Jared Goff connected with Sam LaPorta for two touchdowns and the Detroit Lions extended their winning streak to 10 games by holding off the visiting Chicago Bears 23-20 on Thursday.
The streak matches the franchise record established during their first season in Detroit in 1934. The Lions snapped a seven-game losing streak in their annual Thanksgiving Day game.
Goff passed for 221 yards, while David Montgomery had 124 yards from scrimmage. Jahmyr Gibbs added a combined 104 yards for Detroit (11-1), which owns the best record in the NFC.
Caleb Williams threw for 256 yards and three second-half touchdowns for the Bears (4-8), who have lost six straight. DJ Moore caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Chicago’s poor clock management on its last possession allowed Detroit to hold on. After a sack left the ball on the Chicago 41-yard line with 32 seconds left, the Bears failed to call a timeout on third down and the clock ran out on Williams’ deep incompletion.
The Lions outgained the Bears 279-53 in the first half and grabbed a 16-0 lead.
Detroit controlled the ball for nearly eight minutes after the opening kickoff but settled for a 30-yard Jake Bates field goal. The Bears went three-and-out on their first possession.
The Lions then methodically moved 90 yards down the field in 10 plays and scored on the first play of the second quarter, a 3-yard pass from Goff to LaPorta.
The Lions added 36- and 48-yard field goals by Bates.
The Bears got on the scoreboard on the opening possession of the second half. Williams finished off the 74-yard drive with a 31-yard pass to Keenan Allen.
The Lions answered with a touchdown. That drive was completed by Goff’s 1-yard toss to LaPorta to make it 23-7.
Chicago cut the deficit to 23-13 on Williams’ 9-yard scoring pass to Allen with 13:40 remaining. Williams threw an incompletion on the 2-point try.
Bates missed a 45-yard field goal try with 8:42 left. The Bears then made it a three-point game with 5:36 remaining on Williams’ 31-yard scoring pass to Moore.
The Lions were forced to punt on their next possession but it was downed on the Bears’ 1-yard line. A pass interference penalty against Detroit on fourth-and-14 allowed Chicago’s drive to continue in the final minute.
–Field Level Media
