lions 6 (8:06 2nd)

Chicago takes 16-6 lead with commanding touchdown drive

Chicago takes over at the 25 after the Detroit touchdown. The Bears lead 9-6 with 15 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Mitch Trubisky’s first-down pass falls incomplete. David Montgomery rushes for 4 yards on second down.

END 1ST: Bears 9, Lions 6

Trubisky hits Allen Robinson for an easy 21-yard completion on third down, making it first-and-10 at midfield.

Trubisky moves the chains with a 10-yard throw to Darnell Mooney after a 1-yard run by Cordarrelle Patterson on first down.

It’s first-and-5 after a neutral-zone infraction. Montgomery gets 2 on first down. Javon Wims hauls in a 13-yard completion to give the Bears another first down, this time at the 19 of Detroit.

Montgomery gets 4 more on first down. He makes it first-and-goal at the 5 with a 10-yard run on second down.

Patterson gives the Bears a 5-yard score, as this Bears offense is absolutely unstoppable, folks.

Bears 16, Lions 6 (10:10 2nd)

Lions cut Bears lead to 9-6 near end of first quarter

Detroit will take over at its own 28.

Matthew Stafford’s first-down pass to Quintez Cephus is short of the mark. Stafford tries to tuck it and run on second down but is tripped up at the line of scrimmage for no gain. Stafford finds Marvin Jones Jr. underneath and hits his top receiver for a gain of 15 yards to keep the drive alive.

Adrian Peterson rushes for 4 yards on first down. Stafford hits Cephus with a fastball that’s right in the chest and picks up 14 yards to the Chicago 39. 

Peterson then takes the first-down carry for a pickup of 14, and it’ll be first-and-10 at the 24. 

Peterson rushes for 4 more yards on the next play, then makes it third-and-4 with a gain of 2. Stafford’s throw to T.J. Hockenson on third down is right on the money, and good for a pickup of 14.

It’s first-and-goal at the 4.

Stafford’s first-down pass is broken up, Peterson gets stuffed for a yard on second down. Peterson pushes through on third-and-goal to give the Lions a 3-yard rushing touchdown.

Matt Prater makes the first extra point, but there’s offsetting penalites, and he misses the second attempt. It’s a 3-point game.

Bears 9, Lions 6 (0:15 1st)

Bears take 9-0 lead in first quarter

Chicago takes over at its own 29 after the stop. The Bears lead 3-0 with 9:29 to go in the first.

Mitch Trubisky has a wide-open Allen Robinson over the middle of the field and hits his top receiver for a pickup of 17. 

Cordarrelle Patterson zig-zags his way to a 12-yard pickup on the next play, bringing up first-and-10 for the Bears at the Detroit 39.

Detroit takes a neutral-zone infraction before the next play. First-and-5. Patterson takes it 13 more yards, and it’s a new first down at the 21.

David Montgomery rushes for 8 yards on first down, then sheds a handful of tacklers before diving to the pylon for a 13-yard rushing touchdown.

Romeo Okwara keeps the deficit to single digits by blocking the extra point.

Bears 9, Lions 0 (6:13 1st)

Lions turn ball over on downs on opening drive

Detroit takes over at the 20-yard-line to start the game.

Matthew Stafford hits Mohamed Sanu on first down for a gain of 21 yards to the Detroit 41. 

Adrian Peterson rushes for 2 yards on first down. Stafford gives to Jamal Agnew on a quick pass that nets 19 yards and a new set of downs at the Chicago 38.

Agnew again on first down, this time for 5 yards. Kerryon Johnson gets no gain on second down, meaning a 4-yard pass to T.J. Hockenson will bring up fourth-and-1. Agnew takes a jet sweep, looks like he might have a lane to the first down, hesitates, and gets wrapped up short of the line. 

Turnover on downs.

Bears 3, Lions 0 (9:29 1st)

Bears take 3-0 lead to open game

Chicago will get the ball first, as Cordarrelle Patterson returns the opening kickoff to the Chicago 46.

David Montgomery runs for 4 yards on first down and Mitch Trubisky hits Allen Robinson on second down to quickly get the ball moving into Detroit territory.

Trubisky misses his next pass as Montgomery rushes for 8 yards on second down, but is dropped by Romeo Okwara for a loss of 1 on third down.

Cairo Santos hits the 45-yard field goal to give Chicago the lead.

Bears 3, Lions 0 (12:37 1st)

Pregame

In their first game under interim head coach Darrell Bevell, the Detroit Lions travel to Chicago for a 1 p.m. Sunday matchup against the Bears. Follow the action here with live updates throughout the game by Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News.

Lions at Bears

Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Soldier Field, Chicago

TV/radio: Fox/WJR 760

Records: Lions 4-7; Bears 5-6

Line: Bears by 3

More coverage

Five things to watch: Lions at Bears

Bears’ Nagy raves about former colleague Bieniemy as potential head coach

Detroit News scouting report: Lions at Bears

Detroit News predictions: Lions at Bears

Niyo: Darrell Bevell quarterbacked Wisconsin’s turnaround. Can he do it for the Lions?

Quarterbacks in draft Lions might consider in a Matthew Stafford-less future

Articles You May Like

Lions to reveal new uniforms prior to the NFL Draft
The Detroit Lions will be playing international football before you know it, possibly in 2024
Brad Holmes Press Conference | March 26, 2024
Check out the new Detroit Lions 2024 NFL Draft hat
Cameron Sutton situation leaves Lions CBs in the lurch

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *