Rapid Rewind: Lions survive sloppy second half, match franchise's longest winning streak

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Detroit — The Detroit Lions dominated the opening half against the Chicago Bears during Thursday’s Thanksgiving Classic at Ford Field, but failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities, leaving the door open for a comeback.

But a wild final drive ended with an incomplete deep pass toward the end zone, allowing the Lions to hold on for a 23-20 victory.

Detroit drove into the red zone four times with five first-half possessions but twice settled for field goals and lost a fumble on another.

Trailing just 16-0 at the break, the Bears opened the third quarter with a long touchdown drive and kept the pressure on throughout the second half, slicing the Lions’ lead to three with under six minutes remaining before forcing the Lions into a three-and-out the ensuing possession.

Despite being pinned at the 1-yard line by Jack Fox’s punt, the Bears quickly worked across midfield, looking for the tie or a go-ahead score.

A sack for Za’Darius Smith and offensive pass interference negating a fourth-down conversion put the Bears in trouble, but Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor was flagged for pass interference on quarterback Caleb Williams’ deep-heave prayer while running away from heavy pressure.

The situation continued to yo-yo when Chicago was again driven back by an illegal hands-to-the-face infraction and a second Smith sack pushing them out of field-goal range a second time. Williams’ final effort into the end zone, to rookie Rome Odunze, fell incomplete as time expired.

The victory was the Lions' 10th in a row, matching the longest winning streak in franchise history.

Game ball

Smith surges to the top of the list with two sacks on the final drive.

Scoring summary

First quarter

● 7:06 — Taking the opening kickoff, the Lions went on a methodical, 15-play march that included a trio of third-down conversions. But the Bears' defense managed to clamp down inside the 10-yard line, holding the home team to a 30-yard field goal.

Running back David Montgomery carried the ball six times for 27 yards and added a 3-yard reception to convert a third down during the series. LIONS 3, BEARS 0

Second quarter

● 14:55 — Fueled by a third-down conversion where Amon-Ra St. Brown ran a slick route, reversing direction on a shallow cross into a corner pattern for a 29-yard gain, the Lions drove 90 yards on 10 plays.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs provided much of the remaining damage, gaining 52 yards on five carries, with tight end Sam LaPorta putting the finishing touches on the series with a 3-yard scoring grab on first-and-goal. LIONS 10, BEARS 0

● 7:15 — Opening with a 13-yard run and 14-yard screen pass for Montgomery, the Lions were able to dig out of a second-and-23 hole with a 30-yard pass to Tim Patrick, boosted by a roughing the passer infraction on the throw.

But after earning a first-and-goal from the 4, the red zone trip was ruined by a holding call against St. Brown, leaving the Lions to settle for a 36-yard field goal from Bates. LIONS 13, BEARS 0

● 3:11 — Detroit got a drive-opening run of 28 yards out of Jahmyr Gibbs, but little more before taking a 48-yard Bates kick to extend their first-half advantage. LIONS 16, BEARS 0

Third quarter

● 9:47 — The Bears broke the shutout by coming out of the locker room with a nine-play, 74-yard touchdown drive. Under duress from the pass rush, quarterback Caleb Williams connected with Keenan Allen for 18 yards to convert a third-and-14 and went back to Allen on a post pattern three snaps later for a 31-yard score. LIONS 16, BEARS 7

● 2:43 — Benefitting from a drive-extending horse-collar tackle, Detroit counterpunched with a touchdown of their own. After Jameson Williams electrified the crowd by hurdling a defender on an end-around, quarterback Jared Goff found LaPorta out of play-action for the tight end’s second touchdown of the game. LIONS 23, BEARS 7

Fourth quarter

● 13:40 — Detroit’s defense continued to struggle in the second half, blowing a coverage and missing a tackle on back-to-back plays, resulting in a combined 48 yards for Chicago. A holding penalty and a surrendered third-down conversion set up Allen’s second touchdown, a smooth slant route out of the slot that bested the coverage of slot cornerback Amik Robertson.

The Bears' two-point try failed, leaving the visitors down two scores. LIONS 23, BEARS 13

● 5:36— Converting a third down early in the possession, Williams found DJ Moore on a go route for a 31-yard touchdown to slice Detroit’s lead to three. LIONS 23, BEARS 20

Turnovers

● Taking a swing screen in the red zone during the closing minute of the first half, Gibbs lost a fumble when he took a big shot from safety Tyrique Stevenson.

Key stats

● Goff finished 21-of-34 for 221 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions.

● Montgomery and Gibbs combined for 239 yards from scrimmage.

● St. Brown paced Detroit’s pass catchers with five grabs on seven targets for 73 yards.

● Defensive tackle DJ Reader recorded the second two-sack game of his career and first since 2018.

Notable

● The Lions schemed up a pass attempt for right tackle Penei Sewell, lining him up on the left side of the formation, outside tight end Sam LaPorta. Taking an end-around handoff, the intended target wasn't open, forcing Sewell to tuck the ball and run. He carried a couple of defenders before being driven out of bounds for a short loss.

● Dan Skipper got the start at left tackle, while Kindle Vildor and Khalil Dorsey started at cornerback, ahead of Terrion Arnold. The rookie came on the second series and played the remainder of the game.

● The Bears didn’t record a first down until the final minute of the opening half, failing to reset the chains each of their first four possessions.

● Chicago’s third-quarter touchdown snapped Detroit’s streak without allowing an opponent across the goal line at 12 quarters.

● After making his first 19 field goal tries of the season, including three in this game, Bates pushed a 45-yard effort wide right in the fourth quarter.

● Detroit’s streak of 22 regular season games with at least one rushing touchdown was snapped.

Injuries

● Josh Paschal suffered a knee injury chasing down Williams on a third-down scramble in the first half and was ruled out shortly after halftime.

● Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike suffered a hamstring injury late in the first half and didn't return.

● Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez exited with a leg injury with a little under seven minutes remaining in the game.

Inactives

In a surprise, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was among Thursday's inactives. He hadn’t appeared on the injury report prior to the contest, but it’s possible something came up for the pre-game warmups.

Also inactive were offensive tackle Taylor Decker, cornerback Carlton Davis III and offensive linemen Kayode Awosika, Colby Sorsdal and Giovanni Manu. Decker and Davis had previously been ruled out with knee injuries.

Next game

The Lions will cap a four-game stretch in 18 days with a primetime matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field next Thursday.